It is a good swashbuckling game with open ended missions and total freedom, well almost.
Wait I'm making it sound to fun. Your character is slow and is like well, not the sort of controls for swashbuckling games. The sword fighting is ok i guess but you get sick of them making the same combos all the time. The only gun you get is a pistol that you can fire while your sword fighting but it can take a whle to reload.
The best thing about the game though is the unlimited range of exploration. I mean you can't leave the carribean area but if you just sail it could take hours to get to the other island. I have i friend that works (shout out to Stoniedude, that's his Xboxlive name) and is very tird when he gets home, pirates of the carribean is his fav game. And one day he got home, turned on the xbox started sailing, then fell asleep. He slept for an hour or so. Then when he woke up he was in a direct collision coarse with an island!
The game does make up a bit (key word...A BIT!!!!) with it's RPG elements. You get experience points which you can spend on helping your fighting ability, your guile in order to trick trader for a better price on goods and various other things. You also earn money which you can buy new boats with and new weapons and equiptment. But a mention while sailing, watch out for storms! they are a constant menice and are very annoying...I mean very! Like you are doing a mission you have to protect a merchant(which is hard because every boat you come across tries to blow it up! But other than the other ships the storms try there best to sink it....VERY ANNOYING!
But sailing(other than the frusterating things) can be calm and rewarding. You can go on deck the ship and walk around and open up ur spy glass to see afar. The only stupid thing is that there is no crew when you go on dek the boat, but when you watch it form a far view you can see the whole crew. They are pretty clever in how they designed how the captianing a ship works. YOu have to hire a crew from the tavern and pay them every month. The higher you pay them the higher their morale, but dont pay them and thar be mutany!!!!!!
Well I guess I better let you rent or buy the game to descover the rest for yourself. Oh and keep an eye out while sailing, you could spot the black pearl, she be a vary rar sight!