IT is one thing for Star Wars fans to be transported to a galaxy far, far away in their imagination.

But being truly immersed in that intergalactic experience with 40 people is quite another.

With the zap of blasters ringing in your ears and huge mechanised AT-AT walkers stomping by, Battlefront is the closest you can get to feeling like you are in the movies.

With fully realised, iconic locations like Echo Base on the snow planet Hoth and the sun-scorched sand dunes of Tatooine, it is also very much a salute to George Lucas's original trilogy of the 1970s and 80s.

At its core, this multiplayer first-person shooter is very simple. There are various modes but it all boils down to battles between the Empire and Rebel Alliance.

But what makes it stand out is the sheer scale of the game. The epic 20 versus 20 'supremacy' mode to dominate a planet is spectacular and works smoothly online with no visible lag on the Xbox One version tested.

Swedish developer DICE clearly loves Star Wars and has captured the look and feel of the films in high definition graphics. Even better are the familiar, nostalgic sound effects.

In most of the game's modes you play on foot as a rebel or stormtrooper. You then pick up 'tokens' for a range of power-ups from turrets to orbital strikes.

Find the right token and you can also become one of Star Wars' iconic heroes or villains like Han Solo or Darth Vader or jump aboard the likes of TIE fighters and AT-STs which creates some great moments of carnage.

But what lets Battlefront down is that maps from only four planets in the Star Wars universe are featured – Tatooine, Hoth, Endor and Sullust.

There is some free content coming on December 8 called 'Battle of Jakku' to tie-in with The Force Awakens film.

But the rest of the new upcoming maps for 2016 are trapped behind a 'season pass' paywall that will set you back £40 should you choose to expand the game.

The existing maps are well designed and look incredible but there is not enough variety.

The other big flaw is the noticeable absence of a campaign.

From zooming along on a speeder bike on Endor to screeching past in a TIE fighter, there are so many moments in Battlefront that could have been crafted into a story for single players.

There are training missions and a mode where you can fight waves of enemies solo but otherwise it seems like a missed opportunity.

But if you are into both Star Wars and big team battles, the Force is strong with this one, brought to you by the team behind Battlefield.

True, you are at the mercy of your teammates so sometimes you will scream at the screen as objective-based games descend into chaos.

But if you want a tight, more traditional multiplayer experience you can always switch over to the excellent 10 versus 10 'Blast' mode.

RATING: 7/10

DAVID MORGAN