Battlefront was LucasArts ' most successful Star Wars title to date (in terms of sales). And so the release of Battlefront II on PC, PS2 and Xbox should be no surprise. But can it achieve as much success as its father?

Unlike Battlefront senior, part two doesn't have the luxury of being new -- it's not the game to finally deliver every Star Wars fan's fantasy of large scale interactive battles. That already happened.

Despite whatever flaws were present in the first Battlefront, the ultimate fulfillment of that fantasy was partially responsible for the title's almost universal praise. Being second to bat puts Battlefront II at somewhat of a disadvantage. What then can a sequel do to earn the same kind of love? Well, a sequel can fix issues from the first outing and feature a more refined experience that doesn't require any kind of 'close enough' leniency.

Unfortunately, Battlefront II is so similar to Battlefront many gamers might be put off by an uncomfortable impression of having been there and done that. There are many of the same levels, classes, weapons, vehicles, sounds, graphics, animations, characters and problems. But then Lucas is at least trying to keep the dream alive by providing new content we all wished we could enjoy the first time around. Only some of that extra material goes in with mixed results, which ultimately leaves us with a product that doesn't measure up to the potential of the first game, its success, or even the dream that spawned it all.

<b>I'm+Cool.</b> New to Battlefront II are revamped singleplayer modes. In addition to a reinvigorated Galactic Conquest (with more earned goodies and a deeper level of freedom), players can now partake in Rise of the Empire. This mode chronicles the exploits of the galaxy's famed 501st cloned infantry division with a variety of cool objectives and planned battles. It begins with a simple tutorial on Geonosis, but then spirals out of control as the clones march across the galaxy on one deadly operation after another at the whim of a mad supreme chancellor, Palpatine.

Narrated by a clone soldier and spread across a galaxy of war, Rise of the Empire servers as an enjoyable introduction to the basic mechanics and premise of Battlefront II, but also as a worthwhile experience in its own right. This thanks to the varying objectives that update in-mission and the political workings that carry the 501st through Star Wars' major betrayals. The sinister nature of the supreme chancellor, the secrets being kept from the Jedi, the devout preprogrammed obedience of the clones, and the always intense action make for quite an improved game.

Two of our gripes with the first title's singleplayer mode were a lack of cohesion and challenge. Both problems have been fixed -- one because of a story and the other because of more demanding objectives. But our third complaint... Bot AI is simply still an issue, which will ultimately leave many players looking at the more enjoyable multiplayer gameplay to pass their time. Singleplayer is fun, definitely, but it doesn't merit a purchase on its own. This is doubly true since the singleplayer game, good as it may be, lacks both the polish of a more heavily scripted and directed title and the character of a more focused action game.

Splitscreen on Xbox and PS2 is provided, but most gamers (and all of those on PC) will immediately want to play online. Expect up to 24 players on PS2 with a default of 32 on Xbox and PC. But crucial to the potential greatness or terribleness of online matches is not the number of players. Two of Battlefront II's biggest additions are Jedi and starfighters and they can either make or break online games.

Jedi and other super powered hero units (like Han or the Fetts) -- when added to already heated matches by way of a simple rewards and criteria fulfillment system -- create a more intense environment. The side with the hero usually rallies to take additional control nodes or strike more devastating blows against the enemy, while the enemy either flees in horror or assails the hero in force. It's flee or fight. But running is rarely any fun. On the other hand, stubbornly combating a hero unit with thoughts like, "I'm going to kill you in spite of your crazy powers" is really terrific. That's not to say most players should just run headlong into some lightsaber wielding master's grip, though.