With all the hoopla surrounding the soon-to-be-released film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it's not exactly surprising that an Indiana Jones video game is on the horizon as well. However, unlike most video games that are based directly on whatever current movie it is hyping, Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures features the plots from the older three films. The game will be available on all consoles, including the Nintendo DS and the PSP. Although Lego Indiana Jones won't be out until June 3rd, you can now download a demo of the PC version and play through an entire level of the game.

The demo allows you to play through the opening scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Being a newcomer to the Lego video game series, I had to first get used to the keyboard controls. After reassigning certain key functions, I was good to go. Still, it felt somewhat awkward to play a platform game on a keyboard, and I wonder if it would be easier to use a controller, or at least be able to use the mouse in conjunction with the keyboard.

You technically play as two characters. In the demo, you play as Indy and his not-so-faithful sidekick Satipo, who is later replaced by pilot Jock (the guy with the snake on the plane). You can switch back and forth between the characters, but you can also play with a friend or family member in co-op mode. Characters have two forms of attack: a special weapon or their fists. Indy of course has his whip, while Satipo has a shovel and Jock has a wrench. The special weapons serve multiple purposes; for example, Indy can pull levers with his whip. Although you'll most likely use Indy as your main character, I've found that he's actually one of the more difficult characters to control during fight scenes. It can be a bit tricky to aim with the whip.