The Star Wars universe introduced us to a mysterious energy called "The Force," and while most fans ignore the prequel explanation about midichlorians, it just makes sense to make a Jedi game based on The Force, so this game, the first Didj game to teach science, focuses on physics, that is, forces. Great pun.

Players control a choice of four Padawans (apprentices) set during the Clone Wars, running through stages, fighting battle droids, droidekas (destroyer droids), and Sith. Swing your lightsaber to attack, or, if you have enough left in your force meter (which replenishes quickly), use attacks like Force Push, Force Blast, or throw your lightsaber, giving the game a nice variety of attack moves. Players can also block blaster fire back at the shooters with their lightsabers to the point that, except for the Sith, which serve basically as level bosses, the entire game could be played by simply holding down the guard button and letting the droids shoot themselves.

The science minigames play more like science class experiments than video games, but with the arcade quality of the rest of the game, it still plays well. Players learn about simple machines, electricity, magnetism, gravity, and other forces with activities like completing electrical circuits and experimenting with magnetic poles. One experiment even teaches about electrical safety.

Downloadable micromods are purely cosmetic, changing the character's

The game's difficulty runs pretty easy, even for its 2nd-4th grade target age, especially since health and Force power-ups abound. Combat is simple button-mashing with options for other moves, but those moves rarely help, especially in close combat. Sometimes, players will need to find an object to move using the Force, but the object must be found, and the game lacks a map feature, making it easy to get lost. On one level, you get to fight alongside Yoda, but he's not the formidable ally you might expect. He apparently wants the Padawan to learn through combat experience and offers no more help than the other allies, which is better than nothing, but then again, the game is plenty easy as is and doesn't require more help. Still, it provides plenty of entertainment for kids, especially Star Wars fans. If your kids like Star Wars, they will enjoy this game and learn about the real force, too.