Star Wars: Jedi Knight & The Mysteries of the Sith (PC CD)

First of all, the graphics engine. The character models were not as refined as some other games at the time (Quake being an ideal example, or even Quake 2) but the animation was smooth and fluid and this brought enough life to the characters that the rather angular design didn't matter too much. Visual effects such as explosions and other animations, for the time were effective enough and still are, if lacking modern polish. However where the engine really shined was in the expansive nature of the level design. The levels were enormous, expansive. Incredible wide open areas, with intricate interior locations, all at a superb framerate (perhaps aided by the less than high polygon count on the models). Not until the Unreal engine was unleashed would this kind of epic size be experienced in a game, and even then, Unreal would push itself to run as well as Jedi Knight with such large designs.

The sound design in the game is pure Star Wars, as you'd expect, and is quite solidly done, if not particularly groundbreaking. The voice acting is above average, and the main characters voices are provided by the actors featured in the games FMV sequences, which used real actors, a sure sign of an expensive production. and a rarity these days. The acting in these sequences is perhaps somewhat wooden and, of course, highly derivative of the original Star Wars films, but it's still immersive enough to gloss over these minor points and the story is fleshed out superbly.

And the story. The games places you in control of Kyle Katarn, the ex-Imperial mercenary of the first Dark Forces game, and the beginning of the game sees Kyle trying to find out who murdered his father. The first three levels of the game don't feature lightsabers, or Jedi at all, so be patient. Through Kyle's quest we learn of a dark Jedi, Jerec, and his band of apprentices who intend to sieze the power contained within an ancient Jedi burial ground, and the connection it holds with Kyles father and ultimately, Kyle himself. Not to give too much away, but there are many locations to visit throughout the story, and some impressive (even today) set pieces and battles that will prove challenging even to experienced first person shooter veterans. Once the inevitable lightsaber is discovered, throughout the rest of the game you will amass points which can be allocated to force powers both light and/or dark side orientated. This affects the course of the game around half way into it as well, so there are two different endings.

The gameplay is, overall, great fun, with a few annoying control issues on occasion and a slightly clunky physics system but this does not detract too much and is easy enough to adjust to. In summary, Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II is a FPS classic, from the FPS golden age when sprites were first being eschewed in favour of polygonal characters and environments.

Mysteries Of The Sith is a special 'mission pack' expansion for Jedi Knight that adds a substantial amount of new content to the game, with an all new story set around 5 years after the story in Jedi Knight has concluded. The introduction of several new weapons, force powers, enemies, environments and a new main (and controllable) character as well as significant graphics engine enhancements (Quake 2 styled coloured lighting) which add further vividness to the experience make this an essential selection, and one that will keep you occupied for some time.

In a few words: challenging, essential, immersive and great fun.