Remaking a game could be considered easy or hard. Remaking a classic game like the arcade version of Star Wars might come with more pressure, with the expectation to do justice to the game, and make an updated or similar replica to the original game. When it comes to the case of Star Wars, Minionsoft, who participated in Retro Remakes 2006 contest, has done a fabulous job of remaking the original game and making it look, control, and sound just as good as the original incarnation. The game is just as fun as the arcade classic, and while it may seem short for some gamers, it captures everything about the original arcade game, which was a smash hit.

The game is set during the final battle from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, as you take on the role of Luke Skywalker during the famous death star trench run. You control your x-wing fighter using the mouse and fire your lasers with the left and right mouse buttons. There are three phases to the battle (only two phases on easy mode) the first consists of blasting tie fighters and even battling against Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter, above the death star. After a certain number of Tie Fighters have been destroyed, the second phase consists of destroying all the towers on the surface of the Death Star, all the while avoiding the turrets firing at your x-wing. After you destroy the towers, you will then have to travel down the trench, avoiding more turret fire before you can fire the last shot at the Death Star and destroy this monstrosity for the last time.

When you load up the game for the first time, you have three difficulty settings to choose easy, medium, or hard. Each mode has its different set of challenges, while the harder modes also offer an extra area to challenge your flying and firing skills that you will not see in the easy mode. There is also an invulnerability mode option that you can toggle on or off if you simply want to beat the game without any challenge. Whichever mode you select, it will thrust you onto the battlefield.

If you have ever played or seen the original arcade game, there is a big difference to the graphics that you will see in game.  In a way, it is an unfair comparison because the original Star Wars game used 3D colour vector graphics compared to the graphic tile set you see in this game. Nevertheless, it looks very good all around, as you are battling in space. From the individual ships, to the details on the Death Star, it looks quite nice, a tad blurry at times but overall some nice work on the graphics front.

The music and sound effects from star wars are all here, from the familiar opening music, to the laser and ship sound effects of the x-wing fighter and the tie fighters; no sound is out of place here. There are even sound bites from the movie that will play during the course of the game from Han Solo to Obi Wan, another key aspect of the game is here and all fully present.

The great thing about this game is that it is just a simple pick up and play type of game. The controls are easy to memorize and use, and this is the type of game that can be played for long periods or short periods, depending if you simply want to beat the game or if you want to get a top score. Either way, if you do not have much time to play a game, you can play Star Wars for some quick action.

If you are looking for a faithful remake of the original, arcade classic Star Wars, look no further than this remake, and enjoy the magic of blasting Tie Fighters and destroying the Death Star one more time.