Atlantis - The Lost Continent

The only historical reference to the lost continent  of Atlantis is found in the final dialogs written by the Greek philosopher Plato.  In the first of three intended dialogs, Timaeus lays out creation of the universe and establishes the foundations of government detailed in Plato's early work: Republic.  The second dialog, Critias, discusses a possible historical account of the distant nation of Atlantis including some description of its might and of its destruction.  The end of Critias has been lost to time and the third dialog, Hermocrates, was likely never completed due to Plato's death.  Is there enough descriptions of this lost kingdom to find clues in the ancient world and discover its final location or was Atlantis a fabricated element to serve a purpose in Plato's dialogs?