Introduction: It may be hard to believe, but this is the first full console franchise of Pirates of the Caribbean since the first instalment, Curse of the Black Perl, emerged some years ago. There was no console game tie for Dead Man's Chest. This release therefore has some ground to catch up, as the movies have steamed on without it. Whether or not this is the concluding episode in the series remains to be seen, but with box office numbers looking strong a forth instalment seems inevitable.

GamePlay: The game offers and action adventure, as you take control of the main protagonists from the movie. You can swash buckle as Jack, Will, Barbossa and even Elizabeth with a simple wave of your Wii-mote. Unlike other famous action adventure games the action is scripted and linear. Whilst this enables them to drive play forward at quite a pace, it also results in a much less believable game world. You can't wander where you want to, or in fact where you have just been, simply because you have just finished or not reached that 'bit'.

As you progress through the levels you encounter many set pieces that require particular levers to be pulled, objects to be destroyed, or pirates to defeat. At first these are a real joy and the novelty of the special moves and various weapons keeps things interesting. However, as time goes by and the action remains largely the same, things do start to wane somewhat. It is a real relief when you come across one of the alternative sections. For example, from time to time you encounter particular side-on sword fights and rapids rafting sections. But before long we are back to the hack and slash elements. Not that they are all bad, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing.

Control: The Wii's controllers are put to good use, with a variety of different gestures being used to build up a wide variety of combination attacks. Different weapons can easily be selected via the D-pad and activated by the A and B buttons. This all serves its purpose but falls into the all too common trap of adding waggle controls to the existing PS2 control scheme. These gestures aren't always the best way to communicate your intentions to the on-screen character and often results in laggy gameplay as waggle is translated to squash buckle. In addition to this, there is little in the way of character progression or new moves to learn. Once you have the basic moves down in the first 30 minutes, you essentially use them for the rest of the game. The controls would have benefited from some more depth and variety being added over time.

Graphics: Graphically, the game was better than I was expecting on the Wii. The problems faced by the open ended wandering of other action adventures are greatly simplified by Pirate's scripted presentation. They can control and use the camera to better effect, often creating a much more directed and cinematic gaming experience. The movements of the main characters are well captured; particularly the odd jankey characteristic half cut slurs and lunges of Jack. It gives the game a much more lived in and quirky feel than would have been the case. Overall, this game has obviously been put through Disney's high standards when it comes to presentation.

Sound & Music: The backing music benefits from being able to cull from the film's score. It adds a real sense of grandeur, and ties the final knot between video game and cinema experience. Additionally, the game also pimps its voice assets to the max. Having paid handsomely for the rights to use those famous characters, they never miss an opportunity for some voice work and narration. Strangely though, it appears the majority of this is not done by the original cast, and instead we have some sound-a-likeys filling their shoes. This doesn't detract too much from the feel of the title, for a while I didn't even notice, but it is a little odd.

Final Comments: Overall this is a game that plays to its strengths, namely the heroes and heroines from the movies. It does an adequate job in pretty much every department without truly excelling in any. If you are a fan of the movies or of pirates in general then it is well worth considering. If your enthusiasm of the trilogy has waned as the box office numbers soared then maybe wait to check this out in a few months time when you may be able to pick it up a lot cheaper.

Pro: Great cinematic camerawork and characters from the film.
Con: Not enough variety in gameplay.
Final Score: 6.0

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews