The starting point of Sid Meier's Pirates! is the seizure of wealth and subsequent imprisonment of a family. Your family. After escaping this nefarious scene you join the naval service of one of four European powers, the Spanish, the English, the French, or the Dutch. But you're not out of the woods yet (I realise this is a poor analogy). The captain of your vessel turns out to be a real tyrant, and in response to his general mistreatment of the crew, you lead a successful mutiny against him. Now, as the owner of a modest ship, you stand on the helm, shoulders squared, awaiting adventure and fortune. Click here to read more.

I lied. Sorry. That isn't really the starting point. First you must get a PC, then install Pirates! and run it. Then you must choose a befitting name, a difficulty level (the first two are easy, but things heat up at adventurer level) and a time period for your adventures, between the years 1600 and 1680.

Sid Meier's Pirates a remake of the classic DOS game of the same title; it is an open ended, arcade-style pirate simulator in which you sail the high seas as a privateer for one or more European faction, searching for all the things which pirates covet: gold, bigger ships, lost family members, trade opportunities, and the affection of governor's daughters! Arrrgg!

A smaller, but more powerful Brig takes on a lumbering Royal Galleon.

Pirates! is best described as a collection of inter-related mini-games, which rarely lasts more than two minutes; these mini-games include naval combat, fencing, capturing towns, and just for a change of pace, dancing. Naval combat involves exchanging broadsides with one or more opponents until they have been sunk, or sufficiently worn down for boarding. Ship to ship battles are well executed and fun. It is necessary to make use of the wind to maximise your manoeuvrability and thus minimise received damage. There are a good many vessels in Pirates!, somewhere in excess of twenty. Different ships have varying degrees of manoeuvrability, fire-power, and durability. To add diversity there are a number of upgrades available for each ship, which can be purchased from shipwrights. There are also special crew members which enhance your ship's efficiency, such as gunners or quartermasters. It's a shame that you cannot buy ships in Pirates! If you want a better vessel you have to capture it.

The fencing and dancing mini-games are largely similar; both require a series of timed key-responses, although the former is much more open ended. Fencing is mostly initiated when you board an enemy ship, but may also occur in the local tavern, or when pursuing a love interest. The objective is simple: score a number of hits on your opponent. There are three attacks and three corresponding blocks. In the first two levels of difficulty it is possible to win by continually using the thrust attack, which is the fastest. This lazy man's exploit left me pretty unprepared for the higher difficulty levels, but it doesn't take long to get used to blocking and countering attacks. Dancing is used to impress the governor's daughter who, if sufficiently wooed, will give you a choice of useful items. Dancing also happens to be the most boring mini-game, probably because of the rigid nature of the whole affair and a distinct lack of carnage. Your skills at dancing and fencing can be augmented by purchasing items such as balanced swords, or calfskin boots, allowing for a greater margin of error.

Nobody ever said anything about fighting ghosts!

The final mini-game is turn based land combat, which generally occurs later on in a fame. In this mini-game you lead a bunch of scurvy pirates to battle, the object being to capture an enemy settlement. Land combat is largely reminiscent of a restricted version of the battles in Civilization; different units have different attacks and statistics. In land combat terrain is an important factor, as it modifies a unit's defensive and offensive capabilities.

Ports, which are dotted along the reasonably expansive map, act as the hubs of your activity. They allow for the recruitment of men, the repair or improvement of vessels, trading, and the gathering of information. Ports come in different varieties, some are rich and heavily defended while others are poor and largely uninhabited. Most ports are owned by one of the European powers, but pirates, Indians, and Jesuits also have bases of operations.

The artistic integrity of hip-hop is becoming widely recognised throughout the Carribean.

Your crew will eventually get annoyed at being stuck on a boat and it will become necessary to divide the plunder between your tavern pining pirates. As captain, you get the lion's share of the wealth and, in most cases, are allowed to retain your ship for the next voyage. Your character ages as time goes by, becoming gradually less efficient, until it is best to retire. You can retire after any vogaye and are given a score for the adventures of your reckless youthful days. It is possible to do so in a different time period; the addition of different periods do not drastically alter the game but the option to play in alternate eras is a nice feature which adds to the game's longevity.

Pirates! is pretty basic in terms of graphics, tending towards a cartoon style rather than a realistic one. However, for many games the visual quality is of secondary importance, and Pirates! happens to be of these games. Pirates! is not an eyesore, but the aim wasn't to provide spectacular eye candy; rather, Sid Meier made a game which was, and still is fun to play. Pirates! lives or dies by the blade of game-play. The sound effects are similarly attired, basic but functional. A barrage of cannon-fire, a deflected sword blow, and the triumphant howls of victory are all present, but without any great deal of gusto. The music ranges from the vaguely tense music of naval combat, to absurdly jovial pirate ditties, such as 'What to do with a drunken sailor'. The note struck is an odd one, but it certainly lends to the feel of the game.

Promotions: never a better time for a cheesy grin...

Pirates! doesn't take itself too seriously. The tone of the game is moored somewhere between the daftness of Pirates of the Caribbean and the utter frivolity of Muppet's Treasure Island. This tone is especially manifest in the cut-scenes: knocking an enemy captain onto a fire and watching him jump overboard, or fighting with a captain of the guard only to have him knocked out by a bottle wielding barmaid injects a little fun into the game.

To conclude, Pirates! is an interesting and open ended game which is fun to play and reasonably complex. Some will find it monotonous and fiddly, but most people should get reasonable enjoyment from the variety of game-play which it presents.