"very good game" - Andy

"I tried not to repeat too much of the stuff others have said. This review will make little sense if you don't already know a lot about the game.

Avast! When someone be making a game wit pirates, ye'd best be knowin that they be trying to make up fer somethin. In this case, the Pirate Cove developers were much too hung up on keeping action elements out of this game. "Pirates without action?!" I hear ye proclaim. Aye, tis game has none action to speak of and little violence. Mostly, like it's predecessor, it is a game for people who love information and crunching numbers. If ye be one o dees, then this game'll be yer piece of eight. The devs also refrained from giving ye direct control over anything. Every thing must be done indirectly. For example, you never kill anyone, but you do order your pirates to assassinate each other. However, you never know who will die in the ensuing swordfight... As many have already said, the game should have had sea-battles. I mean, this has got to be the only pirate game without 'em. Also, the island log is usually only marginally effective in helping you to crunch numbers. For example, the screen which tells you the pirates' ranks has the pirates grouped up in groups like "ranks 1-3". How am I supposed to know who's rank 1 and who's rank 3!?! Every single attribute is done in the same mind-boggleingly crappy way. Finally, the summary of your rule when you win a sandbox game (one of the highlights of the original Tropico) is curiously absent.

Now for the good stuff: this game is one of the few games that I've played where it doesn't really matter if you win or lose. Winning or losing isn't even defined, really. I mean, the only condition for winning is ruling for so and so years, which is a piece of cake. Therefore, you win or lose on your own terms. This, of course, does not apply for the pathetic campaign and scenarios, which are beneath my notice. Another nice touch is that <gasp> the piratey-stash now actually does something! That's right, there is now a reason to stash money in your bank account. The effect is that, once you get a certain amount of gold, your palace upgrades, creating a more powerful positive aura to come form it. The first level palace is suitably squalid while the fourth level one is... well, not breathtaking, but certainly a mark of achievement.

Bottom line: Buy it if you are not afraid of spending most of the time leafing through a pamphlet. Also, be warned that there is absolutely no action." - Capn_Poco