If you're familiar with Lego's previous movie-to-videogame adaptations of Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Batman, you know that, despite the predominance of Lego blocks everywhere (including the speechless characters' heads), these games rise above typical action-adventure, puzzle-solving, collecting-stuff platform games. This one, based on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series, is no exception.

Mixing gaming entertainment with a little educational value and the popular Pirates of the Caribbean characters, this is a fun kid-friendly videogame that, like the films and previous Lego titles, has a playful touch of blockhead violence and mischief. It is a pirate adventure, after all.

Swords are drawn, punches thrown, pistols fired, canons blasted, bombs exploded, studded blocks smashed, and enemies battle to the death, except in this funny cartoony Lego Land fatal wounds simply cause Lego pieces to go flying. And, since the game combines Lego-translated scenes from all the Pirates of the Caribbean story lines, there's even a little humorous flirtation as well, as you'd expect from even a blockheaded Captain Jack Sparrow.

Game play is solid, graphics colorful and detailed, animation smooth, action filled with surprises, and sense of humor on high alert. Educationally, players will face difficult puzzles and learn some problem solving and strategy as they rethink how best to overcome obstacles and enemies and progress from each of the 20 levels to the next.

Kids who know and love this Lego series or the films won't be disappointed.