Pirates! Gold Plus

This version of the game is simply awful. Its laggy, the controls don't work properly, I can't save it, I don't get any options to when in port, and every time I enter the bank to pay my crew, the game ends. Don't waste your time or money!

I loved this game back in the old days and thought it would be fun to play again. Unfortunately it does not run well on my computer, it freezes and is hard to control.

I have spent the last two days trying to figure out how to play this game, and I've come to the conclusion that this port is terrible. I thought it was because it was old, but nope, it's just a really bad version. Controls are slow and frustrating, which makes combat intolerable, which makes any hope of actually doing well at the game hopeless. I just got the version on an NES emulator and it is superior in every way, and I can play in on a controller :) As much as I want to support Sid Meiers, I warn you, don't get this version of the game.

I have a heap of nostalgia for this title, and when it first released I sunk hours into it. Unfortunately, I find myself unable to enjoy the title now due to some apparent control issues (DOSBox related?) Ship combat is incredibly broken to the point of almost unresponsiveness, and that ruins a significant portion of what made this game so great. Everything else seems to function as it should, so I'm very frustrated that such a fundamental element is so broken.

I will treat both games as one for this review. They are basically the same apart from graphical updates and a couple of GUI changes. So, you wanna be a pirate! Well, this game remains your best bet (together with the later released second remake which however has more changes for better or worse). There is a backstory where you have to find and free the captive members of your family, but it is neither a prerequisite or at any point anything more than what it is, a back story. In the game you end up with a small ship, a small crew, and lots of ambition. It's up to you if you are going to work for one (or more) of the major colonial powers, mainly as a privateer, or focus on a more secluded career. You can trade goods and guns in towns, or raid them for them. You can attack enemy ships, or hail them for news. You can search for lost treasures with your land party, or visit towns on foot. You are free to do as you wish. The parts of the games are, the sailing in the main map, which is done in real time, the fighting on land with your pirates against town guards(if you attack the town on foot) etc, which is in turn based mode. The fighting between ships, which is very similar to the main map sailing only in a "zoomed up" area and again in real time. There are sword fights in real time, where you fight a major opponent, be it a captain, town guard, etc. The controls are super effective, still perfect after 25 years. The gameplay is top notch and even the now primitive graphics of the first game, remain in a strange way, realistic enough. For me the Pirates! series (and of course mainly the very first game) is among the classics of the video gaming world. Right next to Pac Man, Tetris, etc. If you are a gamer, you owe it to yourself to get this bundle. Stop reading these reviews, buy the game and play the game!