Sid Meier's Pirates!

The Amiga version of Pirates! is definitely the ultimate one. Wonderful graphics and brilliantly sampled classical tunes await those who dare to enter this fascinating world.

And it’s after you retire that you see the biggest difference (the thing I missed the most). Upon retiring you get to see yourself reaching an appropriate social status (depending on how well you did in the game). Sid Meier also included this feature in the original Railroad Tycoon, but later on he replaced it with simple giving you the statistics. I know it doesn’t sound like much (and there aren’t that many differences), but still, this is the original Pirates!, so I believe it deserves a place on the site and in your personal classic game collection (it doesn’t get much more classic then this).

If Pirates! II is one tenth as good as the original, I'll be glued to it for months. I'd give Pirates! an eleven out of ten, but they won't let me, so it gets a ten out of ten. If you get a chance to play it, don't pass it up. It was released on several platforms including the NES, and was later released as Pirates! Gold for the PC and the Sega Genesis. Any version is great, but I'll always be partial to the C64 version.

In terms of realism, historical accuracy, gameplay and fun, Pirates has it all. it is a hundred times better than the other so-called 'swashbuckling simulations' I've seen and if anyone else was planning to cash in on the current passion for pirates the'd have to go a long way to beat this.

Fast drei Jahre durften die Amiga-Besitzer auf "Pirates" warten; aber das Warten hat sich gelohnt. Der Piraten-Klassiker ist mit völlig neuen, exquisiten Grafiken und stimmungsvoller Musik ausgestattet.

Put a stuffed parrot on your shoulder, slap on an eye patch. Get ready for realism on the seas as you've never experienced it before. Pirates is so realistic you may even be seasick.

Das alles ist nur ein kleiner Ausschnitt dessen, was Pirates! so zu bieten hat – jedes Spiel verläuft etwas anders, für Überraschungen ist stets gesorgt. Den vollen Durchblick über alle Möglichkeiten und Zusammenhänge des komplexen Strategie-Adventures bietet die Lektüre des umfangreichen und stimmungsvoll geschriebenen englischen Handbuchs. Apropos Stimmung: Pirates! hat so viel davon, daß es eine wahre Pracht ist! Dafür sorgen neben dem excellenten Spielprinzip die starken Grafiken und der tolle Sound. Es wird nicht lange dauern, bis dieses Game sämtliche Amiga-Charts geentert hat – schon deshalb, weil “unsere” Version die mit weitem Abstand beste ist!

Allein die Idee zu diesem Programm ist schon eine Klasse für sich und die Ausführung übertrifft noch alle Erwartungen. Pirates bietet eigentlich für jeden etwas: Es ist Action-, Taktik-, Abenteuer-, Handels- und Strategie-Spiel in Einem. Das Programm ist auch erfreulich einfach zu bedienen.

Although Pirates! runs the risk of becoming repetitive, the few hours of play I experienced on the Spanish Main were very enjoyable. All graphics are excellent, sound is good and gameplay exciting. The many options available both before and during play provide a vast (or should that be avast) arena in which to experience the life of a hero with at least three ears (explanations next month, if required) and his buckles swashed to perfection.

Ahoy, me'hardies! Ultra Games and the programmers at Rare Ltd. have brought the PC classic from Micropose to the NES for all you would-be swashbucklers and privateers.

MicroProse have a nerve to bill this as a simulation but it is still lots of fun to play. After a while it becomes a bit repetitive but it certainly appeals to the greedy nature in most of us as it is hard to resist going out and plundering a bit more to make some extra money. If the gameplay had been deeper and more complex, it could have been better.

The game does have its moments and is enjoyable enough for the occasional voyage. The packaging is excellent, too, with a nicely produced map of the Caribbean and a booklet filling you in on the historical background. But it is not the kind of game that will either make you jump around in excitement or grip you by its deep and complex gameplay.

Patient gamers will relish the layers of strategy, which include opportunities to spread your influence, betray treaties, marry a wench, and discover lost treasure. Less patient gamers like myself however, are likely to lose interest over time due to the sluggish sea battles and repetitive nature of it all. The cartridge allows you to save your place, and wouldn't you know, my used copy still contains a bunch of old saves! Wow, those old batteries must be pretty powerful. Subsequent editions of Pirates incorporated additional features and eye candy, but its basic gameplay has always remained the same. Strategy-minded gamers will do well to track down this golden oldie, but casual players will only find it mildly amusing.