Exhilarating. Intense. Awe-inspiring. Beautiful. That's a good start in trying to describe Naughty Dog's "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves." But words can't begin to convey just how brilliant Nathan Drake's latest adventure on the PlayStation 3 truly is.

Forget the recent price drop -- this game is what's going to move PS3's this holiday season.

"Uncharted 2" flawlessly blends platforming, exploration, puzzle solving and shooting game play with an engrossing story, memorable characters and some of the most dramatic set pieces ever seen in a video game. Oh, and the multiplayer component isn't half bad, either.

Yes, "Uncharted 2" is everything I hoped it would be -- and more.

As a late adopter of the PS3, I didn't discover "Uncharted" right away. But once I had a chance to experience the game myself, it was easy to see what all the fuss was about. That Naughty Dog was able to surpass the original in every way is, in itself, an amazing accomplishment. The platforming is more refined, the gunplay (especially moving in and out of cover) is more polished and the hand-to-hand combat is much more accessible. The game retains its linear progression, but the levels are so well-built that I hardly noticed.

The biggest leaps were made in the overall look and presentation. To say this is the best-looking game on the PS3 is an understatement. As Drake crosses the globe in search of Marco Polo's lost fleet of ships, you'll travel to the jungles of Borneo, the war-torn streets of a city in Nepal and the ice-covered Himalayas, to name a few. The environments in "Uncharted 2" are breathtaking to look at and cleverly designed. Cutscenes seamlessly transition in and out of actual game play and are brilliantly voiced. The cutscenes really drew me into Drake's world and made me care for those inhabiting it.

The storytelling in "Uncharted 2" rivals anything I saw in the theater this summer and the Hollywood comparisons extend to the set pieces that are generously sprinkled throughout the game. Sure, there are plenty of major events that you'll encounter. But it was the smaller moments, like a pipe breaking after I grabbed hold of it, leaving me dangling perilously above a city street, or the floor unexpectedly giving way beneath me after I thought I had reached somewhere safe, that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout my play through the game. The feeling of not knowing what was coming next created a palpable sense of tension, which is difficult for a video game to achieve.

As spectacular as the single-player campaign is, that is only half of the "Uncharted 2" package. A host of multiplayer options exist, ranging from co-op to traditional adversarial modes. The lack of a true co-op campaign is disappointing, but there are still plenty of ways to have fun with friends in "Uncharted 2."

Exhilarating. Intense. Awe-inspiring. Beautiful. That's a good start in trying to describe Naughty Dog's "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves." But words can't begin to convey just how brilliant Nathan Drake's latest adventure on the PlayStation 3 truly is.

Forget the recent price drop -- this game is what's going to move PS3's this holiday season.

"Uncharted 2" flawlessly blends platforming, exploration, puzzle solving and shooting game play with an engrossing story, memorable characters and some of the most dramatic set pieces ever seen in a video game. Oh, and the multiplayer component isn't half bad, either.

Yes, "Uncharted 2" is everything I hoped it would be -- and more.

As a late adopter of the PS3, I didn't discover "Uncharted" right away. But once I had a chance to experience the game myself, it was easy to see what all the fuss was about. That Naughty Dog was able to surpass the original in every way is, in itself, an amazing accomplishment. The platforming is more refined, the gunplay (especially moving in and out of cover) is more polished and the hand-to-hand combat is much more accessible. The game retains its linear progression, but the levels are so well-built that I hardly noticed.

The biggest leaps were made in the overall look and presentation. To say this is the best-looking game on the PS3 is an understatement. As Drake crosses the globe in search of Marco Polo's lost fleet of ships, you'll travel to the jungles of Borneo, the war-torn streets of a city in Nepal and the ice-covered Himalayas, to name a few. The environments in "Uncharted 2" are breathtaking to look at and cleverly designed. Cutscenes seamlessly transition in and out of actual game play and are brilliantly voiced. The cutscenes really drew me into Drake's world and made me care for those inhabiting it.

The storytelling in "Uncharted 2" rivals anything I saw in the theater this summer and the Hollywood comparisons extend to the set pieces that are generously sprinkled throughout the game. Sure, there are plenty of major events that you'll encounter. But it was the smaller moments, like a pipe breaking after I grabbed hold of it, leaving me dangling perilously above a city street, or the floor unexpectedly giving way beneath me after I thought I had reached somewhere safe, that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout my play through the game. The feeling of not knowing what was coming next created a palpable sense of tension, which is difficult for a video game to achieve.

As spectacular as the single-player campaign is, that is only half of the "Uncharted 2" package. A host of multiplayer options exist, ranging from co-op to traditional adversarial modes. The lack of a true co-op campaign is disappointing, but there are still plenty of ways to have fun with friends in "Uncharted 2."

"Uncharted 2" manages to surpass its predecessor in every way imaginable. And considering how good the original "Uncharted" was, that's saying something. With a superb campaign mode, a meaty multiplayer suite and the best visuals ever to grace the console, "Uncharted 2" stands as one of the PS3's crown jewels. This is a treasure every gamer needs to discover.

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves"

Developer: Naughty Dog

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Available for: PlayStation 3 ($59.99)

Rating: T for teen

Score: 9.8/10