Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

We don't want to cough quietly in the corner and suggest that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will just be a quick, summer-blockbuster cash-in, but that's easily the first thing that comes to mind. But with some two-player, cooperative action, this typical action-slasher might be more than the shallow sea it appears to be.

Clearly based on the upcoming film, Chest has you parading goofy-drunk pirate extraordinaire Jack Sparrow and his co-stars through 19 levels of switch-hitting excitement. It appears Jack owes Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman, a blood debt. Naturally, Jack's searching for a way to weasel out of this pact. Along the way there'll be all sorts of enemies to impede your booty-huntin', but of course you've got 17 types of weapons and nifty combos with which to cut them down. Touch-screen minigames and plenty of mortal and immortal creature-bashing round the whole thing out.

While the game sounds oh-so standard, being able to run through any level in a wireless co-op mode does sound interesting. Each of the three characters (movie hero/heroine Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are the other two, if you couldn't guess) will have some unique moves to set them apart - and you'll be able to unlock six other characters with their own powered-up attacks.

Chest is promising an adventure filled with "disloyalty, humor and revenge" when it surfaces on the DS in June, but a little burly swashbucklin' wouldn't hurt either.