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Computer Gaming World – December 1992
Computer Gaming World, Issue Number 101, December 1992
Source: Computer Gaming World – Issue Number 101 – December 1992
Computer Gaming World was the best computer games magazine there was, at least for PC games though it covered other computers as well. In the early 1990s it was just hitting its stride. The December 1992 issue includes:
Features
- The Buzz over Buzz – Interplay’s Race for Space Rockets Forward
- The Holiday Helper for Software Shoppers – The Annual CGW Holiday Buying Guide
- A Matter of Course (Design) – Part II in a Series on Course Design for Jack Nicklaus Signature Edition
- EA’s John Madden II vs. Konami’s NFL – Jason Brooks Referees a Gridiron Showdown
- “Hello Poetry Lovers…” – A Fireside Reading of CGW’s Readers-Turned-Poets
- Moving Heaven & Earth – Proving That Disney Really Owns the Rights to Everything
- The Politics of SPA – Washington D.C. Serves as the Site of Sights
- All That Glitters is Not Boxed – Chuck Miller Launches a New Shareware Column
- Cruise for a Corpse has the Cast Adrift – U.S. Gold Spotlights a Dead Man’s Float
- Setting Tables in the Darklands – Survival Guide Information for Calculating Adventures
- Gaming the Night Fantastic on The Sierra Network – The Live, Real Time, On-Line Gaming Network Expands its Frontiers
- Seeing Mantis Means It’s Time to Prey – MicroPlay’s Space Combat Game: Threat or Mantis?
- Kicking ‘Bots and Taking Frames – Maxis’ Robosport Meets a Well Oiled Reviewer in Jimbo Cooper
- The Worm Turns in Dune II – Virgin’s Latest Resembles SimCity Wargaming in a Sandbox
- Getting Off on Floor 13 May Prove Unlucky – A cloaked Charles Ardai Levels His Dagger at Virgin’s Latest
Computer Wargaming World
- A Fleet Inspection of SSG’s Carriers at War
- Getting Down to the Politics – Three-Sixty’s Operation Skymaster
- Evan Brooks Draws A Line in the Sand
- Flight Simulator Hardware Update
- New World for Empire Deluxe – A Sneak Preview of the Hall of Fame Classic Revisited
- More Hordes for Warlords – And Strategies for Dealing with Them
- A Look at Forging Cyber Empires – SSI’s Strategic Level Sci-Fi Action Game Has the Right Elements
- Joining Team Yankee – Readysoft Gets Up Close and Personal, Even on Pacific Islands
- Giving Static to an Air Force Commander – Impressions Scrambles Its Birds in the Middle East
- Now Harpoon is Really Whaling! – A Reconnaissance of Updated Versions and New Releases for Harpoon
Departments
- Scorpion’s View (Darklands) with Counterpoint
- Over There (European Software Report)
- The Rumor Bag (Gossipius Maximus)
- Inside the Industry
- Scorpion’s Mail
- Letters from Paradise
- From the Cockpit (Flights of Fancy)
- Computer Wargaming World Editorial
- Opponents Wanted
- Company Profile: Sir Tech Software
- Taking a Peek
- CGW Poll: Top 100 Games
- What’s Hot!
- CGW Hall of Fame
- Editorial – A CGW Glossary
…and more!
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Sid Meier’s Pirates!
‘Sid Meier’s Pirates!’
[VARIOUS] [USA] [MAGAZINE] [1987]
- Compute! Gazette, June 1987 (#48)
Sid Meier’s Pirates! was released by MicroProse in 1987 for the Commodore 64. Before this game, MicroProse and Sid Meier were best known for their combat simulation games. Pirates! is a simulation too, but not of the typical kind. It simulates the life of a pirate.
Pirates! is an open world game. You can roam from the coast of South America to the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, and all the way to Bermuda. You can be a privateer for the Spanish Empire, Dutch Republic, the Kingdom of England. or the French colonial empire. Or you can just be a pirate. You aren’t stuck with a particular loyalty throughout the game. There are a variety of things you can do from attacking enemy ships, to hunting pirates, to seeking buried treasure and more. You can even choose a peaceful route and simply engage in trade. There’s no way to “win” the game per say. It continues indefinitely but as your character ages, it gets harder to recruit and fight. The game ends when you choose to retire.
Pirates! was truly a groundbreaking game. It was unique for its time and hugely influential for many games that came after. Games like Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, Sword of the Samurai and countless others would never have been made if not for the success of Pirates! Reviews were glowing and this was about as successful as a game could be at the time.
Success on the Commodore 64 led to countless other ports. First to the Apple II in 1987, a little later to the IBM PC also in 1987, then to the Apple IIgs, Macintosh, and Amstrad CPC in 1988. The Atari ST version came along in 1989 followed by the Amiga version in 1990. Even the NES received a port in 1991. Then came the enhanced Pirates! Gold remake for Windows 3.1, DOS, Macintosh and the Sega Genesis in 1993 and even the Amiga CD32 in 1994. Another remake came along in 2004 for Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, Wii and the PlayStation Portable. And it still hasn’t ended. A portable version was released in 2008, for the BlackBerry in 2010, the iPad in 2011, and versions for the iPhone and iPod touch in 2012.
The easiest way to play Pirates! today is probably to get it on gog.com (or Steam if you prefer). However, I believe this is the newer 2004 release. There’s nothing wrong with it and it does have better graphics but I definitely recommend that Commodore 64 fans check out that version if they have never played it. Otherwise, pick the version for your favorite system because they are all pretty great.
Images above are from the Commodore 64 version of the game.
