Preview: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Wii)

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was a cinematic abomination but still managed to prove one of the most popular films of last year. Now the grand finale "At World's End" is almost upon us and Gamestyle thought it wise to take a look at the accompanying video game, which could also prove to be as popular.

As expected, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a multi-format release that somehow must take advantage of the Nintendo Wii. However gamers who thought they had escaped the clutches of the rancid mess that was Dead Man's Chest will be horrified to know that its events will be included in this release. What we do know is that you will be given the opportunity to play as each of the main characters in the two films, including Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and the token female. While many actors have recorded their roles for the game, the main leads do not reprise their roles. Some meager satisfaction can be gathered from the fact that reliving and experiencing those Dead Man's Chest moments once again cannot be any worse than the film itself.

"Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise will experience adventures inspired by the second and third films while going far beyond the events of those films," said Craig Relyea, vice president of marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. "With the action, excitement, unforgettable characters and expansive locations from the blockbuster films, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End will be the definitive Pirates video game experience for fans. Our games go beyond the films to introduce legendary pirates, new locations and unique endings that will satisfy the pirate in each of us."

Events from each script will be included as you have the opportunity to play through these events and environments including Port Royal, but this isn't enough content to warrant a full-price video game. Therefore new stories and events will be introduced exclusively to improve the experience and hopefully provide a few new snapshots of the Pirates era. You can expect to fight on land and at sea, against restless natives and treasure-seeking villains. Supporting characters have also been included and these can be unlocked through good performance to warrant further play.

For Wii owners this means the ability to swing your sword (or cutlass) and other motion sensitive opportunities. It is surprising how little enhancements such as this can make the experience even more enjoyable, although Gamestyle hopes the control issues of Red Steel are avoided. The nunchuck is utilised to control character movement, while the A button on the remote covers special moves such as stealth or throwing items, with the Z button providing blocking during combat. A sidestep function is almost promised by shaking the nunchunk and with support for 2 players along with widescreen support and 60fps.

After a period of decent film licenses we've endured several poor attempts of late. Whether this can buck the trend remains to be seen, but given the developer's experience with the Gamecube (Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy) we are quietly confident. Whatever our thoughts, this promises to be one of the biggest selling video games of the year, as everyone fancies a life on the ocean waves.

Words by Jason Julier