I don't envy video-game designers who have to work on movie tie-ins. Artists have to duplicate the look of a film with a much smaller budget. Writers have to stick closely to someone else's script as they stretch a two-hour story into an eight-hour game. There's not much room for creativity. Die-hard fans won't regret buying any of the games reviewed here, but the first will appeal to just about anyone.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

• Developer: LucasArts.
• Systems: All.
• Price: $30-$50.
• Rating: Everyone 10+.

Some of the most enjoyable "Star Wars" games have been the kid-oriented adventures in which Luke, Han Solo and the rest of the gang appear as Lego characters. Now developer Traveller's Tales has turned its attention to LucasArts' other big franchise, and the results are just as delightful. "The Original Adventures" draws from the first three Indiana Jones films. You can always play as Indy, but dozens of other characters, from Marion Ravenwood to Short Round, help out. All of the iconic scenes from the original trilogy are re-created in Lego form, with plenty of fresh puzzles added to stretch the running time. There are clever gags (including a great joke involving C-3PO's head) that you might miss the first time through, so the replay value is excellent.

Kung Fu Panda

• Developer: Activision.
• Systems: All, except PSP.
• Price: $30-$50.
• Rating: Everyone 10+.

While the new movie features Jack Black as the voice of the panda Po, the game settles for a sound-alike who doesn't quite capture his weird hyper-stoner rhythms. The game does deliver first-rate animation. Most of the levels feature Po using his martial-arts skills to fight off waves of enemy critters, and he has a few special techniques: He can belly-flop, causing a minor earthquake, or roll up in a ball and carom around the arenas. While fighting the smaller villains gets tedious, it's broken up by decent puzzle levels and fairly challenging boss fights. Fans of the movie are likely to get a kick out of the game.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

• Developer: Disney.
• Systems: All, except PSP.
• Price: $30-$50.
• Rating: Teen

"Prince Caspian" was developed by the studio behind "Lego Indiana Jones," but it doesn't have the same flair. That can be blamed largely on the stodgier source material, whose lead characters, the tiresome Pevensie children, just don't have Indy's charisma. Fortunately, there are more than a dozen other playable characters, including centaurs, minotaurs and a talking mouse. The most excitement comes in the large-scale battle scenes, and the best puzzles require switching between brawnier beasts and more limber ones.

If you're not an admirer of all things Narnia, there are many superior fantasy games on the market.