When a level is a monster like this you know that it's either very good or has a huge mp3 attached to it. I'm happy to announce that Occupation falls into the former category, but before I get ahead of things, let me advise you to click the download link whilst you read – reading this should pass the time and get you in the mood. Occupation is set, as the story details, on a planet far beyond the reaches of the New Republic that has been forgotten not only by politics but even by time. Sent here after inflitrating Galtech (which you see in an impressive cutscene) to find out why they are selling technology to the Empire, you uncover a weak link in the security of the organisation and arrive on the planet where your mission begins. You've talked to the ‘traitor' who has in fact been threatened by the Empire – he must work for them or his family will die. Today's fun: Break them out of the Imperial castle.

The theming is nothing short of incredible; houses are timbered and thatched and really look like they are made of stone – the actual settlement follows a medieval layout, with the fort at one end and the town, tavern and marketplace at it's foot. The majority of the houses are fully accessible, and the interior architecture is of an equally high quality, with more timbers, sloping roofs, walls and wonderfully detailed furnishings such as candlesticks and torches - all casting appropriate light, of course. The level's design is such that it works like a quest, and you get to roam about a fair bit, all the while finding intelligently placed secret areas (though curiously, they are not flagged as such). You also find yourself unlocking doors as you progress even further into the settlement. The streets are cobbled, the fort stands tall and proud with stone, carts, barrels, stacks and other authentic additions that give life to the rather expansive streets. The use of custom textures is vast, and though they can be in large blocks (such as the streets), it is the additional street elements and houses that break things up. Occasionally, there is the odd Remnant control centre to explore, and these too are wonderfully designed, and the expansive, column-ridden dungeon of the castle promotes serious ducking and diving. Most importantly of all, you never feel lost, so credit is due to the author for an expert display of design.

Enemies this time are red stormtroopers, but rather than just drop them in the level so the author can proclaim ‘Look, I can use team models!' the plot actually nudges you towards guessing that these guys are a special division to oversee this little branch of the Remnant. Enemies are placed intelligently and take advantage of cover such as carts, supports, bookcases and alleyways, and will shower you with grenades and bolts. The enemies though are never overwhelming, and there is a nice ‘fight or flight' element to many of the confrontations, whereby if you so wish, you can run away, bearing in mind that you'll have to come back eventually. Occupation also manages to achieve that ‘guns and sabers balance' that I always like to watch out for, and here, the situations demand the use of both in equal measure. The Force Powers have been implemented well too, with the right selection on offer – Mind Trick can let you turn a squad of stormtroopers parading down the street to brawling, and the lack of Force Jump forces you explore the good old fashioned way – by walking. Or running, if you use the provided Speed. The nicest additions are the NPC's and the cutscenes they trigger. If a building can be explored, it most likely has an NPC for you to chat to, and more often than not they'll give you something to help you on your way – a doctor for instance is kind enough to boost your health to a figure over 100. Objectives are the other surprise – when I fired up the level I was greeted with the orange text to tell me I had an objective. I did a double take at first, but a check of my datapad displayed a list of objectives, and subsequent exploration of the level revealed lots of other sub-objectives. These two additions are crucial, and something I'd expect to see in future JO levels.

The tweaks and additions made to Occupation are wonderful. A new skin, excellently voiced characters, a true feeling of a medieval setting, lengthly yet interesting cutscenes, new title and loading screens, a branching and interesting plot, the complex setting to explore, the atmospheric lighting in places...The list is a long one. Suffice it to say that all of these things and more are present and accounted for in Occupation. I'll tell you now that my note pages are many – whenever I review a level I scribble notes down and refer to them later, and I've written far more about this than anything I've reviewed thus far. Occupation was also a nice length – about forty minutes, and the plot is left cunningly open at the end of the story – I want more now, and so will you! This level maintains a balance between guns and sabers, between running and hiding. There are one or two minor issues, such as a slight jump bug where you can get stuck if you mess up a jump and some console errors at times throughout the level. Occasionally, the voices broke up in midsentence, and there was one situation where not completing a puzzle left you trapped. But I don't want to end on a downer; Occupation does most things just right and is a fantastic experience.

You have been downloading this, right? Occupation is a level that will be in any self respecting JO player's collection, and more importantly, it is an editing milestone, heralding the true birth of JO editing. All levels should follow Occupation's example, and yes, the bar has been set high early on, but there's someone out there that I hope will make the effort to beat it. If you haven't downloaded this, do so at once and join in the beginning of JO editing.