As an unapologetically hardened Lego gaming enthusiast, I’ll admit, however, that the Ninjago series isn’t one that palpitates my Brick Gland with any vigour.

Let’s face it, none of them carries a lightsabre, hails from an exploded planet, teaches a batch of genetically messed-up teens while confined to a wheelchair or throws jewellery into a volcano.

Nevertheless, a Lego game is a Lego game, no? Collect the characters, pick up the gold bricks, track down the red ones and play every level twice because Free Play is the only way you can plunder every blob of valuable plastic. Bloody great fun? Always.

And this formula has worked so well that longtime developer TT Games has stuck to it rigidly, with only minor tweaks over the years.

True to form, little has been adjusted for this film-tie in, with the only notable left turn being the stud collection. Rather than confining itself to a specific amount for each level, the stud meter here continuously fills over the course of the game, earning you bits and pieces for each milestone.

There’s also a token-based skills upgrade feature, which feels largely redundant given there’s no great difficulty in doing so, and the rewards are less-than noticeable.

What is noticeable – and grotesquely so – is the loading times. It’s a Lego game, what possible excuse is there to be forced to wait more than a minute between levels? I’ve got places to go, biscuits to eat, hankies to iron… I don’t have time for this.

There’s also the little irritation of movie cut scenes. Ninjago suffers from the same erratic volume levels that plagued Lord of the Rings and The Lego Movie instalments, and occasionally cut off mid-sentence. Just sloppy.

Those frowny moments aside, Ninjago retains the same satisfying build-and-collect routine, along with its excellent two-player system that ensures family fun times with younger members of the household. Ninjago might not have X-Wings or hairy adamantium-infused Australians, but my son and I will still destroy evil together for hours on end.