Proper massively multiplayer online (MMO) games aimed at youngsters – as opposed to glorified chatrooms – are extremely thin on the ground, so Lego Universe, which uses the look and feel of the hugely popular Lego action-adventure games as a basis for an MMO aimed at seven-year-olds and upwards, demands attention.
Particularly given that anyone who has bought the likes of Lego Batman, Star Wars or Indiana Jones for their offspring ought to be fully aware that they are just as appealing to adults. Which is emphatically the case for Lego Universe – indeed, it's the ideal game for a spot of computer-based father/son bonding.
Despite the cute visuals – everything in the universe is made from Lego and you, naturally, control a Lego mini-figure – Lego Universe proves surprisingly credible in pure MMO terms. In fact, its determination to appeal to all ages means it eschews some of the more tedious and repetitive aspects of grown-up MMOs. Once you've created your character, you're introduced to the overarching plot, in which a bunch of Lego inventors discover the source of pure imagination – but an injudicious dark thought transforms it into the evil Maelstrom, which begins to corrupt the surrounding planets and turn the locals into evil Stromlings. So it's up to you to fight the corruption and rebuild the universe.
Your first task is to build a spaceship, from whence you can fly to Avant Gardens – pretty much a tutorial planet. There you learn the basics of fighting and auto-building smashed objects, for which you need Imagination Orbs which, in turn, you acquire by smashing extraneous objects or defeating enemies. You also get your very own planet on which to build a house or castle. Lego Universe contains the full brick-by-brick Lego building engine, which even lets you assign behaviours to virtual Lego objects, so you could spend your whole time there just building things.
Soon, you must join one of four factions, depending on what sort of gameplay you prefer – either The Sentinels (fighting), The Assembly (building), The Venture League (exploring) or The Paradox (the closest you can get to being a baddie). As well as the base coins, there are faction tokens to collect, which get you access to the best equipment.
Lego Universe may be cute, but it's never schmaltzy, and it really feels like a proper MMO – the difficulty of the quests ramps up, so that you have to improve your character's attributes. You can hook up with friends for co-operative action. Chatting with other characters is fiercely moderated. Each of the planets has its own distinct character. There are heaps of mini-games, most of which are pretty good. And while you can't die, you can get smashed, forcing you to respawn.
Sadly, the game has one glaring flaw: the camera has an annoying tendency to zoom in too close, particularly when you're fighting. You soon learn to work around that, but it's a shame for what is otherwise a near-flawless game – it feels impressively smooth and slick. But, most of all, it's insanely addictive and will, at times, have you laughing out loud. The perfect introduction to MMOs, in other words – except that, when you graduate to more grown-up ones, you may find them disappointing in comparison.
• Game reviewed on PC
