Publisher: LucasArts

Ever since "Raiders of the Lost Ark" came to the silver screen, gamers have been chomping at the bit to recover lost treasures while melting Nazis and shooting under-equipped swordsmen in the inimitable Indiana Jones style. While the Tomb Raider series breathed new life into the action-adventure genre, the illustrious Dr. Jones was nowhere to be seen. Now, LucasArts is once again throwing Indy's signature hat into the ring with Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, but will they show the top-heavy Lara a thing or two about tomb raiding, or struggle to keep abreast of her?

What set the Indiana Jones movies apart from the rest, besides the two-fisted action, were the enjoyable and involved plots. The game keeps tradition with a well thought out and engaging story line. With the Nazi menace defeated, Jones has settled down to some serious archaeology, but barely has time to get his hands dirty before he is caught up in a web of Cold-War intrigue. It seems the Soviet Union has stumbled across the secret of the Tower of Babel and is trying to recover the parts of the unholy machine it once housed. Indy's treasure-hunting skills are called upon to beat the Soviets to the parts before they unleash an unspeakable evil upon the world. While the plot could easily set the stage for another movie, it works equally well as the backdrop to the game.

Despite Infernal Machine's dearth of characters to interact with, mostly in cut scenes, its plot is the driving force behind what unfortunately turns out to be an uninspiring series of running, jumping, and climbing puzzles and occasional skirmishes with insipid enemies. The story takes place only a few years after the war, but Indy's already way past his prime in the game. I was surprised by just how long it takes for Indy to do things. Running is okay, but when he walks, which is the default movement rate, he ambles along at a geriatric pace. Climbing ladders takes forever. Combat is a real drag, as the auto-aim function is extremely quirky, even at moderate range, and is far too often completely useless. Luckily, enemy soldiers are just as likely to shoot at walls as they are at you.