If you have a trace of “Uncharted” hero Nathan Drake's treasure-hunting instincts, you'll pick up “Drake's Fortune” soon.

The Naughty Dog-designed 2007 PlayStation 3 exclusive was given “Greatest Hits” status last month, making it an ideal first or second purchase for new PS3 owners who scooped up the system after Sony's recent $100 price cut. And with the October release date of “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” approaching, time is running out to finish the first leg of Drake's video game voyage.

In “Drake's Fortune,” the titular hero is joined by journalist Elena Fisher in dredging up the coffin of his ancestor, navigator Sir Francis Drake, from the ocean floor. Though the coffin is unoccupied, Drake discovers in it a diary describing the location of the fabled golden city of El Dorado. The navigator's notes guide Drake and long-time friend Sully - who advises Drake to ditch Elena - to the Amazon, where they are confronted by rival treasure hunters. Sully is killed and Drake is sent on the run along with Elena, who resurfaces on Drake's trail. Despite the threat of competition and death, the two pursue the next clue to El Dorado.

The masterful action-adventure fundamentals of “Drake's Fortune” place it among the finest exclusive titles on the PS3. Drake's pursuit of El Dorado combines fun platform play with challenging cover-based shooting, along with a few puzzles and action set pieces.

The platforming, reminiscent of “Tomb Raider” and “Prince of Persia,” finds Drake swinging from vines and dangling from ledges with perilous distance separating him from the ground. The perfectly tuned controls and fluid cameras make each leap easy to execute, but not without enough concentration to keep the play from becoming mindless or boring. The presence of tightrope walk-like obstacles, such as a log bridge, is disappointingly low due to the fun of using the Sixaxis controller's motion-sensing to stay level.

When Drake is on the ground, he's usually ducking behind crates or brick walls as bullets whiz by. Every aspect of the shooting play adds up to an abundantly fun time targeting rival treasure hunters. The shooting and cover controls give players the power to smoothly weave Drake through an under-fire area, all behind cover, in order to find the perfect angle for a shotgun blast or grenade lob. But the outstanding enemy AI toughens each shot; foes maneuver more than enough to persuade you of their preference not to catch any bullets. And if taking them out in “Uncharted's” cleverly designed maps isn't difficult enough, the game's trophy system challenges players to do so in several more inventive ways.

Naughty Dog skillfully balances the two principle types of game play in “Uncharted,” and the developer delivers this promising concoction with blockbuster production value. The gorgeous graphics vivify every shadow cast by the dense Amazonian forest canopy, every crumbling stone of Mayan ruins and every smear of dirt and grime on Drake's clothes. Drake's voice actor, Nolan North, enlivens the protagonist with Indiana Jones-like charisma. The entire cast, along with detailed facial animation and snappy dialogue, gives the cut scenes a cinematic oomph.

My only major complaint about “Drake's Fortune” is the absence of an absorbing villain character and, as a result, the anti-climactic final boss battle. But all I could think about after finishing the game was how much of a steal it was, and how quickly it would place me “Among Thieves.”

David Wilcox

253-5311 ext. 245

david.wilcox@lee.net

If you play.

Game: “Uncharted: Drake's Fortune”

Score: A

Parental rating: Teen for blood, language, mild suggestive themes, use of tobacco, violence

Developer: Naughty Dog

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform: PlayStation 3

Price: $29.99

Play: Single player

The final boss: The action game play of “Uncharted” delivers blockbuster bang for PS3 owners' buck.