The 02's pricey Star Wars show lacks the kid-appeal you'd expect

"So, what was more fun? My tour of the British Museum, or the Star Wars: Identities exhibition?"

The fact that two seven-year olds and a young teenager quickly and unanimously voted for the British Museum offers an important warning for anyone considering splashing out on the pricey Star Wars show inside London's 02 arena before it closes on 3 September. This intriguing but confused exhibition doesn't have the appeal for children that you'd expect from its franchise.

Much of the problem lies with the concept itself. Identities mixes psychology with pop culture, using Star Wars characters and story arcs to help us explore the building blocks of human nature. How do your parents, your friends, your job, your choice of mentor, etc. shape the person you become? Nature v. nurture is one of humanity's enduring questions, made interactive here through technology. You start with a wristband that connects you to the exhibits. Flash it against a display and make the choices offered to you. At the end, your decisions generate your own Star Wars character who might be a psychotic pink Ewok Sith Lord, a benevolent Wookie senator or anything in between.

While the concept was good, the segments introducing each building block of human character were far too worthy in tone and flew straight over the youngsters' heads. By the second room they were having more fun using their wristbands to make things light up and beep than paying attention to the content. The adults found it more intriguing: of course Anakin's overindulgent mother planted the seeds for his conversion to the dark side, while Aunt Buru and Uncle Owen's insistence on discipline kept Luke on the straight and narrow later in life, my godson's mother wholeheartedly agreed. But the only person I could really see spending the time to pay attention to everything would be a university student studying psychology. It all felt like a professor's attempt to make his intro to the discipline class hip.

The psychology sits side by side with an extraordinary collection of artefacts from the production of the films. There are loads of original costumes, including iconic stuff like David Prowse's Darth Vader (he was a big man), Leia's slave girl rig from Jabba the Hut's lair and Han Solo's swashbuckling garb. A case of droids includes oldies like C3PO through the new BB8. One of the original Yoda puppets is here, next to concept designs for his development. It's disturbing to see how close he almost came to looking like a Germanic garden gnome. Such development sketches throughout are where a fan of the franchise could spend serious time. Check out the brief for Jabba the Hut's character and explore the iterations that finally got to the slug-like mafia don, or the variety of concepts that preceded Lando Calrissian's final cloud city. A fascinating hand-drawn chart plotting each type of space ship against its maneuverability and speed shows just how serious the creators were about delivering a credible world. The case across from it, filled with the fantastically detailed scale models of ships used to film the space scenes, is one of the most impressive sights in the show.

It's also a sweet reminder of a world before these were mega-budget juggernauts created with digital computer aided design. Look carefully at the star destroyer from The Empire Strikes Back and you'll be able to pick out everyday light fixtures and other elements from the local hardware store. Imaginatively combined, they became the science fiction. The first three films yield a treasure trove of exquisite, hand-rendered paintings of set concepts. They are works of art in their own right and have a depth and reality I just don't think computer-generated imagery can match. (Ironic that the digital innovations of Industrial Light and Magic and the box office takes of the early films went on to create the high-tech production that left much of this hand-crafted stuff behind.)

Ultimately, it's as if there are two entirely different shows sharing the same space, loosely linked by the Star Wars theme. Pop psychology fans will eat up the interactive stuff. Star Wars nerds will love the costumes, props and "making of" displays. Neither connected particularly well with the youngsters in our party. The adults ... particularly the Star Wars fans ... could easily have stayed longer, but the kids had pushed well past their boredom threshold.

This is an important consideration given pricing and location. At £25 per adult ticket and £15 for kids this is a premium holiday option. One benefit: Since the show has been running for almost a year, it wasn't very crowded so we had easy access to all elements. There's the additional hassle of getting to the 02, however, the very long walk from the tube station around to the back side of the arena to reach the exhibition space, and the fact that you'll inevitably end up having to dine at one of the deeply average chain restaurants inside the 02 because the kids won't make it back through public transportation without re-fuelling. If you're up to the challenge, you have three more weeks before the show closes.

Or you could go to the British Museum for free.

ELLEN'S KID-FRIENDLY BRITISH MUSEUM TOUR

How did I make a centuries-old museum with almost no modern interactive elements more appealing to kids than George Lucas' fantasy world? Admittedly I am ... casting all humility aside ... one of the best people you'll ever find to introduce kids to the grand old museums of London. But even without me by your side, you can use this strategy for an effective day out.

FIRST: Do a tiny bit of planning. Pick out five or six things around the museum that would appeal to your kids. Plot them in a logical order so you're following a continuous path, rather than doubling back on yourself. (My usual route includes an Assyrian winged bull, Jennings dog, a mummy, the Welsh gold cape, the bog man, the German automaton ship for the dining table and the tree in the Africa galleries made out of guns.)

SECOND: Set up your animal hunt. First child to spot an animal gets a point. Once that animal has been spotted, it can't be "called" again. They can use mythological animals, but they have to come up with the correct name. (Great for actually getting kids to read the labels.) Offer a £5 prize to be spent in the museum gift shop to whoever gets the most points.

THREE: Go on your hunt. It's important that you all move from gallery to gallery together. Dashing
ahead is strictly against the rules. When a child identifies an animal, he must get your attention and point it out to you so you can keep score. You all cross the threshold to the next gallery together and the hunt starts anew. This is fabulous for keeping kids together in a crowded museum.

This game is a great way to capture children's attention and actually get them to give the stuff in the cases more than a cursory glance. It's great if you can also explain what the baboon-headed canopic jar was actually used for, or why the fish and wild boar in the mosaics were so typical of Roman dining rooms. But I don't worry too much about the culture and history. I figure you start with the fun and games, and let the lessons sink in by osmosis. Star Wars: Identities could have used a bit more of that approach.