With the upcoming release of the sequel to the popular 2003 movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Buena Vista Games is giving us a title for the PSP, DS and GBA based on the new film. Although it will follow the movie script fairly closely, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is also going to give players some room for exploring other parts of Jack Sparrow's adventure that are not seen in the screen version. And, the game is scheduled for release about one week before the movie hits theaters.

Developed by Amaze Entertainment, Dead Man's Chest is a third-person action/adventure game that will allow gamers to play Jack Sparrow through the storyline set out in the new movie. Although we have no specific details about the script at this time, if it is anything like the original film it should turn out to be quite exciting. The single player game is set to give players a chance at the full pirate experience, from the disloyalty to the sword dueling and everything in between. In the game, Jack will be capable of traditional strength-based attacks using swords, guns, knives and other tools of the trade. The true experience kicks in when players fight dirty however; on top of these attacks, Jack is also capable of head-butting opponents and kicking them in the nether region (oh, my groin!). Hey, nobody said fighting had to be fair!

The most exciting feature of the single player game, however, is the ability to play through certain events that do no actually appear in the movie. This means that gamers will get the exclusive opportunity to find out what Captain Sparrow does while he is not shown on screen. Hopefully, this will allow for a less-scripted feeling in the single-player campaign and will enhance the storyline.

Of course, every good pirate game would be lacking if it did not have a multiplayer mode to allow players to duel their friends. Well, Dead Man's Chest will not disappoint there. Up to four human players can battle one another in ten different maps and four game modes, including: Deathmatch, Timed Match, Last Pirate Standing and Plunder the Flag. Players can also choose to battle AI controlled opponents, or if your friends do not own a copy of the game, use Gameshare in one of three maps.

Notably absent in the PSP version, however, is the co-op mode found in the DS version. Also found on the rival handheld is the ability to play other characters besides Jack through the single-player campaign. These would have been nice features to have, but the PSP version of Pirates still should not disappoint.

With the new movie scheduled for a July 7th release in theaters, we expect Dead Man's Chest to hit stores sometime late June. If you own a PSP and like pirates, or are a fan of the films, then look for this game around that time.