Go back 4,000 years from the first Star Wars movie and you end up in . . . Edmonton.

That's where BioWare Corp. is putting the finishing touches to the first major Star Wars role-playing video game. Stars Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, scheduled for release in June for the Xbox and the fall for PC, allows you to visit seven different worlds, fly your own starship and play characters ranging from a Jedi Knight to a gambler, a scoundrel and a scout. Along the way, your actions determine how your character evolves, whether you become a servant of the light or drift over to the dark side.

KOTOR has gamers excited because after a series of shoot-'em-up Star Wars titles, it offers a different role-playing path through the Star Wars world. Also because it is being created by award-winning BioWare, which has a strong RPG track record with Neverwinter Nights for the PC and Baldur's Gate for PlayStation 2 and the Xbox.

An early look at KOTOR suggests the anticipation is well worth it.

The game has plenty of levels and you can choose just how deep you want to delve on a number of fronts. You can tinker during character creation, choosing your traits, or just press a button and get going.

It's the same with combat. You can adjust your strategy as the battle unfolds or simply hit a button and let the computer decide the outcome.

You can move through the game in a party of three, use more than 50 force powers - even customize your light sabre.
The main storyline has more than 40 hours of game play, according to Xbox. You can interact with all of the characters. The game features 13,000 lines of recorded dialogue, some in alien languages with subtitles.

For more information on Knights of the Old Republic, try www.swkotor.com, or www.bioware.com.
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Brute Force: Xbox gamers looking for something to occupy their time while waiting for Halo 2 (now slated for release next year) might want to try their hand at Brute Force.

Slated for release in May, Brute Force is a sci-fi squad-based shooter game. Once you get into the game, you can switch characters between a scout, sniper, assault trooper or alien (a steroid-inflated green lizard-like creature with burning bright eyes).

Each character has different skills, allowing for different approaches and tactics.

You can play solo - jumping from one character to another - or with up to three other players.

The game features six worlds and more than 30 weapons. New missions will be available through Xbox Live.

Developed by Digital Anvil, Brute Force was slated for release last year and has already been heavily advertised. Its release was delayed but a quick look at the final product suggests it has plenty to offer.

For more information, go to www.microsoft.com/games/bruteforce or www.xbox.com.
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Wolfenstein: Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War - the latest in Id Software's Wolfenstein series - puts you in the role of B.J. Blazkowicz, an Army Ranger sent into Second World War Germany to thwart Heinrich Himmler's occult and genetic experiments.

The first-person shooter, available in May for Xbox with a slightly different version for PlayStation 2, looks a lot like the Medal of Honor series - which is not a bad thing at all.

If taking a flame thrower to a zombie is your idea of fun, this is the game for you.

For more information on the game, try www.idsoftware.com or www.castlewolfenstein.com.
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Zelda: Nintendo GameCube's new Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, hit stores in Canada on Wednesday.

More than 600,000 consumers in North America reserved copies of the game prior to its release, according to Nintendo.

Since its debut in 1987, the Zelda games have sold more than 36 million copies worldwide.

For more information, visit www.zelda.com or www.nintendo.ca.
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Notes: Presenters and performers at the Juno Awards in Ottawa on April 6 will get a new Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP in their gift bags. ... Hard-swinging John Daly has signed a deal to appear in EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004.