It was George Lucas' galaxy far, far away that was the first major film license in the Lego games series, starting a gaming genre that is beloved by adults and kids alike.

'Lego Star Wars: The Video Game' hit consoles in 2005 and was a commercial and critical success.

Following that hit, the company took that ball and ran with it creating multiple titles inspired by several film and comic book franchises, as well as the hugely ambitious toys-to-life title 'Lego Dimensions'.

It seems only fitting that Lego has returned to ‘Star Wars’ to create perhaps its best ever game.

'Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' takes players on a galaxy-spanning journey through all nine movies in the hit franchise.

Each one is presented as a mini adventure in its own right, closely following the original story with some fun puzzles added in to keep things flowing.

In a nice twist, you can play the trilogies themselves in any order, although you must play each episode in turn - so, no skipping 'The Phantom Menace'!

Fans of the Lego series know what to expect here, but this latest iteration takes things to a whole other level with a beautifully-designed, utterly fun game.

There are cracking visual jokes aplenty - from Stormtroopers doing tai chi Leia running straight past Chewbacca to hug Rey in her moment of need.

Each episode is relatively easy to navigate, with your characters able to use their special skills to progress, while combat itself shouldn't provide much of a challenge.

Although the bosses are a bit more demanding, it's not going to detract from any children or newcomers just wanting to soak up the fun - and there's a lot of that.

The gameplay itself adds to that, with a constantly recharging health bar limiting the jeopardy and the Stormtrooper's inaccuracy (which, let's be honest, is very authentic), while being able to cover behind objects to pick people off with your blaster is a nice touch.

The new close-up view also gives games a closer look at the realistic graphics, with the paint on the figures even chipping away like the toys we all know and love.

The episodes won't take too long to get through, with the sense of humour and variety in missions making them all an absolute blast, and there are a lot of open areas to explore from Tatooine to Coruscant and beyond to collect hidden Kyber bricks, which - along with studs - make up currency to get upgrades.

There will be plenty to do even after you've finished all nine episodes, with 380 different characters to collect and plenty of extra vehicles, giving the game plenty of replay value.

Let's talk about some of the action itself, such as the Battle of Naboo seeing you chuck balls of energy from catapults to take out the Trade Federation's droids and tanks.

There's also the moment Rey goes to the mirror cave on Temple Island, the game has you copying her reflections to make it to the exit portal switches.

Naturally, there's all the typical fun too, with podracing, lightsaber duels and X-Wings running through trenches.

Everything is all the more fun this time round, with smooth gameplay and stunning graphics making for a glorious experience.

Cynics might point out 'Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' isn't reinventing the wheel or offering any major changes to the franchise - but they'd be missing the whole point.

There's a certain level of endearing nostalgia here, and the focus is on fun above all else. On that level, it's a resounding success.

The game combines all the best elements of its predecessors, with all chapters in the saga pulling their weight in highly entertaining fashion.

From start to finish, this is a joy to play, and a great way to rediscover your love for a galaxy far, far away.

Rating (reviewed on Xbox One): 5/5

By Alistair McGeorge