Look, PIRATES is one of the landmark developments in the game industry. It, and the other games Sid made with Microprose in the 1980s (Pirates, Covert Action, Civilization, et al) effectively set the bar for the large-scale simulation game concept that still exists today. And this updating of PIRATES just adds to the legacy. Without bloody violence and with brains more than reflexes this is a game that demands the best of its players without causing them to sink into the mud that so many action games become.