Pirates of the Caribbean

There's a gorgeous-looking but not-entirely-helpful RPG adventure here, buried under a mass of presentation and control issues. Think of it as treasure under sand, bones and seaweed -- it's all a matter of how much digging you're prepared to put up with.

There is a lot of variety and freedom here, and at its best this is the most physically attractive virtual pirate adventure ever released. It all boils down to this: if you want a fast-paced action title, do not go near this release; but if, on the other hand, you want a slower-paced role-playing experience with lots of different types of things to do, then by all means give it a shot.

Once you're past the technical hurdles (and the brutal realization of just how easy it is to die in a swordfight or sea battle), Pirates of the Caribbean is an absolutely beautiful looking, freeform RPG adventure. But it is really suited for experienced, patient gamers rather than casual ones.

For pirate lovers and diehard roleplaying fans only - a pass for everyone else. [Oct 2003, p.118]

For all the attempts to make the world lively, the world map has shown what a dreadfully static place the archipelago is. AI ships float around randomly, making no attempt to even look like they’re even trying to run trade routes.

Instead of the marketing-driven production you might expect, Pirates of the Caribbean is a deep and interesting role-playing experience. [Sept 2003, p.81]

A good, just not great game. If you want more diversity and ability to choose the length of your evil doings, you may want to give Port Royale a spin instead.

The lackluster sword fighting, terrible interface, and nasty bugs detract from the experience a great deal. Excellent naval combat isn't enough to make up for these issues.

With a clunky interface, poor control, and frustrations aplenty, it should be sent to Davy Jones' locker.

A sad mess that not only has virtually nothing to do with the movie or the ride, but is a pretty poor game in its own right.

The game's real mistakes were made at the design level, and that's a pity, because it contained the potential to be a much better experience than it ended up being.

And then there are all the crash bugs, and the easily broken quests, and Pirates of the Caribbean just isn’t a lot of fun to play.