WHEN I stepped into the cinema to watch National Treasure, I had visions of a 21st century version of Raiders of the Lost Ark in my head - and, I'm sorry, but Nicolas Cage as Indiana Jones just doesn't work.

You may be asking "why the Indiana Jones image?". Well, take a look at the movie poster for the film and I am sure you will come to the same conclusion.

The poster depicts Cage standing before a blazing copy of the Declaration of Independence, much like the promotional poster for Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which the hero (played by Harrison Ford) stands in the foreground brandishing his weapon of choice - a whip.

So when I settled down to watch National Treasure I was not optimistic, but I am pleased to say I was proved wrong.

Far from coming from the same mould as the 1980s Indiana Jones blockbuster, this film combines action, adventure, history and humour to produce a present-day treasure quest, which will appeal to movie fans of all ages.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub (While You Were Sleeping and Phenomenon), the film stars Academy Award winners Nicolas Cage and Jon Voight, Sean Bean (famed for playing battle hero Sharpe), Diane Kruger and Christopher Plummer.

Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, who has dedicated his life to searching for a fortune which few dare to believe exists.

Legend has it that the bounty - hidden by America's Founding Fathers - is the most awesome in human history, and is concealed somewhere in America.

For six generations the Gates family have chased clues left behind by the Founding Fathers and scoured the nation in search of the bounty.

Now, after decades of searching, Gates has made a breakthrough. He knows where the fundamental clue to the treasure's location lies - a hidden map on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

But, as knowledge of the map spreads to ruthless Ian Howe (Bean), Gates is faced with a terrible dilemma. He must either steal America's most sacred document or let it fall into dangerous hands.

Gates teams up with his computer whiz friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and the unwitting National Archives conservator Abigail Chase (Troy's Diane Kruger) to pull off the unthinkable.

But will they succeed in pulling off the ambitious challenge?

And does the map really hold the key to unlock the treasure, which has lain undiscovered for centuries?

This film is full of twists and turns as Gates battles with his conscience in a bid to finally discover the truth.

It provides the perfect ingredients to keep children and adults glued to the screen.