The gameplay design is one that is very easy to understand and enjoy while still retaining a moderate level of challenge that everyone from hardcore gamers to young fans can fully grasp and enjoy. Your character doesn't die, but you will lose a good chunk of you have collected.

Speaking of which, one of the biggest ideas behind the game is the collection of items. All of the levels in LEGO Pirates are filled with lots of goodies and objects to find. Everything is added towards your score, so that's why not dying is important: if you do, you will lose a great deal of the stuff you worked so hard to obtain.

Knowing where the LEGO series originated from, it uses the concept of building stuff as a gameplay mechanic. Often you will run onto various LEGO blocks lying on the floor. If you stand right besides them, you can put them together in order to solve a puzzle or move forward. It is a very neat idea that celebrates the toy franchise's mission towards imagination through creation.

But easily the biggest appeal of the LEGO series is how it is all an affectionate parody that pays tribute to the film it is based on. What that means is that the LEGO games will often loyally follow the plot of the movies right down to the smallest detail, all while spoofing some of its quirks and nuisances. LEGO Pirates follows the plot of all four movies, recreating each chapter from beginning to end. For example, Jack Sparrow's famous introduction from "Curse of the Black Pearl" has been presented here, but in a very amusing LEGO way. In the movie, Jack salutes hanging corpses, indicating to the audience that this is a very dangerous, cruel world of piracy. In the game, however, not only are these pirates alive and well, they are very happy and wave back to Jack.

Even some of the darker scenes, like Jack's charge into the Kraken at the end of "Dead Man's Chest" as it swallows the ship, is spoofed upon by having Jack run in with a toothbrush and brush the Kraken's teeth. While it may seem that the LEGO games are insulting the film franchise they base their games on, it is all done in good fun. In fact, it does a fantastic job of celebrating the film franchise.

This is done through various means. One of the most compelling is the music. Rather than creating new melodies for the games, the developers actually use the film's original score by Hans Zimmer and places it on top of the game. So not only do you have a story that follows the plot of the film series well, it does so by incorporating the iconic score as well. The very famous and iconic "You are a pirate" melody is present and placed upon many of the action sequences.

The characters are presented as LEGO men, and even though they don't speak, the grunts and pantomime capture the emotion of the scenes very well, while being very cute and charming to boot. LEGO Jack Sparrow, in particular, is very loyal to Johnny Depp's portrayal of the character, right down to the little swagger in his walk and reluctance to cooperate on various scenes. Even his grunts sound like they were done by Mr. Depp himself!

So that's why despite there being over ten games in the LEGO video game series (not counting original LEGO titles) with very little change in mechanics in between releases they have been very successful with players and critics: anyone, regardless of level of skill, can play this game and have a fun time by either themselves or with a friend or family member. Add to this a grand feeling of nostalgia caused by the presence of a great film series and it's no wonder that the LEGO games keep on selling.

I am happy to report that LEGO Pirates is not an exception to the rule. The fun and excitement of the film series is perfectly captured in LEGO while injecting a great dose of humor and silliness. Even if you have played the previous games in the series I recommend you to check out this game.