LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is based in the world of the globally successful film franchise, incorporating storylines, locations and characters from the first three films (The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End) as well as the upcoming fourth film, On Stranger Tides...

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is the latest LEGO game from TT Games. This time it's based on Disney's popular Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. For fans of the franchise you'll know just what to expect. As usual you have to navigate your way through the levels smashing Lego bricks and constructing items to help you progress further through the game.

The usual humorous cut sequences with LEGO twist are present and correct. For this game the comedy works a lot better, but then that's probably down to the fact that the original movies were funny unlike a lot of the past LEGO games where the designers have to make gags where there were none. Also, unlike some of the past LEGO games, Pirates follows the movie plots a lot closer - the cut sequences appear to be longer and closer together in the game.

As usual you can chose from a given set of character, all of whom have their own skills, and using them all in order to complete each level is essential. For example, characters equipped with guns or throwing objects can aim at targets, the blacksmith character can hammer together glowing red Lego bricks and women characters can jump higher to reach areas out of reach of the other character. And when you've completed each section of each level it unlocks the Free Play option which allows you to revisit later with other characters in order to access areas of that level that were not possible before.

As with previous games in the series, the main fun to be had is trying to collect and unlock every aspect of the game. So, while the levels can be played through in a few days, revisiting them and finding the hidden content is where most fans will really find they will have most fun.

There's the usual two-player co-op game option too, which splits the screen in half should you venture away from your friends character, and allows for more fun to be had as you help each other to battle through the levels.

If there was one complaint I had it's that the levels are rather short and the puzzles fairly straightforward - but then it's a hard balancing act to get the puzzles just hard enough that you don't get the gamer to quit in frustration. Oh, and one other very slight niggle, sometimes the game play can be a little fiddly - like when you have to walk thin planks or jump precisely onto an object. As usual there's plenty to come back to once you've finished the game - and much, much more to unlock.

9

Darren Rea