The Phantom Menace game is, unfortunately, not nearly as pretty as the movie. But by setting the (polygonal) standards slightly lower than expected, the game is able to keep the gameplay consistent even in the heaviest of action. The soundtrack is typical Star Wars, which is to say appropriate and moving. Also included on The Phantom Menace game CD is a Star Wars music video which shows some 'making of' footage while highlighting some of the outstanding music from the movie.

You play the role of some of the main characters from Episode I, beginning with Obi Wan, in a quest to save Naboo and stop the Trade Federation. The view is a constant (roughly) three-quarter overhead view, with the camera directly behind your character. As Obi Wan, you can redirect enemies' laser fire back at them with your light saber (a nice ranged attack), shoot them with a blaster (these can be found in various places if you look hard enough), or 'push' enemies back with 'the Force.' This attack is also pretty cool, but is not extremely predictable - it can work on several enemies which are close together, but it doesn't have a very wide range (not nearly the range that was depicted in the movie). Also, while some enemies will be knocked down for a bit and will then get back up, the Force 'push' will kill other enemies with one shot. One thing that makes The Phantom Menace a good game is the fact that they do reproduce the characters and environments from the movie, therefore keeping it familiar (and faithful to the license). They don't make the mistake, however, of attempting to precisely duplicate the plot of the movie. The plot of the game The Phantom Menace is one variant way that the plot could have gone. You will play as Obi Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn, Captain Panaka, and Queen Amidala to solve puzzles and fight the Trade Federation through Naboo, Mos Espa and Coruscant. The gameplay is fun, and fairly quick moving, but I find that some of the puzzles will slow you down quite a bit... usually due to the precision required to pass them.

If you're a straight shooter, you'll find that you will come up short of health quite often. Game Shark users can easily get around this. Be warned though, some puzzles in The Phantom Menace are even a challenge with infinite health. The Phantom Menace will take a good deal of practice and patience to work your way through, which is a welcomed change these days, since a lot of games focus more on eye candy and don't offer many challenges. Still, gamers with shorter attention spans, quicker tempers or busied schedules may find Episode I: The Phantom Menace to be a little more difficult than ideal.

The game plays very nicely with a solid, though not flashy, graphics engine. The game handles very large maps extremely well, with no noticeable load time as you roam about. Some of the puzzles are more precision and timing oriented than brain twisters, but usually paying attention to your surroundings will help. Realizing where you can step and where you can use your weapons helps, too. The only problem I have with The Phantom Menace is that the camera angle is stationary. There are several times when you will wish you could look up a bit to see further, but can't. Occasionally, it can be difficult to get a good feel for exactly where you are without roaming around a bit because of this. But all in all, it's a small problem.