Pirates! Gold

The Good
Free play! I loved being able to control my own destiny. You're not forced to get on with the game, though you do slow down as you get older. Being able to create my own captain was another high point for me. I'd much rather play any game with a character of my own design than a pre-made one. That coupled with the different time periods assures that you'll never play the same game twice. And I just wanted to thank Eric Olson of Merrimack, NH for introducing me to the game. And Eric! If you're reading this, drop me an e-mail. Class of 96 baby!!!

The Bad
Sailing against the wind. There's nothing worse than a slow moving ship when you're on your way to get the treasure fleet. And yeah the music can be annoying at times. But I haven't played the game in well over ten years and I can still remember it like it was my own life. How can you down a game that does that.

The Bottom Line
Infinite games in one small work of art. "I couldn't put my controller down (for 12 hours straight!)." A must play for would-be pirates and gamers alike. Live a pirate's life, accurately, in the safety of your own living room.

The Good
This game has a very interesting premise in my opinion. Playing as a pirate is very satisfying. The graphics, while hardly amazing, are pretty good and are a joy to behold. They just exude the atmosphere of piracy on the high seas, along with the sounds which just stop short of making you burst out into a sea shanty as your family watches in horror. There is plenty for you to do in this game also. You can raid ships, plunder cities (even overthrow the governor and install a new one to your liking), search for buried treasure, find an ancient Indian treasure, hold other pirates for ransom, raid the treasure fleet, and impress regional governors to attain ranks (which attract the ladies) and gain land (which increase your score).

The Bad
The combat system is where the game goes from great to just good. First, in ground battles, you command your own character who attacks the enemy's leader. How well you do in this battle effects the morale of your's and his troops, which determines how many casualties each side takes. this is in effect, pretty lame. Those hoping for a strategic battle between pirates and the town's militia will be disappointed, as the majority of ground combat is senseless button mashing. Just keep your character stabbing constantly and you will most likely win. The sea combat is ok. It involves steering around your ship (if you have more than one, you can still only have one fighting per battle) and pressing the attack button which fires a salvo of cannons. You can also, ram a ship to board it. Again, not all that terrible, but certainly it could be better. A variety of annoying bugs may plague you occasionally such as the cannons on your ship not appearing in a battle, your ship not being armed with cannons despite the fact you have cannons in your inventory, and the gold that you have accumulated on your ship disappearing after a battle. Some of the cargo feels a bit rushed also. A total of three items for any time period (Always food, occasionally there is tobacco instead of furs, yipee! ) The lack of interesting cargo inventory makes the game seem a bit less realistic.

The Bottom Line
Hardly a great game, but certainly worth a look. They are coming out with a newer version sometime this year, so we might be seeing more pirates soon;)

The Good
I like the fact that it did not add historically inaccurate things, like large monsters, to the otherwise smooth interpretation of the daily activities of your average pirate, such as plundering, treasure hunting, swordplay, sea battles, etc. It is mind-numbingly easy to get the gist of the game, but total mastery is not easy to come by. Excellent replay value.

The Bad
The sameness of all the locations, the music can get to you after a few hours. Overall, not much to dislike. Could use some more pirate-style debauchery, though.

The Bottom Line
An excellent way to live some high-seas fantasies, if you can find it cheap enough. Mine cost me $29, but that was an online auction service.