Sid Meier's Pirates!

WHAT'S THE STORY? Xbox version of the 17th Century piracy yarn, sending your mischievous scally on a high-seas voyage of treasure, women, swordfights, and regurgitated salt beef suppers.

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Non-linear action/strategy/RPG with an odd lack of parrots.

PLAYS LIKE: More a case of what it doesn't play like. To that we say Brian Lara's Cricket and Sam Fox's Strip Poker.

FOR: Pirates. Plunderers. Plankwalkers. Parrots. People who can read compasses.

FREEBIES: Win yourself one of five Xbox games we have to give away. Just email your details to webmaster.maxim@dennis.co.uk and we'll enter you into the draw. Closing date: 29th July 2005

SCREENS: Click on the right-hand image to sail the seas.