At a time when role-playing on the Xbox was possible only by gathering up your pen-and-paper pals around the (conveniently shaped) console and physically slamming down the die, Bethesda brought us its gargantuan lovechild, The Elderscrolls III: Morrowind. Praised for its open-ended gameplay, fans of the genre devoured Morrowind all too quickly and looked to Bethesda for more RPG goodness. Therefore when Pirates of the Caribbean was released, all perfectly timed to coincide with its blockbuster movie counterpart, it is difficult to not become swept up in pirate fever!

Pirates of the Caribbean inherits some of the same open-ended design of Morrowind, but is made more difficult to define because it attempts to simulate a large chunk of life as a seafaring captain (minus the wenching as it is a Disney license after all). To accomplish this, the game is built on a role-playing foundation with an added pinch of strategy, a generous dollop of action, as well as a liberal sprinkle of adventure throughout. Just how well do these separate genres gel within a single game you ask? Well, Pirates of the Caribbean turns out to be an uneven experience that will no doubt elicit delight as well as frustration in equal measure.

You play one Nathaniel Hawk, upstart privateer and captain of his own modest but nonetheless seaworthy vessel. As Nathaniel makes ready to depart from the port of Oxbay after a day of cavorting with the locals (no wenching, I swear!), the English colony comes under attack by the French. Of course, being all righteous, our boy takes it upon himself to sail forth and inform the English Governor of the bad news. From there on he becomes embroiled in numerous quests that have him infiltrating enemy territory, commandeering ships, engaging in naval battles, all while making a nice little profit on the side.

The story is decidedly political, and fairly grounded in reality, unless you count a cameo by the legendary Black Pearl which leads to a somewhat out-of-place storyline that was no doubt tacked on to befit its namesake. Fans of the movie will be disappointed that not only do none of their favorite characters cross over, but also that the tone of the plot is much more mature. And, even though you are given the freedom to make your own adventure without following the main quests, you will soon tire of the mundane tasks you are usually entrusted with outside of the central plot.

The game begins with a lengthy tutorial that is intended to show you the ropes, but ends up being quite redundant as it makes no attempt to explain any of the more complex mechanics, while rushing you through a series of obvious tasks. Once the game leaves you to fend of yourself, the real lessons begin ' painful lessons of death no less. You will have to learn the nuances associated with such tasks as navigating your ship(s) through storms, sea battles and combat on dry land, as well as figuring out how to keep your crew employed and happy.

This is made even more challenging by the fact that the game commands no less than three separate interfaces (more if you wish to count individual views within an interface). A map mode allows you to sail between the islands as a little ship icon and you can either avoid or engage other ships as well as other natural disasters. When events occur, you are placed in the ship mode where you can view your vessel in all its glory either in the third or first person. And when anchored, Nathaniel will explore the islands in a third/first person view ala Morrowind, complete with the rather stiff controls and animation. While initially exasperating, Pirates of the Caribbean does make it ultimately rewarding to master these skills in the way of plot advancement and the satisfaction of some supreme ass-kicking on the high seas.

Speaking of kicking ass on water, naval combat is easily the most fun and challenging portion of the entire game. Sea battles are fought within the ship mode mentioned above, and you can simply switch between a first person and a third person view. The former is useful for spotting enemy ships and directing a multitude of cannon fire at them that can either damage the haul to cause satisfying sinkage, rip the sails to make them sitting ducks for further attacks, or cutting down their crew in preparation for boarding. The third person view is most suited for maneuvering your own ship away from enemy fire as well as getting into advantageous attack/defensive positions. However, combat does start deceptively slow as it merely drops you into a third person view of your ship. But if you are slow to act, you will frequently find yourself at the bottom of the ocean living it up with the fishes.

On the other end of the spectrum, combat on land is weak and feels somewhat under-developed. Nathaniel is armed with a sword and a pistol, a seemingly deadly duo, but that is not the case. Enemies will approach from all directions while you are limited to targeting one opponent at a time. And combat is usually played out with you holding down the block button to protect yourself from incoming blows, while waiting for an opportunity to get your own slash in. This works fine for one-on-one fights, but all too often you will find yourself surrounded by two or more thugs (and a few undead creatures that seem slightly out of place) where you will be hard-pressed to find an opening in their attacks. I have often employed the gun and run and wait for gun to reload strategy to overcome these dire situations, but even that is no guarantee as your movements are stiff and you will be certain to become stuck on invisible corners or edges that litter the environments.

While you are in town, you will move at the same sluggish pace. Thankfully, the game offers quick keys that will take you instantly (loading screen notwithstanding) to important locations such as stores, taverns and shipyards where you will conduct the bulk of your business. You can repair as well as modify or purchase new ones for a nice little fleet, and recruit able bodies at the tavern. You can trade goods at the store for cash and vice versa when the profit margin becomes attractive. Another source of revenue is by completing the main quests, or if you wish, pick up optional (and often dreary) delivery/escort jobs. There is little incentive in conversing with the locals even if you overlook the slight pause while the game loads up the text-based dialogue, since they appear to recycle the same random generic lines. Some reward is offered for exploration, as residents all seem to love leaving precious gems and other tantalizing objects of great value in unlocked drawers and chests. Also, there are several crypts and dungeons dotting the maps for you to explore for some extra loot.

The game employs a skill/level system where you receive experience points for completing tasks or for defeating your foes and eventually gain levels and points to spend on skills and abilities. These skills improve many aspects of gameplay. For example, by upgrading your skills, you can reduce the time it takes to reload your cannons, or you may gain extra damage with your sword as well as improved accuracy using your pistol. Apart from improvements in combat abilities, you can also gain skills that make you more diplomatic and therefore gain access to better discounts both in the stores and on the black market. This system is well thought out and compliments the rest of the game rather well.

Graphically, the game is a mixed bag of the good and the not so good. The water effects of Pirates of the Caribbean is a lot better than even the pre-release screens have managed to convey, as I often found myself switching to ship mode just to see my ship sailing in the realistic ocean during different times of the day. As well as looking fantastic, this lends much credibility and excitement to the naval battles. On land though, things fare less well as character models are simplistic and generic, and the environments, while large, come at a hefty price with frequent load screens (between 3-8 seconds) and less than desirable framerates throughout.

For a game with a movie license, I expected the sounds of the game to be much better than what is present here. With the exception of the orchestrated score and some nice ambient noises, most of the sound effects in the game from gunfire to steel clashing are far too soft and mellow to incite exhilaration.