Not a Jedi in sight but still strong with the force.

• Position: VIDEO GAME - Star Wars Republic Commando - Product/Service Evaluation

It seems the market has been overrun recently by an invasion of first person shooter/squad video games. What happens to us after assuming such roles--street thug, spy, medieval knight, police officer, assassin, soldier, ninja, etc.--is that the games begin to blur together, and one notices more similarities than differences. So, when we obtained the recent offering from Lucas Arts of San Rafael, Calif., we did not really expect to see anything that would have it rise above the crowd. Within 15 minutes of pressing 'START,' however, we realized this game was, to echo the words of Darth Vader, "Impressive! Most impressive!"

Star Wars Republic Commando is intriguingly suspenseful, intelligent, fast-paced, and well thought out and planned, rivaling any of the companion novels. Its graphics and special effects are challenged only by the film versions.

Our time frame was the period between "Star Wars" Episodes II and Ill. We led an elite squad of clone troopers (who were assigned various covert mission objectives) against the villainous Separatists--everything from hostage rescue to assassinations and intelligence gathering to assault-and-destroy.

What sets Republic Commando apart is its Artifical Intelligence, the best in the business. It was uncanny to watch the virtual...