Nathan Drake is back on top. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a brilliant roller coaster ride of action and thrills. It has taken its rightful place as one of the best games on the PS3, surpassing even the original game in look, feel and gameplay. It's not often that a sequel will surpass its predecessor, but Among Thieves has managed to do just that. To say that Naughty Dog fixed what was wrong with the first game would be a misrepresentation. Drake's Fortune was nearly perfect and with Among Thieves, Naughty Dog has tweaked a few of the gameplay elements, made them better and then thrown in some new ones to spice things up.

At an Uncharted 2 event earlier this week, Naughty Dog Creative Director Amy Hennig spoke briefly about how the company strove to create a game that had the feeling of a blockbuster action movie and they have certainly pulled it off. And with much more aplomb that most films of the genre. The story is engaging, the action is layered and the pace of the game, although it alternates between action, stealth and climbing, is frenetic enough to keep your heart racing. Once I sat down with it, I didn't want to put it down and played through the whole thing in 2 days flat. It should be noted that this is something I never do given time restraints and other life obligations so take that as you will.

The gameplay of Among Thieves is layered much more nicely than Drake's Fortune. It switches easily from action to platforming giving a much less regimented feeling that came with Drake's Fortune. Stealth portions have been added which I know some people abhor, but which I have learned to love since playing Metal Gear Solid 4. What makes Uncharted 2's stealth so interesting to me is it also presents a puzzle to be solved. The guards must be taken down in a particular order to avoid detection, with subtle hints at who's to be next given by the placement of your NPC partner player. Once one guard is taken out, your partner moves to a location near the next victim. Subtle and cleverly done.

The climbing portions of the game seem much more precarious this time around, with Nathan making seemingly impossible leaps that would make even the Prince of Persia jealous. More than a few times I thought "I'm never going to make this," just as Nathan's fingers grasped on to that jutting rock. It was exhilarating and satisfying as those things often are. Shooting enemies rears it's head again, but seems a bit more refined. This may have a lot to do with my improved aiming and shooting skills, but nonetheless it was a pleasant experience.

The graphics in this game really shine. As my non-gamer roommate who is fond of watching me play games observed, "Wow! This is incredible. It looks like a travelogue!" And indeed it was. Many times it seemed like something you might see on the HD National Geographic channel. Throughout the game there are carefully placed spots that if you take the time to stop and notice them, offer incredible views that show off the sheer hours of work it must have taken to construct these marvelous landscapes. The character models are equally impressive, created in loving detail with every pore intact. If this is what a company can do with graphics this early in the PS3's lifespan, imagine what games will look like five years down the road.

The story of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves also excels, putting most action movies seen nowadays to shame. Nathan is again hot on the trail of an ancient artifact, this time it's the Cintamani Stone, a treasure that resides in the mythical city of Shambala, once sought out by Marco Polo. He is joined on his quest by a new female protagonist, Chloe Frazer and her duplicitous partner Harry Flynn. Old friends Elena Fisher and Sully also make appearances throughout although Sully is more of a "guest star" in this storyline. The "big bad" in this game is fugitive war criminal Zoran Lazarevic, a scarred and hate filled villain of the highest order. Much like the plot, this cast of characters is far more intriguing and in many cases, better acted, than most films. It's refreshing to play a game with characters you actually care about and seem a bit more well rounded than the average cardboard cutouts we're used to.

If there's one thing I don't want to do with this review, it's give too much away. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a game that should be experienced and savored without any spoilers. To do so would undermine all the hard work the team at Naughty Dog have put into it and I wouldn't want to ruin the experience for you. I'll just say this: If you own a PS3, Uncharted 2 is a must have. If you don't have a PS3, this is absolutely a system seller. Couple it with the original game and a few other select titles and you have hours upon hours of top notch entertainment waiting for you.

10 out of 10