You'd have to live in a special box, sealed off from the rest of the world, not to know that the Star Wars Special Editions will be with us in just over a month, or so. You won't be able to escape from the media and merchandising barrage, but that's OK. You see, Star Wars is great.

A trip to the toy shop will reveal the level of merchandising now available, from Darth Vader- shaped walkie-talkies, to replica lightsabres and guns, to our personal favourite, the return of the scale vehicles and ships.

Part of the approaching merchandising blitz will see a number of Star Wars games getting a release. First off, Super Empire Strikes Back and Super Return of the Jedi are being re-released on the Super NES, then LucasArts are releasing Xwing vs TIE Fighter and Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight on the PC. Then, 32-bit console owners will be getting a conversion of the original Dark Forces. And, of course, there's the Nintendo 64's Shadows of the Empire.

The Super NES games, originally released a few years back, are top-notch platformers, wherein you take control of the various characters from the films, and play out the storylines. With a little artistic license here and there. OK - a LOT of artistic license. But you do get to slice snowmen up with a lightsabre. The graphics are authentic, and the soundtrack an incredible feat for a 16- bit machine. They're looking a little dated, but a good game is a good game, no matter how old it gets.

Dark Forces, as anyone who played the PC original will tell you, is a cracking Doom clone, with all the benefits of the Star Wars universe. Beginning with a mission to steal the Death Star plans from an Imperial base, you go on to put an end to the Empire's latest experiment - the Dark Troopers project. Locations en route include a spaceport, a ruined city, a Star Destroyer, and even Jabba the Hutt's personal space cruiser. At one point you even go head-to-head with fan favourite Bobba Fett, who flies above your head in a jet pack. You'll continually coo at the Star Wars in-references, from the TIE Fighters flying out of the Star Destroyer landing bay, to the one-eyed monster living in the sewers. Top stuff!

The sequel, due on the PC, finally gives players access to the one weapon which wasn't available in the original - the lightsabre. In addition, as the game progresses, you'll learn to control the Force, and have to make a choice whether to join up with the badguys, or shut them down. The graphics are a considerable leap over the original, and the twixt-level sequences have been shot using live actors. As opposed to dead ones, presumably. The plot goes that you've decided to follow in the footsteps of your father, and become a Jedi. Your quest is to track down an ancient Jedi burial ground before it's desecrated by seven Dark Jedi. As you might expect, the Dark guys comprise the end-of-level bosses.

Sexiest of all is X-Wing vs TIE Fighter. Players have been begging for a multi-player space combat game set in the Star Wars universe since the original X and TIE were released, and it appears that LucasArts has provided us with this - and a whole lot more besides. The game gives you access to the ships of both the Rebel and Imperial fleets, and stunning they are too. The flat, blocky polygons have goon, and in their place are smooth, texture-mapped Star Destroyers, frigates and cruisers. The sheer scale of the game will, quite honestly, blow your pilot's helmet off. And it isn't all multi-player laffs; the solo game is likely to include dozens of detailed missions.

It's coming - make sure you're part of it.

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