The game: "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow"

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks/ 7 Studios

Consoles: PlayStation 2, PC

Rated: Teen

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow," with Johnny Depp lending his voice to the proceedings, picks up after the first film with Jack and Will about to be hanged for raiding a Spanish fort.

To kill time, Jack tells tales of previous adventures to the Far East, arctic glaciers and his versions of the adventures involving the ship the Black Pearl. (Because these are Jack's stories, the game's versions of the first film's events offer new interpretations of what happened.)

Depending on the story, the two-player game allows a guest to control Will or Elizabeth (these characters feature the likenesses of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, and voice-alike actors who do a solid job). When playing solo, the computer controls the second character, although you can switch characters in-game. Game play focuses on swordplay, although you can also hurl objects such as molotov cocktails and axes at your enemies.

This being a fantasy world, the heroes battle against live pirates, Viking ghosts, samurai warriors and sand monsters. Collecting treasure can buy your characters fighting upgrades and new moves.

For the most part, this game offers standard hack 'n' slash, button-mashing combat, but there are occasional cannon battles, chase sequences and mini games strewn throughout the adventures to break up the monotony.

Aspects of the game such as animation and graphics seem under-developed. Despite the diverse locales and entertaining story, the game looks bland, and the characters (those that are alive) behave like zombies.