Yarrr! Hoist the anchor, walk the plank, swab the poop deck, flibber the gibbets, and all that other piratey talk! Pirates: Duels on the High Seas for the Nintendo DS is an arcadey pirate ship naval battle simulator with fast action and simple to understand controls.

Sail around docks and seas, steering with the control pad and moving forward and backward with the L and R buttons. Fire your cannons and other weapons with the face buttons to attack Navy ships and rival pirates. Sunken ships may give up treasure, weapon power-ups, or castaways. Rescue them and the castaways will join your crew and help you navigate or repair your ship—for a price! Use the touch screen to view your map, repair your ship, and see your arsenal. Find the hidden keys on the seven seas to uncover a hidden booty fit for a pirate. Make it to the end of the stage without sinking to win.

If your real life crew has their own copy of the Pirates game and a DS, you can even compete in multiplayer ship battles. Pirates: Duels on the High Seas isn’t a groundbreaking game, but there’s really nothing wrong with it. So if you want a simple pirate adventure, you might want to seek this one out.

Kid Factor:

Even though you’re playing as a pirate, there really isn’t much violence in this game at all, aside from sinking ships and blasting the occasional sea monster. Reading skill is a must since everything is text based. There are multiple difficulty levels so players of all ages can enjoy it. Kids who love playing pretend pirates might like this one. Pirates: Duels on the High Seas is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews