Pirates (Atari, PC)

By PETER ELEY

Take a look at the credit list of a major computer game. Chances are it will be almost as long as that for a Hollywood blockbuster, and that it will have cost in the tens of millions to make, too.

So making something that doesn't fit into a tried and tested genre is a major risk and that explains why so many games seem variations on a theme.

That wasn't so 15 or 20 years ago when games were much cheaper to make and failure wasn't so costly.

The original Pirates hit the shelves back then, breaking the mould of the futuristic/fantasy titles so prevalent at that time.

It cast you as swashbuckling privateer (a sort of respectable pirate) captain whose mission was to plunder the Caribbean.

While it wasn't particularly realistic, Pirates earned a place in history by selling a million copies, notching up a string of Best Game awards and establishing its creator, Sid Meier, as a gaming guru.

Strangely, it has taken 17 years for a followup, and there haven't been that many other games based around pirates since.

This time, Pirates has a much bigger budget and graphics that take advantage of today's powerful technology, although the minimum requirements of a 1Ghz processor and 32mb video card aren't too demanding.

But essentially, it will be the same gaming model, pitting the four major naval powers of that period — Spain, England, Holland and France — against each other in the romantic but dangerous setting of the Caribbean.

As in the original game, you play a privateer whose job is to plunder, pillage and trade your nation up to supremacy among the gold, slaves and rum-sodden pirates of this exotic part of the world.

Okay, there's not a lot too new here, but the 3D graphics, setting, sheer scale and the ability to fight large battles or duel one-on-one against other pirates give it a point of difference.

Meier's games are of course noted for their depth and immersive qualities — look at Civilisation, Gettysburg and Alpha Centauri.

Pirates is expected to be released towards the end of this year.

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