Sid Meier's Pirates (Xbox)

The merits in this game, as some of the other reviewers have mentioned, are its simplicity and its variety. The gameplay is very straightforward and quite easy at lower levels although you can increase the difficulty as you go along, making ship battles harder to win and duel's more dangerous. The ship controls took a little while to get the hang of, but once you've got it sorted you can hapily sail around the highly detailed Carribean, sink mechant ships, wage war for your nation, or take on all comers (including historical pirates) to be crowned the greatest pirate on the sea!

There are so many elements to this game (duelling, sailing, sieges, dances, trading) that it's hard to get bored. There is a central story revolving around your lost family but the open-ended gameplay means you can do your own thing quite happily. If you do go for the story, though, it is challenging and does require you dedicate your time to it - when i tried first time I kept getting distracted by various wars and as a result was too old to complete my quest.

Although simple, there is an incredible attention to detail that you would expect from Sid Meier - as the central character gets older, for example, your crew gets harder to keep under control as they start looking for youthful captains and your reactions are slower in duels.

There are various concept scetches and the like you can unlock through completing quests in the game, which is a nice addition.

Overall, a great little game. Lots of fun that will keep you occupied for an hour or two at a time, and with such diversity you can keep on coming back to it, trying different things each time. By the way, the game doesn't take itself too seriously - if you're looking for a serious role play game, this is not it!

What makes this such a good game is the sheer variety involved. You play the captain of a band of pirates and you start out with your little ship which you can upgrade and trade in for bigger vessels. There is a storyline you can work through by completing various quests and the gameplay revolves around several different events.

Chase down other ships and engage them in battle. Battles can be won by destroying the enemy ship, killing all it's crew or defeating the captain in single combat. The more crew you kill, the easier these single combats are. On defeating a ship, you can plunder and sink it or add it to your fleet, building up your own armada.

Of course, at some point, you're forced to return to port and divide up your ill-gotten gains, at which point you are reduced back down to just your flagship. In port, you can also stock up on supplies and recruit more crewmen. You can even visit the ports governor and try to impress his daughter with your dancing skills.

With four nations represented(England, France, Spain and Holland), the continual plundering of a single nations ships will see a bounty placed on your head and if you need to dock in one of those enemy nations ports you will face a hostile reception. At this point, you can choose to attack the port from the sea, engage in a land battle or sneak into town.

While none of these individual game types is particularly in depth, it is the variety that makes this game. With reasonable sound, lush graphics and some comedic interludes, this is one you can pick up time and time again and still enjoy.