The story revolves around one Nathan Drake, a direct descendant of the legendary sea farer, Sir Frances. Nathan is equal parts Indiana Jones, Han Solo and any number of 1980s action heroes rolled into one. Throughout, Nathan is aided by his cigar-chomping sidekick, Sullie, who provides a certain gravitas as well as some snappy one-liners. The final prong in the story's trident is Elena, a journalist who is helping to fund Nathan`s hunt for old El Draque`s booty, off the coast of Puerto Rico.

The treasure in question, El Dorado, doesn`t bear any relation to the rubbish BBC soap opera starring Mark Kermode-lookalike Jesse Birdsall, but is instead a large golden statue which may or may not carry a curse for those who seek it out. Now, while all this doesn`t sound like a particularly original or engaging story, it succeeds due to Naughty Dog knowing this is nothing more than pure popcorn fodder, but it delivers it with such a swagger that it works beautifully. The result is an engaging selection of characters that the player cares about as they progress through the game. Even when the story becomes a little too predictable, the breathless pace more than makes up for the more inconsistent moments, and does so admirably across the 22 chapters that make up the game.

From the opening sequence on board a boat off the coast of Panama under attack by pirates, Uncharted exudes a confidence that is infectious and is sustained throughout the duration. By using the in-game engine for cut-scenes the action flows effortlessly from player control to story and back and forth, which will be appreciated by all who venture into Nathan's world. Taking exploration and navigation cues from the Tomb Raider series and the stop-and-pop gun-play from titles such as Gears of War as its main themes, Uncharted adopts these influences and rolls them together to make them its own.

Naughty Dog has gone to great lengths to make Uncharted as accessible as possible, which is to their credit. The excellent controls and the almost non-existent HUD help to create a feeling of immersion with the action. While it could loosely be termed as platforming, what Uncharted does is a more simplified variation on a theme. When the need arises, walls, towers and a plethora of structures in between will need to be traversed to continue. Tell-tale signs on these obstacles indicate exactly what can and cannot be used, marking a clear path for the player. To ramp up the tension and keep things interesting, some crumbling masonry or loose rocks will be incorporated so as to hurry along Nathan`s progress, or result in a restart. Thankfully, like just about every single aspect of Uncharted, the checkpoint system is generous to a fault, and the player will find themselves nigh on exactly where they started from, negating the need to traipse very far. Even the dreaded SIXAXIS motion controls, used to balance Nathan across fallen trees and narrow paths, work up to a fashion, and can be considered a success.

Nathan is certainly a lithe individual and his multifaceted abilities come to the fore as the game progresses. Hand-to-hand combat is kept to a bare minimum, and shouldn't be used unless a crowd of bad guys has been successfully cleared beforehand, as reinforcements can leave the player staring at the monochrome death-screen as Nathan breathes his last. When the chance arises to dispatch an enemy in this manner, they drop double the amount of ammo. While useful, there is never a real shortage throughout the game, as different weapon use is encouraged on a constant basis.

Speaking of weapons, if there is one slightly unsatisfying aspect of Uncharted it`s this. There`s nothing particularly wrong with them, but shooting can be considered slightly weak, with a distinct feeling that a connection isn`t being quite made properly. The weak animation that accompanies a pirate flying through the air, as he reacts to being shot, seems over the top and adds to the sense of not being quite right. The cover system ripped directly from the Gears of War series works well and comes in handy as a way to gain a moment to regain health and to form a plan of attack. The action is complemented with a rousing orchestral score that reacts to the on-screen action, adding a sense of participation to this blockbuster title.

Graphically, Uncharted is a tour de force. By setting the action in Puerto Rico, this gave the developers carte blanche to indulge in hugely convincing surroundings for their characters to inhabit, almost making it as major a part of the game as the action itself. Leafy undergrowth, enveloping ancient temples give way to a glorious waterfall; witness toucans flee as Nathan approaches them.

With the game's main quest centring on the quest to obtain a fabled treasure, there are many other “lesser” finds which can be discovered as the player progresses through the game. These in turn unlock everything from developer diaries, to concept art and pretty much everything in between, including a reverse mode, which will cause much hurting of heads as everything is in the opposite place to where it should be.

Fast paced and full of relentless action, Uncharted: Drake`s Fortune is a pleasure to play from start to finish. It manages to take what minor flaws it has and papers over them with sheer puppy dog enthusiasm for its subject, and will garner fans looking for a game premise from a simpler time: get the girl, kill the bad guys.