There be pirates aplenty in the new LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean game. If only there be exciting gameplay as well.

Every year or so, there’s always a new LEGO game centered around a popular franchise, like Batman, Indiana Jones or Harry Potter.

They’re usually faithful to the material and find new, PG ways to advance the plot if something is too serious. Generally, they’re always decent games and younger players seem to love them.

The problem is they always follow a formula. Players will always have to build new things to solve a puzzle, or find a new toy, or climb a new wall, etc.

Sometimes, the special powers each Lego character gets are a lot of fun, but more often than not the gameplay is tedious and the levels seem long.

LEGO Pirates is no different. This game has levels from all of the movies (including the unreleased fourth one), so Pirates of the Caribbean fans will no doubt flock to buy it just to see some new stories. Yet you still run around with LEGO characters (which range from Will Turner and, of course, Captain Jack Sparrow to a guard dog), and you still try to solve odd-looking puzzles.

Since this is a LEGO game, some of these puzzles will be downright mystifying, and you’ll get stuck halfway through the game until you look up how to beat it or someone comes along and figures it out before you.

There’s 85 levels and a host of unlockables, from new characters to random pirate ships and more, which means the true LEGO fan will have a lot of fun with this game.

It’s a good family game, and if you’re looking for a gift for a younger player, this would be perfect for anyone under 17. The game still feels like the same games we’ve been playing for the past couple years, however, which takes the fun out of being a pirate.