The other problem with the game, aside from some bugs already squashed and fixed with the current patches in place (grab those immediately) is the difficulty. Even with the newly added difficulty settings the game is unforgiving at first. Why did I run into a seven warship Spanish Armada within the first five voyages as a new pirate? I was in a Bark for goodness sake, a single Bark. I was easy pickings.

If you can manage some of the tedium and the learning curve you'll find a lot of booty on this voyage. It lacks the elegance, addictiveness and fun-factor of Sid's piratical opus but it's still a sea-worthy RPG. It's just plain nice to get away from orcs and dragons for a while and role-play in a different and endlessly replayable world.

Andrew Bub
Contributing Editor & Beatdown Scribe