Enquiring minds want to know - or this reviewer's does anyway - how did the phrase "high seas" come into existence? It would ring true from the perspective of a sea-bed dweller, but from our vantage point as land-lubbers, seas have depth, not height. Anyway, if the idea of sailing the deep seas and buckling some swashes while wading through a morass of pirate clichés appeals to you, then Tortuga delivers on all fronts.

Especially the clichés. Okay, so the main character doesn't have a parrot and both of his legs are intact, but everything else is here including the obligatory lost treasures, rum-swilling sea dogs and ghost ships that cut through the still waters late at night stealing souls from your crew. Half of the game is played at sea and the other half on land.

The sea-faring section revolves around battles in which jockeying for position is vital, twisting and turning in an effort to try to land broadsides on your opponents without them being able to return fire as effectively. The controls are simple, with a couple of keys operating the sails and therefore your speed, and a mouse click firing a volley when you're in range.

Graphically, this is all rendered very smartly, with some groovy little animations for the sailors running around on deck and impressive damage effects when you take a hit. There are some tactical nuances too; for example, you can change the shot your cannons fire to decimate the opponent's crew rather than the hull, and therefore slow down the speed at which his guns reload.

Some variety is added to the missions - for example, you'll be put in a small, nimble vessel that has to dodge through and outrun some war galleons - and overall the ocean-based action is entertaining for a while, although the battles soon become a little repetitive.

When you take to the land, however, matters take a distinct turn for the worse. Tortuga then becomes a third person action-adventure which focuses mostly on swashbuckling combat. The trouble is, the combat engine is pants.

The controls are awkward, your hero moves like he's drunk too much rum, and even though there are special moves to utilise, the fights generally boil down to you hacking madly away with the basic attack when you inevitably end up surrounded by a host of enemies. These land sections are also very linear and just rather dull, and a sprinkling of cut-scenes doesn't liven things up much.

Verdict
Tortuga offers some entertainment with its simple ship-to-ship combat, but the swashbuckling elements let the game down badly, and even the naval manoeuvres lose their lustre after a while. At least you don't have to fork out too much booty to get hold of a copy, priced as it is at twenty pieces of gold. Arr!

Company: Ascaron

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