All LEGO Wii games

Bionicle Heroes (2007)

The odd one out: a LEGO-licensed game by TT Games, but a shooter about the Bionicle figures rather than a brick-building adventure, and single-player only. The Wii version came in May 2007, six months after the other consoles. Cheap, and only for a Bionicle fan.

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (2007)

The two GameCube-era LEGO Star Wars games combined and expanded: every film from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi, 160 characters, and the two-player drop-in co-op that defined the series. Still the LEGO Wii disc to buy first. Works with a GameCube controller or a Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (2008)

Raiders, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade, with Indy’s whip as the puzzle tool. The Wii version uses a remote flick for the whip; a Classic Controller works too. Big print run, so used discs are common and cheap.

LEGO Batman: The Videogame (2008)

The first LEGO game without a film to follow: an original story, played once as Batman and Robin and again as the villains. The villain half is the reason to own it. Grunts, not voices — the talking came with Batman 2.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (2009)

Mostly the fourth film, with condensed versions of the first three and a level builder. Adds split-screen co-op that lets the two players wander apart — the first LEGO game to do so. Less loved than the first, but a fuller game than the name suggests.

LEGO Rock Band (2009)

Rock Band with LEGO characters and a family-friendly set list of 45 songs. It needs the Rock Band or Guitar Hero instruments — a guitar, drums, a microphone — or at least a guitar controller; the disc on its own does very little. Check what comes with a used copy before you buy.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1–4 (2010)

Hogwarts as an open hub you walk between lessons, with spells unlocked one year at a time. One of the best LEGO games on any console and a good one for a young player who knows the books. European release June 2010.

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (2011)

Based on the animated series rather than the films, with large ground battles where you command squads between the usual platforming. The Wii version drops some visual effects but keeps every level. Often confused with the 3DS game of the same name, which is a different build.

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (2011)

All four Pirates films up to On Stranger Tides. The hub is the Port and a ship, and Jack Sparrow’s compass points to secrets. Middle of the pack for the series, and a complete game on the Wii.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5–7 (2011)

Order of the Phoenix to the Deathly Hallows, with duelling added and London and the countryside as hubs alongside Hogwarts. Buy it with Years 1–4; the two together are the whole series for about the price of one new game.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012)

The minifigures speak for the first time, and the Justice League turns up alongside Batman and Robin — Superman with the John Williams theme. A Wii U port followed a year later, in May 2013, with the GamePad screen as a second view for co-op; the Wii disc plays it with a split screen. One of the two best LEGO discs on the console.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings (2012)

All three films with the actual film dialogue, from the Shire to Mordor. The last LEGO game released for the Wii — the European Wii disc came on 30 November 2012, a week after the other consoles — and after this the series moved to the Wii U. The one to buy alongside The Complete Saga.