Parents' Guide to Sid Meier's Pirates! (PC)

Game Windows 2004
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Common Sense Media Review

By Jeremy Gieske , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

A great adventure for families to explore.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 6+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 8+

Based on 3 kid reviews

What's It About?

SID MEIER'S PIRATES! brims with adventure, action, and good-natured fun. This remake of the original game released in 1987 lets players traverse the Caribbean plundering enemy ships, rescuing governor's daughters and doing all things piratey.

The game offers an open-ended plot with lots of choices. Players start by attempting to rescue the pirate's family from an evil duke. However, players quickly realize there are many other things to do: For starters, there is buried treasure to be found, rival pirates to defeat, and even governor's daughters to be romanced. All of this leads to a game that has a lot of replay value.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say ( 3 ):

The game is deceptively easy, but it quickly becomes more challenging as play progresses. At the higher levels, the crews become mutinous more quickly, enemies are better swordsmen ,and the gold doesn't flow as freely as it once did. As time passes the player's character ages, making it more and more difficult to live the hardy life of a pirate.

All in all, this is a nearly flawless example of good family-friendly entertainment. You'll want to add this title -- or it's XBox counterpart -- to your booty of great games.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the real pirates that the game describes. Also, parents may want to ask: Why are we so intrigued by pirates? Think of other books or movies that feature them; why do you think they glamorized -- or at least made to look fun-loving? Do you think this is the truth?

Game Details

  • Platform : Windows
  • Pricing structure :
  • Available online? : Not available online
  • Publisher : Atari
  • Release date : November 22, 2004
  • Genre : Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating : E for Alcohol References, Suggestive Themes, Violence
  • Last updated : June 19, 2019

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