Could be the right combination of license, developer, and engine to make a great a game.

Indiana Jones has an interesting history in gaming. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is an adventure game classic. Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was Indy trying to show Lara Croft that he was tomb raiding while she was still in diapers, but with mixed success.

Now, LucasArts is going to publish Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, a game we've got high hopes for, because it's being developed by The Collective. These are the guys who also developed Deep Space Nine: The Fallen, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer game for Xbox, which looks way cooler than I ever expected it to be. I'm hoping they've got a little magic left over for Henry Jones Junior.

The game will take place in the Far East in 1935. Indiana Jones has been hired by business man Marshal K'ai to find a black pearl known as The Heart of the Dragon, thought to be buried in the tomb of China's first emperor. K'ai says he wants Indy to retrieve the pearl and return it to the government of China. Legend has it that pearl gives its possessor the power to control minds. Perhaps then it would be a good idea to keep it out of the hands of German mercenary Albrecht Von Beck and the criminal organization known as The Black Dragon Triad, who have partnered up to find the Heart of the Dragon themselves...

Indy will be exploring 10 levels looking for three pieces of the Dragon Seal, which will unlock the emperor's tomb. He'll be assisted by Mei Ying, K'ai's assistant (naturally, she's a beautiful woman). Locations in the game include the streets of Hong Kong, the waters of Ceylon, a 15th Century castle in Prague, a sunken palace in Istanbul, a mountain fortress in China, and more. LucasArts says there will be lots of Indy-style action sequences, such as a rickshaw chase in Hong Kong and a fight atop moving gondolas in the South China Sea area.

Having played the Xbox version at E3, I found it to be much improved over Infernal Machine, in no small part owing to a more dynamic combat system. Yep, Doctor Jones has his gun and whip, and a machete (which can be used to hack through vines). But more importantly, Indy can now fight hand to hand. Indy throws some realistic-looking punches and kicks, relative to his position and the position of his enemies. I saw one instance where he spun to backhand a baddy that was sneaking up on him. What's more, like the movie Indiana Jones, this one fights dirty. The movie Indy bites, brings a gun to a swordfight, etc. In the game, he can do things like kick a man when he's down. Hard. That booting Indy delivers actually looks like it hurts too. The fighters Indy faces range from thuggish brawlers (kinda like Indy) to skilled martial artists.

Another interesting aspect of combat is that Indy can now improvise weapons. Indy can pick up things such as shovels, and broken chair and table legs and start swinging. LucasArts says the environments will be more interactive than before, so successful combat means keeping track of what's around you. This is somewhat similar to Buffy's gameplay, which shouldn't be a shock since the game is based on the same proprietary engine.

The game certainly looks much better than Machine, particularly when it comes to animation. Indy and other game characters move much more fluidly (remember how awkward Indy looked when he jumped in the last game?).

Lately, LucasArts has been relying on third parties to bring their licenses to life. It's proved time and time again to be the right decision. Raven did a masterful job with Jedi Outcast, Ensemble's Age of Kings engine finally gave us a memorable Star Wars strategy game. Since The Collective has shown skill with adapting other licenses, we're hoping they'll deliver another Indiana Jones gaming classic.

Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb will be released this fall for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2.