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KNIGHTS OF THE OLD Republic was an awesome game, a must-have for role playing enthusiasts. It brought to the genre an epic and genuinely excellent storyline, something that has become scarce in recent years, as well as being true to the spirit of the Star Wars universe. In short it felt like you were playing a movie, full of twists and dark plots, galactic catastrophe and unparelled heroism. The Sith Lords continues in the fine tradition with a brand new plot set some several years after the first game, that takes your character through some 20 hours of brilliant gameplay. Although the engine hasn't been changed since the first game don't let this dissuade you. What efforts most developers put into making things a little more shiny Obsidian entertainment has put into creating a truly great experience.

While the first game chronicled the Jedi Civil War and Revan's reemergence in it, the second takes place four or so years after it, after Revan has disappeared beyond the outer rim of the galaxy. Probing questions throughout the first area of the game establish whether Revan finished KotoR as good or bad, which alters the background history throughout Sith Lords, but makes no overall difference to the story. This is because you play as the Exile, an ex-Jedi banished after returning from the Mandalorian wars. These wars were the ones that caused Malak and Revan to fall before the start of Kotor 1, taking with them the hundreds of Jedi who disobeyed the Jedi Councils order to stay out of the conflict. You, as the exile, were the only Jedi to return to the council for judgment, who took your light saber and exiled you for your disobedience. Now you have returned, finding in your absence that the Jedi Civil War destroyed most of the planets you knew and that, believe it or not, you are the last Jedi known to exist in the galaxy.

This sets the stage for the game which leads straight into a myriad of plots and deceit. You have a mysterious bind woman named Kreia at your side, who remains enigmatic about her origins and although very strong in the force, is obviously not a Jedi. To add to that, half the galaxy seems to be out to kill you as the last of the order, despite your protestations that you haven't been a Jedi for years. And everything seems to tie back into the horrible past, and the massacres you witnessed and took part in within the Madalorian wars, the dark and bloody conflict that caused the events of KotoR and have blighted the galaxy.

From this you can see that the Sith Lords has a rich and engaging storyline with a graphics engine wrapped around it, rather than the all too common reverse. A good and dedicated player could get through it in maybe 15-20 hours, and at the end have to seriously think about doing it again with a character of an opposite alignment to get the rest of the story. Just like the first game, whether you happen to play a good guy badass or bad guy sadistic psychopath the storyline, quests and day to day conversation mold to you without anything seeming false or half hearted. Some of the stuff you can do as a dark character makes you wonder what kind of staff Obsidian employ, and even when playing ultra good you don't come off as some seemingly saintly altruist. Basically, whatever character you want to play, from a mythical champion to someone very close to yourself, there are quest choices and dialogue lines appropriate.

Gameplay is very fluid and strong, never growing tedious whether you're exploring a level or carving your way through an army of militia. As your character grows stronger the range of options you have in achieving your objectives becomes almost an art form. Apart from the three original class choices (Jedi Guardian, Sentinel or Consular) you eventually get to pick prestige classes which are: Jedi Weapon Master/Sith Marauder, Jedi Watchman/Sith Assassin and Jedi Master/Sith Lord. These classes come with their own quirks and types of play - for example, a Jedi Weapon Master can happily carve through 10-20 foes at once with a light saber in each hand, while a Sith Lord can lay low multiple foes with a mighty burst of lightning, or crush throats with Force Kill. Throughout the game you gain multiple allies of different strengths and weaknesses, each adding unique skills to your party that add to your already impressive abilities. As in the first game each of these characters has his own stories to unfold, but what's new is now you gain and lose influence with your companions based on the acts you perform in their presence. High influence unlocks abilities within them as well as convincing them to unveil further secrets from their past. Also some companions will, if convinced, teach you special skills further shaping your character.

As mentioned before, the game engine hasn't changed since the first title, but don't let that dishearten you. It was made for light sabers, as the screenshots here testify. Combat is a wonder to behold, with whirring blades and singing blaster shots all conglomerating in almost a symphony of combat. Above and beyond the first game, more effort has been put into the model animations, as can be particularly seen in unarmed combat which now resembles actual martial arts. It should be noted that by pausing the game you can rotate around characters in combat. In the end any upgrade of the engine might have cheapened the experience, especially if it came at the cost of other improvements.

On to a slightly less enthusiastic note, there are some minor flaws in this game, which pull it just short of full marks. Most annoying are the infrequent crashes. Throughout the entire game this happened to us five times, so it's hardly a serious bug but does encourage saving often. Also there seem to be some problems with the scripting on occasion. For example, in several instances when in-game cinematics involve characters walking through doors, the door might open and close either in front of or behind them, causing you to have a conversation with a door, or for the threatening bounty hunters to stand face to a wall instead of making a dramatic exit. The worst case was where the exits to a room locked for a challenge but upon completing the challenge the script didn't kick in and open them again, forcing us to load a much earlier save. All in all these errors are infrequent and barely noticeable and hopefully will be all solved in an upcoming patch.

Regardless, buy this game. It is awesome and a worthy sequel to the first title, and essential for role players. As Gameplanet said in reviewing KotoR, this isn't just a great Star Wars game - it is a great game full stop. If you never played the first some of the sequel's story might be lost to you, but it is still different enough for this not to matter, so fear not if you're not a veteran of the Old Republic universe. No Star Wars/RPG enthusiast can afford to be without The Sith Lords.