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There's something incredibly rhythmic about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I don't know whether it's in the flowing movement gained from perfect motion capture, the stunning graphics as you saunter through a tropical jungle you can almost reach out and touch, or the tangible air of film-quality professionalism that's thunders through the heart of Naughty Dog's creation like the layers of time unravelling in a slab of rock. Uncharted ushered in the PlayStation 3's first holiday season, and a new year for the console. It's stunning.

You're Nathan Drake, suspected descendant of the great explorer Sir Francis, and a famous treasure hunter and globe-trotter yourself. Accompanied by Elena Fisher, the host of a low-budget exploration and archaeology show, you have travelled to find the grave of Sir Francis and, in the process, recovered a secret diary that reveals some startling mysteries: the great man faked his death and went searching for the fabled man of gold - El Dorado - and he wasn't the only person trying to recover ancient riches. It's territory that's been covered in many films, and even games before, but rarely this well.

The plot is a device, to some extent, to show off the rich and detailed graphical engine that Naughty Dog have developed for Uncharted - the first in a planned series of games, and one that, they've claimed, only uses 30% of PS3's processing power. Yikes. You'll begin in a tropical jungle, and spend plenty of time there, with various detours to new locations - but it's these lush environments that are some of the game's most striking.

It's odd, at first, because Uncharted is so realistic and yet, at the same time, not. It's realism, plus a little bit extra - a little bit of cartoon license and exaggeration, with vibrant colours replacing the turgid greys that have peppered ultra-realistic next-gen titles. It's a refreshing change, and one that you'll notice as soon as you begin playing. Trees sway, branches tremble, ferns and grass bend out of your way as you pass through. It's hugely detailed, with animals leaping and a real forest being played out in front of you. And that's not all.

Two of the most striking elements in Uncharted, besides the gorgeous locations, are the people and the water, and upstaging your environment is quite an achievement - they include a ruined fort, invaded by both mercenaries and vegetation, rusted nuclear submarines and long lost underground civilizations. But you'll understand why when you do see the H2O that populates Drake's world, because it's everywhere.

Naughty Dog mention in one of the in-game featurettes - unlocked, along with other bonuses by achieving in-game goals like killing a certain number of bad guys with a certain weapon, or finding some of the ancient artefacts that little the world, waiting to be discovered - that the reason there's so much water in Uncharted is because they were hugely proud of the realism they'd created in it. And, besides Crysis - the most demanding game in the world today - it's the best looking liquid in the industry. There's no other way to describe it than to call it so close to real that it's almost impossible to tell the difference.

Splashes aren't quite there yet - particle effects are more difficult, after all - but it's impeccable. Nathan swims plenty, of course, and he actually gets wet, his clothes wrinkled and clingy, before slowly drying out in the sun, clothes wrinkling and creasing as a result of genius motion-capture. There are lakes, streams, puddles and trickles, and they're all gorgeously rendered. A key moment in the game brings you to the top of a plateau where, lain before you, is the ocean and a sunset. It is picture perfect, and you can't get much better than that.

The other stand-out graphical achievement is the characters. Motion captured around the actors playing the lead roles of Nathan, Elena, Drake's friend Sullivan and more, they set a new standard for characters in games. They may be a typical hero and a typical tough girl, sure, but the level of interaction, animation and emotion present is thanks to exemplary voice performances and character creation. Again, it can be a little unnerving when you set eyes on Uncharted's characters the first few times - they look that real, and you feel for them, genuinely - but you'll soon be immersed, as they're a total triumph.

I haven't even got to the gameplay yet. It may be a shameless Tomb Raider rip-off, but the formula is perfectly refined and honed so as to create that rhythmic feeling - yes, it's back again - as you leap from rock to rock, shimmy from edge to boulder and bound over collapsing bridges. The main meat of the game is divided into a few genre standards - platforming, adventuring and gunplay - and they're all fantastically executed. The platform sections are, arguably, the best: superbly designed and crafted to yank maximum enjoyment and excitement from every encounter with a ledge or platform.

The shooting elements are somewhat generic, too, but so well designed that it shouldn't matter. Cover is hugely important, as a few well-placed shots from enemies - and they will be well placed, as these guys are good with guns and have fantastic AI - will see your screen drain of all colour and a looming heartbeat racing over the superb, film-quality orchestral score that populates Drake's Fortune, providing adding impetus whenever adventure or excitement is called for. There's a standard range of weapons, from pistols to grenades, assault rifles and even rocket launchers, and the number of bad guys and availability of ammo seem to tally perfectly: you'll have plenty of encounters where you'll be close to the edge, but rarely unfairly nudged over. It's challenging, but enjoyably so rather than relying on the frustration of having to reload again and again.

This is linked together with a hugely entertaining story and, well, a hugely entertaining everything. The only criticisms that can be labelled are minor and, often, inconsequential: reliance on duck-and-cover gun mechanics means that fans of run-and-gun, blazing gameplay may be disappointed by sections where you have to behave more stealthily, and the linearity of the game may grate in a year where Crysis and Bioshock have ruled - although that's like saying Call of Duty 4 is a bad game because it follows a set path and story. If anyone tells you that Uncharted suffers because you're somewhat funnelled through the game with less exploration, then hit them. You have my permission.

Sometimes, too, you may wish that the rampant gunfights give way to platforming a bit more often, so well is it constructed - but this is merely a tiny balancing issue and one that can be put right in the sequels of this gigantically promising new franchise.

If there's a game that should compel you to buy a PS3, then this game is the One. The graphics are some of the best ever seen, on any system, and the gameplay takes Tomb Raider's genre-defining mechanics, refines them, and makes them approximately six hundred times better. There's an absorbing story and a truly engaging cast of gorgeously animated characters. The water effects are mind-boggling. There's almost nothing wrong with this game at all. Get it, play it, love it, and pray to El Dorado that the sequels can improve on such a stunning template.