He may be best known as the creator of the Civilization franchise, but Sid Meier is also the man behind the best pirate-related computer game ever released and it’s now available on the iPad.
The beauty of Pirates! has always been that you get to decide what the game is about.
You can choose to search for your family, brutally kidnapped by the evil Marquis de la Montalban (boo!), fight infamous pirates such as Henry Morgan or hunt for buried treasure.
Whichever route you pick, the game offers enough thrills and adventure to keep you occupied for hours and, like all the best titles, no two games are quite the same.
Much as we love them, franchises have the unfortunate side-effect of making reviewers feel old!
If like me you can recall playing the original 1987 version, it’s difficult not to marvel at the ability to play this gorgeous looking incarnation on something as thin, portable and powerful as the iPad.
The visuals and audio are largely similar to the console version but – as you’d expect – the controls have been completely overhauled to take account of the iPad’s large touch-sensitive screen
As fanboi-ish as it’ll make me sound, touch is the ideal way to control your ship, interact with other characters and wield your cutlass.
Pirates! has always been a fun, exciting and immersive game but the iPad edition is probably the best version yet.
A life on the high seas of the Caribbean can be yours for just £2.49, just set sail for Captain Steve’s App Store.
