Aaarrrr! Sit ye down, matey, and grab a
pint o rum, and I’ll be telling ya a grand tale of revenge and fortune on the
high seas.

It began with a family in the Caribbean,
about to get free of debt, but it was not to be. The evil city official scuttled
their hopes, seized their property and threw the lot into prison. All save for a
young man, who escaped their foul clutches and ran off into the night, vowing
vengeance on the men that done this to his family.

Sid Meier’s Pirates!, a PC release from Atari
and Firaxis Games, is an adventure that begins in the 1600s. It combines a
variety of gameplay styles into a somewhat immersive and entertaining experience
that does not tax gamers in terms of a learning curve, and is somewhat fast
paced.

In honesty, the initial thoughts about this
game were not wonderful. The introduction, while nicely done, was a tad cliché,
and as the game started up, the lack of voice-overs from the characters was less
than enthusiastically received. Oh, they do talk, but in gibberish that bears
the pretense of dialect and importance. It did not lend itself to pulling the
gamer into the heart of the action.

But once the ship set sail, the game began to
work its magic.

The control elements are very simple and are
centered on the number pad. This is where every movement element begins and it
is quite easy to use. Take, by way of example, the ship controls. The 8 and 2
numbers regulate how much sail you are using, 4 and 6 turn the ship, 5 puts you
into attack mode and 7, 1 and 3 determines what type of shot your cannons will
fire.

If you board a ship, and have to duel the
captain of the opposing vessel, again the number pad will allow you to slash,
chop, duck, jump and parry, among other movement. In port, you meet the daughter
of a governor who invites you to dance. The number pad controls your movement on
the dance floor, and executing these movements will allow you to graceful woe
the young lady. Yes, romance is involved, as well as reputation. The more
accomplished you become, the more fame you have, and the more opportunities open
up to you – whether it is barmaids sharing secret sailing information, or
mysterious strangers in the taverns offering up pieces of treasure maps.

Overriding this all is the search for revenge
against the evil Marquis De La Montalban. That entails finding both him and his
minions, as well as locating family members. In the meantime, there is the
ongoing war between the French, English, Spanish and Dutch, and you can play one
off against the other if you are clever enough.

The game allows you to customize your pirate
to some extent. You can choose skill in fencing, navigation, gunnery, medicine
or wit and charm. There are five difficulty levels and several starting dates,
each embracing a 20-year time period during the 1600s, beginning with 1600 –
Merchants and Smugglers. From real-time sea battles (complete with cannon balls
smashing into the decks, sending cargo – and occasionally men – flying
overboard, to turn-based land assaults on cities, this is truly a game that
touches on a lot of genres, but while the touch may be light, it is pulled off
well.

The game also touches on commerce. As you
attack and overwhelm sea-going vessels in the Caribbean, you will take their
cargo. Some ports are low on certain commodities and it pays to know which
community wants certain items to get the highest amount for your ill-gotten
gain. You will also take over ships that you defeat and can either scuttle them,
add them to your fleet or sell them to the shipwrights in ports. Upgrading your
ships is also easily done, if you have the coin.

Graphically this game is very nicely rendered.
There are a fair amount of repetitive cutscenes and settings (the duals on the
ship being one), but the game is very lush and the animation is wonderful. The
sound – apart from the gibberish spoken by the characters – is also well done.

Sid Meier’s Pirates! has some minor stumbling
points, but overall is a rich and enjoyable gaming experience. The game bridges
many genres and though it gives them the “lite” touch, it all combines into a
wonderful romp on the high seas. If you are looking for adventure, this is a
game that deserves your attention.

Gameplay: 8.9

This game has a very nice ebb and flow, and
though some of the controls could have been better placed, overall, the gameplay
is excellent.

Graphics: 9.0
The little things really make a difference here – casks and men flying overboard
when a cannon shot hits, or dolphins chasing your ship through the water. The
effects are nice and the details are very well done.

Sound: 8.4
The NPCs in the game talk gibberish, albeit some gibberish with an accent, but
it is still nonsense. The game would have been much more effective with actually
languages spoken.

Difficulty: Medium
The game begins simply enough but as you progress, and your fame grows, as well
as factional standing, the game starts to get a bit harder. The five difficulty
settings will also increase the challenge markedly.

Concept: 8.8
This is a game that takes several game concepts and styles and blends them in a
nicely designed package.

Overall: 8.9

There are some drawbacks to portions of the
sound and the swordplay segments can be a little redundant, but this game does
have diversity and entertaining elements that draw one past the minor stumbles.
The game is not a in-depth sailing combat sim, nor is it hard-core twitch-based
swashbuckling, but it is a very nice blend of role-playing, strategy combat and
commerce pirate-style.