Graphically, Indiana Jones is put together incredibly well. Indy looks eerily like the Indiana we all remember from the movies. Also most of the animations move fluidly and most importantly, almost all the animations move logically; minus some of the very minor collision problems that Indy appears to have with solid walls. Furthermore, the settings give off the feeling of a real Indiana Jones movie, giving this game a fantastic atmosphere.

Gameplay wise, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb plays very much like a cross between, the Collective’s own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Eidos Interactive’s Tomb Raider series. Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb has two major components to it. The first major component is puzzle solving, in Indiana Jones there are several various types of puzzles to solve; everything from common variety find the switch puzzles to the more complex puzzles you find later in the game. And the second major component you will find in Indiana Jones is combat, Indy has a number of thugs and even ladies of the night to rough up during his adventures.

The controls in Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb are very responsive. However, due to the camera controls and the lack of a “smart” camera, it makes it very difficult to keep up with the action. Furthermore, the camera issues in Indiana Jones make it extremely frustrating to aim with long range weaponry. While there is a targeting system in the game, it doesn’t help with the camera problems when you are in a firefight. But, camera issues aside, Indiana Jones is a very entertaining game to play and this is mostly due to the combat controls outside of ranged combat. Some of Indy’s most effective weapons are his own two fists. However, he is far from limited to using only fisticuffs to eliminate hostile threats. Indy can improvise, using whatever you can think of around you. Chairs, bottles, shovels just to name a few can all be used as deadly and useful weapons in a pinch. Of course you couldn’t call this an Indiana Jones game if Indy didn’t have his trusty whip. Indy’s whip is a very useful item in a couple of different ways. In combat Indy’s whip can be used as a long range melee weapon, keeping Indy’s foes at bay while dealing out punishment to them at the same time. Outside of combat Indy’s whip can and must be used as a grappling hook of sorts, allowing you to swing from one area to another; quite useful when the floor suddenly falls out from underneath you.

All in all, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb is a solid rendition of the movies that sparked the imagination of thousands of people everywhere. A poorly done camera is the only true blemish on what is a fantastic game. With tons of well thought out puzzles, as well as, a plethora of conventional and unconventional weapons at disposal makes the Emperor’s Tomb an interesting and deep game to play. Add all those elements with a legendry figure such as Indiana Jones and what you get is an exceptionally pleasing game that won’t leave you disappointed in the end. Not bad for an up and coming developer and a guy named after the family dog.