Stop me if you've heard this one before. "Treasure protector" and all-round history geek Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) gets that glazed look in his eyes on hearing of a newly uncovered historical artifact. Rounding up his even dorkier computer nerd sidekick (Justin Bartha), hot blonde archivist love interest (Diane Kruger), and cranky historian father (Jon Voight) he sets off in search of the loot. But the gang aren?t alone as they zing across the globe from one photogenic landmark to the next ? a baddie mercenary and a suspicious FBI agent are hot on their trail. And before you can say "Indiana Jones" they're all in an underground treasure trove, swinging from fraying ropes, crawling through collapsing tunnels and leaping across gaping chasms.

Apparently written by applying MS Word's "find and replace" function to the original 'National Treasure' screenplay (Independence Hall becomes the Library of Congress, Benjamin Franklin is now Abraham Lincoln, the Templar Treasure makes way for ancient cities of gold?), 'Book Of Secrets' is simply more of the same.

But not exactly the same. A game Helen Mirren arrives ? both to play Gates' mom and target the only demographic the original film missed: grandparents. Ed Harris, wearing his stern face, takes over from Sean Bean as the perfunctory nemesis who's in it for the money and not the Quest For Absolute Truth. And Cage's hairline has receded dramatically.

Huge changes notwithstanding, there's still room in the batshit-insane plot ? something about Ben wanting to clear the family name after great-grandaddy Gates is linked to the Lincoln assassination ? for frenetic car chases, rampant breaking and entering at historical sites, head of state kidnappings, conspiracy theories, and, as hand-on-your-heart music swells in the background, rousing speeches about the glory of the US Constitution.

So, in short, this sequel is just as wildly entertaining as the original. Presented with all the slick professionalism you'd expect from a fast-paced Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster, it comes with real heartfelt charm and pure enjoyment usually lacking from a fast-paced Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster. Cage is clearly having the time of his life as he zealously overacts, backed wholeheartedly by the wise-cracking Bartha (the most stylish dork ever), headstrong Kruger (who's rather good at looking hot and blonde), and the surprisingly gung-ho Mirren.

"You know, I won an Oscar as 'The Queen', so I expected to be treated with respect when I came on the set of 'Book of Secrets'," the veteran actress joked about her part. "Instead, they hung me from wires, made me swing across abysses, covered me with dirt, dunked me in filthy, dirty water? and I had the best time of my life!"

It probably won't be the best time of your life ? nor the most surprising ? but the second 'National Treasure' is pure escapism that will tide you over until Indy returns.