If you've been looking for a reason to buy a PlayStation 3, I can give you one really good one: "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves."

You know when you see a movie so good that you continue to think about it for days? "Uncharted 2" is like that.

Everything about the game shines. It's fantastic, and easily my favorite game of the year so far. It's a perfect hybrid of gameplay and cinematics.

Fortune hunter Nathan Drake returns, this time on a quest to find Marco Polo's lost treasure ships. He ends up in a race to solve the puzzle before a sadistic war criminal does first.

The journey takes Drake to Borneo and the Himalayas. Each level is gorgeously reproduced, with rich colors and photo-realistic backdrops.

Drake's love interest from the first game, Elena, is back, and a new love interest is introduced, Chloe. Drake is one of my favorite characters of all time, and the fantastic, often hilarious interaction among all of the characters is one of the reasons "Uncharted 2" is so great.

None of this would matter, though, if the gameplay weren't also pitch-perfect. Drake's moves are exactly what you'd want: agile, smooth and precise.

While much of the game is a third-person shooter, a nice stealth element has been added. Players can choose which approach they want to take: cautious and silent or running and gunning. Both work equally well. Not to mention, it's really funny to hang from a ledge and pull an enemy over the side.

The gameplay elements vary to keep things exciting. Some areas are platforming and puzzle-solving. Others, massive firefights. In addition, there are other, more unique segments, including one memorable part on a speeding train. There is no weak section.

After you're done with the story mode, which is a lengthy 10 to 12 hours, you can try the online multiplayer. Again, developer Naughty Dog nails it.

Everything in multiplayer controls just as well as in the single-player game, and there are a plethora of game types: death matches, competitive objective-based matches and cooperative modes.

I could keep declaring my love for the game. Instead, I'll just say this: "Uncharted 2" is as close to perfect as I've seen in a long time. You owe it to yourself to buy it.

• Still more: Both the single-player and multiplayer games award you medals and money for certain actions. The money can buy character skins, outfits, cheat codes, multiplier boosts, videos, you name it.
• Get creative: A machinima mode lets you record the characters doing whatever you like. Then you can manipulate it later, including adding voice tracks, to make your own video.

Reach Aimee Green at 473-7326 or Aimee.Green@lee.net.