TVG walks the plank in BVG's adaptation of the forthcoming pirates sequel...

Certainly billed as one of the cinematic highlights of 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is also making an appearance on the three main handheld formats (and we're not talking Gizmondo). Publisher Buena Vista Games has been keen to point out that each of the three versions, PSP, DS, and GBA, will feature platform specific gameplay elements, so with our UMD locked firmly in place, TVG takes to the high seas with the PSP version of the game.

Developed by handheld specialists Amaze Entertainment, responsible for the likes of X-Men: The Official Game and LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on Nintendo DS, Dead Man's Chest follows the story of the movie from the perspective of Captain Jack Sparrow. Split into two very distinctive sections of gameplay, Single and Multi-player (more on the latter, later), Dead Man's Chest's Campaign see the pirate encounter the legendary Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman as he races to save his soul from eternal damnation.

A largely linear structure, aside from the small number of 'Treasure Arenas' that can be unlocked to develop Jack's special attacks, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is very much like many other third-person action/adventure titles. Platforms, rope-swinging, and lots of sword fights, make up most of the gameplay in the Single-player mode, so there's very little originality to be had overall. That said there are a few little features that do make it stand out...a bit...

Restricting the combat system so it isn't quite the freeflowing button basher that's become all too familiar in action/adventure titles, Dead Man's Chest instead relies on players fighting against different enemies with different attack strengths. For instance, single-wielding enemies can dodge strong attacks so players will have to strike them with a few speed attacks first. Dual-wielding enemies have to be attacked with strong attacks first before Jack finishes them off with a few speed attacks, and opponents using axes have to be weakened with a few 'Pirate Taunts'. Whilst it does allow for a certain amount of originality for players, it does get bogged down in repetition after a short time, especially as it means that at its core there's only ever three types of enemies to fight in the whole game - regardless of what they look like.

Playing fairly is certainly not a part of the pirate code, so players also have the ability to launch a number of Pirate Taunts in the game. Whilst they sound like a bit of verbal abuse, in reality they're blows to the head with a sword handle or a kick between the legs, and are very handy in stunning a number of circling enemies when Jack is outnumbered. In addition to objects found in the environments such as pistols, knives, and bottles that can deliver a one hit kill to any enemy, Jack can also access special attacks once they've been unlocked in the Treasure Arenas. These arenas are themselves uncovered by picking up maps along the way in the gameworld. Fighting through four waves of enemies in the arenas also means that players will pick up a piece of statue required to confront the Kraken at the end of the game.

It's all very well having such a range of offensive attacks, but when you're faced with frustrating gameplay against enemies that repeatedly knock Sparrow down without any chance of countering, any sense of fun in the game is removed. Most of this frustration can be directed at the axe-wielding enemies, who get their swings just at the right moment, all too often resulting in Jack's death and a return to the previous checkpoint - another of the game's gripes.

With Dead Man's Chest on release for the three handheld systems, you'd expect Amaze to craft a game that would suit short-term blasts of gameplay that a player could pick up and play for a few short minutes. In reality the checkpoint system is really quite poor, with long gaps between them, which not only hampers the game's success as a portable title, but also increases the level of frustration when Jack gets cornered and killed. The camera system could also have been better designed, being largely controlled manually with the PSP shoulder buttons, which just seems a bit lazy on the part of Amaze.

Quite possibly the worst multiplayer experience on any platform, Dead Man's Chest's Multiplayer mode on PSP offers a limited number of sea-based gametypes that could have been stolen from any FPS title in creation; in other words, Deathmatch, Plunder the Flag, Timed Match, and Last Man Standing. But it's not the overused gametypes that make the experience so dire, instead it's the woefully boring, plodding, and quite frankly pointless gameplay that'll make you wish you'd stuck with the not-quite-as-dull-but-more-frustrating Singleplayer mode. Choosing the boat of your choice from a range of models including Galleons and Frigates, players take to the high seas from a number of different maps on offer. The aim is simple enough: board and sink the opposing craft, which can be made up of AI and Ad Hoc players alike.

Despite this being the official game of the movie, the lack of licensed voice acting from Messrs. Depp, Bloom, and Knightley, is a bit disappointing; at least Depp's omission can be explained by his contract to voice Sparrow in Bethesda's retelling of the original movie in The Legend of Jack Sparrow. Dead Man's Chest does at least feature music from the movie, though the fact that we ended up humming and whistling it after playing the game is annoying...especially for others to listen to.

The PSP version of Dead Man's Chest is quite literally a game of two halves, with fairly satisfying (if frustrating) single-player experience, and quite frankly abysmal multiplayer experience. The combat system is quite an interesting idea that staves off repetition for a little while, but ultimately it's a game that doesn't offer any real chance for replayability. Rent the game, and go and see the movie a few more times instead...