With two massive PlayStation franchises already under its belt in the shape of Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, it's surprising that developer Naughty Dog's debut PS3 project isn't more visible on the gaming radar. But apart from a couple of brief - albeit incredibly impressive - appearances, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune still remains something of an enigma.
So what do we know about Uncharted? Well, it's a third-person action adventure set primarily against a lush, jungle island backdrop and combines intrepid treasure hunting with gun play, brawling, puzzle solving, pirate dodging and a generous helping of death defying climbing and leaping.
Above: As this side-by-side comparison shows, Nathan Drake has undergone a few design changes since his 2006 debut
Uncharted's plot is still a closely guarded secret, although we know that it involves lead character Nathan Drake picking up the trail of 16th Century explorer - and Nathan's namesake - Sir Francis Drake's last adventure. Where that leads him, what dangers lurk along the way and what treasures might lie at the end of his expedition are all still shrouded in secrecy...
Of the short glimpses we've seen of Uncharted there's little doubt that it looks gorgeous - we suggest that you check out thescreenshotswith your own eyes for all the proof you need. To pre-empt any doubters, Naughty Dog has already confirmed that the trailer is, indeed, rendered in real-time using its own in-house PS3 game engine and that all the technical beauty - models, textures, shaders etc - is in-game. Sweet.
