PIRATES! - Ahoy me mateys...

Sid Meier's Pirates! is a bloody brilliant game, and this is coming from a guy who has never, and I mean NEVER enjoyed a strategy game in over 15 years of avid gaming. Popular strategy games have come and gone: Sim-City, Civilization, Warcraft, C&C etc... I tried (or watched others play) them all and nothing ever clicked. For me, gaming has always been about visceral thrills - I want to feel like I am in the shoes of the protagonist, so as a result I've always been more inclined to play First-Person-Shooters and adventure games. The thing that always turned me off about strategy games was the whole "looking down upon the world at all the little iddy-biddy people doing stuff", it always looked like resource management and seemed about as thrilling as filling out a tax return.

"I'll skewer you like a shish-kebab."

All this to say, prior to Pirates! I was not a strategy fan, and while Pirates! may not be a strategy game in the truest sense (it is more like a series of mini-games strung together in a strategy facade), it is basically the first of its kind that I've ever enjoyed and as such my opinion of it may be quite different to that of an experienced strategy buff.

My affection for Pirates was formed by Monkey Island (a classic Amiga adventure game) and in a way Pirates! is the ultimate companion piece to the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood - hell, the main character looks almost identical! So for those missing the charm of Monkey Island, I belive you will find Pirates! a comforting substitute.

"How appropriate, you fight like a cow."

For the uninformed, the game consists of: Naming your Pirate. Choosing his skills (fencing or navigation for example) and his nationality (French, Spanish, Dutch or English) and setting out under the basic premise of finding your lost relatives. However it is totally open ended and up to you how you want to "live the life" of a Pirate. You could focus on treasure hunting, pirate hunting, trading, raiding towns, romance, discovering lost cities or finding your relatives, most likely, you will do a little of each. The point is it's up to you and it's all damn fun!

The big thing that makes me more interested in this than I ever was in older strategy games is that games look really pretty now, and Pirates! looks particularly gorgeous. The level of detail is commendable and everything has a very clean and assured look. This is a game made by people who knew exactly what they were aiming for and achieved it.

After eight bottles of rum the Captain forgot that his ship was absolutely tiny.

Gameplay wise this couldn't be more approachable. Pirates! really is a "pick up and play" game. Considering I have never spent more than an hour playing a strategy game, I was surprised to find myself comfortable within 30 mins of playing. You can practically play without ever lifting your fingers off the numeric keypad, it's that easy!

So if you've always been intimidated by the complexity of strategy games or simply thought they seem dull, give Pirates! a go. It's well worth it. Especially older gamers like myself who miss the company of Guybrush and LeChuck... you will not be disappointed. However, even the experienced strategy gamer couldn't deny the quality and charm of Pirates!

Warning: You will lose sleep.