There's a bewildering galaxy full of Star Wars games out there, but let's face it, who's counting? As soon as that golden text starts scrolling into the distance and the familiar music stirs into life, the anticipation mounts and your blaster trigger finger starts to itch. At least ours does. This is one licence that will never wear thin.

Those of you who've played the first Knights of the Old Republic will be immediately at home here, because in all honesty not all that much has changed. True, some tweaks have been made to the formula, but the core interface, character levelling, combat and emphasis on questing remain the same.

For the benefit of those who missed out first time around, the Knights of the Old Republic series are RPG games which let you control a main character, your Jedi, plus other characters numbering the usual suspects like walking carpets, sorry wookies, and droids. Your reactions to people and solutions to the game's quests and problems determine whether you walk the dark or light side of the Force.

And it was these numerous quests, their resolution and the intriguing plot, which boasted some intricate twists, that kept you playing until the wee hours with the first game. Fortunately, Knights of the Old Republic II follows in this vein, with if anything an even more compelling storyline.

The changes that have been implemented are subtle. Now when you start to travel down the dark path (Obi-Wan forbid), the rest of your party will be influenced as well, instead of sitting back judging you. It's a seemingly small tweak but it all adds to the overall atmosphere. Knights of the Old Republic II also gets quite clever with its morality, as good and bad aren't clear cut, black and white topics as with the original game.

On a technical level, the Jedi characters have been beefed up with the addition of lightsabre forms (which are stances that confer tactical combat bonuses) and prestige classes (which bestow unique Jedi powers to allow for more character customisation). A bundle of new skills, feats and powers have been added as well.

Unfortunately, the graphics engine doesn't seem to have undergone any real updating and whilst the visuals aren't poor by any means, they're not cutting edge either. Some of the environments are a little dull and repetitious, too. We also encountered a couple of unwelcome crashes to the desktop, and there are certainly bugs lurking here and there in the background - again, just like the original.

But despite minor flaws, there's no denying that this sequel is eminently playable, with a cracking storyline and more of the same classic Knights of the Old Republic gameplay.

It's a good game which spins quite a yarn, but Knights of the Old Republic II feels just a touch too familiar. Yes, we still enjoyed playing it, without question, but we can't help thinking that a little more innovation wouldn't have gone amiss.