Plain sailing Disney
Pirates of the Caribbean
PC, £29.99 Xbox, £34.99 Ubi Soft/Bethesda Softworks
***
Pirates of the Caribbean originally went under the lesser-known title of Sea Dogs II, but since a tie-in game is now part of the whole plastic-lunchbox-and-soft-toy shebang that accompanies most blockbuster films, Disney stepped in and secured the game of the film, for itself.
The swordplay, sailing and general swash-buckling, however, are the only things that the game and film have in common. You play Nathaniel Hawk, a young captain who is enlisted to help after a local port is captured by the French.
Although Pirates doesn't have the detail and depth of Bethesda Softwork's previous epic Morrowind, you still get a fair amount of freedom to explore the various islands, trade, pick up quests and indulge in some simplistic sword or pistol play, while negotiating the treacherous waters.
Exchanging cannon fire with enemy ships is fun, but is hampered by dodgy AI. General movement is also cumbersome and particularly uncomfortable for PC users.
In its favour, the game's graphics engine does create stunning water effects, which sparkle and shimmer as you sail into the sunset. The general console feel to the game makes it quite accessible, but may disappoint PC users. Also, given the pedigree of Bethesda, the role-playing could have been much meatier, but instead seems to have suffered from a Disney-style dumbing down.
Rhianna Pratchett
Predatory fail
Aliens vs Predator: Extinction
PlayStation 2, Xbox, £19.99 Electronic Arts
*
The idea of pitching two of Hollywood's scariest species - Aliens and the Predator - caught the games-buying public's imagination, thanks to two classy shoot-em-up games. But reflected glory is pretty much all this limp offering has going for it.
It is not a first-person shoot'em-up but a real-time strategy game. You can play as Alien, Predator or Marine, each of which has pleasingly different strengths and weaknesses, but the missions are so bog-standard, and the artificial intelligence so basic, that boredom swiftly sets in. A certain amount of strategy is required, but nowhere near as much as in, say, the Red Alert games. The graphics are appalling and any semblance of personality has been excised before birth. The sub-£20 price is a plus, of course, but do we detect a hint of apology? This may be the last fruits of EA's stewardship of the licence to publish games based on Fox's intellectual property, and that is something no one will mourn.
Steve Boxer
Empire strikes back
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
PC, £29.99 LucasArts/Activision
***
Once peerless, now tarnished, the videogames based on Star Wars have followed the downward spiral of the films.
Thankfully, recent events have perked up the franchise for gamers. The forthcoming Knights of the Old Republic looks very promising, while the latest PC game, Jedi Academy, is something of a return to form. Set after the events of Return of the Jedi, the story sees you helping Luke Skywalker polish off the remnants of the empire. More importantly, it lets you swing lightsabers with merry abandon. These swashbuckling battles are the meat of the action, letting you cut through hordes of stormtroopers.
Depth is added by the character development that allows you to learn Force Powers. These let you pin down enemies or push them off bridges and are devilishly enjoyable.
Less so is the AI of your opponents and the effect of your weapons on them. Blasting stormtroopers should be more satisfying than here, with limited animation not helping.
Academy is an improvement on last year's Jedi Outcast, though there are few real innovations. However, the role playing game character elements and 'saber battles, combined with the still interesting Star Wars environments, make Jedi Academy a fun place to attend.
Greg Howson
