Set sail with the pirates of the caribbean in a sequel. The last game, Pirates of the Caribbean, left us asking for more as the game wasn’t related to the characters of the movie and the plot was different. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow, however, should not be confused with the film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. They deal with entirely different stories.

The developers have hit upon just the right idea with The Legend of Jack Sparrow, but it’s not executed well enough. The game gives us an insight into the colourful character of the legendary pirate Jack Sparrow, enacted brilliantly by actor Johnny Depp. The gameplay revolves primarily around sword fighting, although it does take us back into the past and we get a glimpse of Sparrow’s life.

At the very onset, Jack is waiting to be hanged at the gallows with his partner-in-crime, Will Turner. It appears that the two of them were framed while searching for some precious treasure. Jack regales his audience with tales from his past. The more tales he tells, the longer he lives. It’s these very tales that set the game in motion.

As in the film, in the game too, Sparrow has selective memory, selective to the point of selecting things that didn’t exactly happen. These “embellishments” make for some interesting situations, but at the same time you can never really differentiate between fact and fantasy. There are times when it’s obvious but occasionally some of the other characters flatly deny their involvement in some tales. This is a great device that could be used to put Jack in virtually any situation but it’s not exploited to the hilt.

You can’t manually purchase new sword techniques but as you unlock them automatically, you progress further in the game. In addition to the basic weak and strong slashes, you eventually learn throws, counters and spin attacks. Despite all this, the gameplay is somewhat lacklustre.

And in addition to that, there are a number of glaring programming flaws. For instance, when you are playing alone, you’ll notice the AI controlled allies get stuck behind barrels and walls. When they are not trying to sprint through a doorway, they’ll sometimes just stand about while the enemy tears you to shreds.

The enemies, on their part, don’t fare any better. They too just stand around, even if you’re walking right next to them. So don’t try to find the Dead Man’s Chest here. It’s only about Sparrow. So just pack your swords and go for it, especially if Jack Sparrow is your role model.

Minimum system requirements: Windows(TM) XP, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 98se, (Windows 95 and Windows NT are not supported), 1.5GHz or faster processor from Intel or AMD, 128MB system RAM, 2.5GB free hard disk space, 64MB Direct3D compatible video card (Card must support Pixel Shading), DirectX compatible sound card