Video game:Lego Alpha Team

Whether you follow a design and instructions, or make your own creation, LEGO blocks have stimulated imaginations in children and adults since their introduction in 1958. These simple bricks join together to form millions of combinations, and have left a significant impression in popular culture and the way we play. Thanks to television and video games, users are not limited in the ways they choose to interact with LEGO pieces; they can build, control characters, and take part in interactive stories without ever leaving the couch.

Electronic Arts released the first LEGO video game in 1997. Entitled "LEGO Island," this computer game allowed players to explore a world made entirely out of LEGO pieces and complete different missions. "LEGO Island" received excellent reviews and led to the creation of two sequels, as well as many more LEGO games. Along with original worlds and storylines, LEGO also released video games that tied into popular franchises, such as "Harry Potter," "Star Wars," and "Lord of the Rings."

In 2000, LEGO Media released "LEGO Alpha Team" for PC and Game Boy Color. Based off the Alpha Team LEGO sets, this puzzle game features a team of LEGO secret agents who must defeat their nemesis Ogel. Gamers play as Agent Dash and must use different LEGO pieces to create a path on which he can travel in order to progress to higher levels.

Critics and players did not enjoy "LEGO Alpha Team" as much as previous LEGO games. Marc Nix of IGN criticized the gameplay for being "all calculation and no action," and wrote, "it's got smart challenges, it's got a creative design...What it doesn't have much of is fun." Along with the Game Boy and PC versions of "Alpha Team," LEGO also developed several online games featuring the Alpha Team.

In 1998, the National Toy Hall of Fame, calling the blocks "an ideal toy," inducted LEGO into its ranks. Two years later, "Fortune Magazine" named the LEGO brick "Toy of the Century." Thanks to computer animation, LEGO figurines appear in multiple television series, as well as a full-length movie. More than 50 years after its initial release, LEGO's interlocking plastic block remains popular and continues to evolve.