Pirates!

Game review

Probably Sid Meier's best-known game until the arrival of the first Railroad Tycoon was this simulation of the pirate business, which subsequently started the entire subgenre of modern seafaring. The player, as the captain of a ship of one of the Caribbean powers, is here chasing the eternal human dream - to spend his life looking for the most beautiful wife, amassing the greatest fortune and gaining the greatest possible power, so that he can enjoy all this properly in his old age. Because of this vision, he risks his life and that of his crew in sea battles, coastal raids, sword duels or just generally trying to make a living on the sea with the largest concentration of pirates in the world.

Pirates! - another Sid Meier legendary classic game. Pirates works through a series of action and strategy screens. At the beginning of the game, you select a level at which you want to play (apprentice through to swashbuckler) and an historical period. The display initially shows your ship bobbing around on the blue Carribean, wafted by the winds and guided by yourself. You can either put in to port, or cruise the shipping lanes waiting to encounter a suitable prey. When out on the high seas, you have to decide whether or not to attack the ships you meet (this will depend largely on the state of your crew, the number of cannon you have and whether you have room in your hold for booty. Doing battles involves circling around the other ship and trying to get a good shot in. Almost invariably you have to ram your victim and board ship. Victory or defeat is a function of the relative size and morale of the two crews.