Pirates! Gold

{{Infobox VG

|title = Pirates! Gold

|image = Pirates! Gold cover.jpg

|caption = North American home computer cover art

|developer = MPS Labs

|publisher = MicroProse

|designer = Paul Murphy

|programmer = Randall Don Masteller

|artist = Michael Haire

|composer = Jeffery L. Briggs
Roland J. Rizzo

|engine =

|released = 1993 (DOS/Genesis)
1994 (Mac/3.x/CD32)

|genre = Action-adventure, strategy

|modes = Single-player

|platforms = DOS, Sega Genesis, Mac OS, Windows 3.x, Amiga CD32

}}

Pirates! Gold is a 1993 computer game, a remake to Sid Meier's 1987 release, Sid Meier's Pirates!{{cite web | url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/327380/ | title=Sid Meier's Pirates! Gold Plus (Classic) | publisher=Valve | access-date=3 May 2015}}

Development

MicroProse developed this 256-color version for MS-DOS, Macintosh, Sega Genesis, Amiga CD32 and Windows 3.x featuring a MIDI score and mouse support (in MS-DOS and Windows versions).

Gameplay

Pirates! Gold features Super VGA graphics including hand-painted screens, and a more-detailed playing environment than the original. The update also includes 3-D modeled ship and flag animations, and graphic depictions of items that were menu choices in the original game.

The player can play as a pirate, privateer, or a pirate hunter. It features sword fighting, ocean-faring battles, and land battles as its three main arenas of action, connected by role-playing which allows the player to court the favor of local politicos, romance women, and recruit pirates in the local pub. Players have the opportunity to go on quests, but must also strategically plan raiding excursions and trading routes.

The PC versions contain a copy protection scheme requiring the player to identify the flag of a pirate ship sighted on the horizon (similar to the 1987 Commodore 64 port). Sea and sea-to-land combat are played in real-time while land battles are done in turn-based strategy. Sun sighting is not present in this version, and there are no special items. The game does, however, include several new features.

Reception

Paul C. Schuytema for Compute! was positive to the game and called it "addicting".{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/1993-12-compute-magazine/page/n165/mode/2up|title=Compute! Magazine Issue 159|date=December 19, 1993|via=Internet Archive}}

In 1993, Computer Gaming World described Pirates! Gold as adding "three disks of graphical gold" to "a great game engine". The magazine stated that the game "has much to offer a new player and comes with the highest of recommendations", but warned those familiar with the original that it was "not a significantly revised game with fresh game play".{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111 | title=Scraping Off The Barnacles | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=October 1993 | access-date=25 March 2016 | author=Lombardi, Chris | pages=54, 56}}

James Trunzo reviewed Pirates! Gold in White Wolf #39 (1994), giving it a final evaluation of "Excellent" and stated that "Pirates! Gold does have built-in replay value thanks to the option of playing in one of six historical periods or historical expeditions. By combining your initial choices with the ones that come up during play, you will have enough variety to keep Pirates! Gold on your hard drive for months."{{Cite magazine |last=Trunzo |first=James |date=1994|title=The Silicon Dungeon |magazine= White Wolf Magazine |number=39 |page=64 |url=https://imgur.com/a/BUMNV0z}}

In 1994, PC Gamer US named Pirates! Gold the 39th best computer game ever. The editors wrote: "We're recommending the new version of this old classic, because it looks so darn good and it'll be easier for most of you to get your hands on. But the award really goes out to the gameplay that made the original Pirates! great".{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=PC Gamer US | title=PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time | date=August 1994 | issue=3 | pages=32–42}} In 2018, Complex ranked Pirates! Gold 26th among "The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games".{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-sega-genesis-games/pirates-gold |title="The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games". Complex |publisher=Complex.com |date= |accessdate=2021-01-20}}

According to Microprose, Pirates! Gold sold in excess of 450,000 copies by September 1997.{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980120114349/http://www.microprose.com/corporatedesign/press/conquer.html | url=http://www.microprose.com:80/corporatedesign/press/conquer.html | title=Microprose Ships Conquer the Skies and Conquer the World, Two Compilations of Top-Selling, Award-Winning Simulation and Strategy Games | date=16 September 1997 | archive-date=20 January 1998 | publisher=Microprose | location=Alameda, California | url-status=dead}}

Reviews

Mega #15 (December 1993)
The One #65
Amiga Computing #71 (Mar 1994){{cite web|url=http://amr.abime.net/issue_509 |title=Amiga Magazine Rack |publisher=Amr.abime.net |date= |accessdate=2021-01-20}}
PC Joker (German){{cite web|author=Haagen_1 |url=https://archive.org/details/pcjokeraugust1994images/page/n9/mode/2up |title=PC Joker September 1993: Joker Verlag, Grasbrunn: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= 20 August 1993|accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Power Play (German){{cite web|author=Jason Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/powerplaymagazine-1994-04/page/n91/mode/2up |title=Power Play Magazine (April 1994): Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= April 1994|accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Micro Mania (Spanish){{cite web|author=Jason Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/micromania-segunda-epoca-72/page/n27/mode/2up |title=Micromania Segunda Epoca (Spanish) Issue 72: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= |accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Tilt (French){{cite web|author=Bultro |url=https://archive.org/details/Tilt117/page/n113/mode/2up |title=Tilt 117: Tilt DSNC: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= September 1993|accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Gambler (Polish){{cite web|author=Jason Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/gambler_magazine-1993-12/page/n53/mode/2up |title=Gambler Magazine (December 1993): Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= December 1993|accessdate=2021-01-20}}
PC Games (German){{cite web|author=Durian! |url=https://archive.org/details/PC.Games.N012.1993.09-fl0n/page/n27/mode/2up |title=PC.Games.N012.1993.09-fl0n: Computec: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= 24 May 2014|accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Megazin (Slovenian){{cite web|author=Sketch the Cow |url=https://archive.org/details/Megazin_1993_09/page/n27/mode/2up |title=Megazin 1993 09: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= |accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Pelit (Finnish){{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/pelit199307/page/n43/mode/2up|title=Pelit (1993-07)|date=November 19, 1993|via=Internet Archive}}
PC Player (German){{cite web|author=chris85 |url=https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1993-08/page/n51/mode/2up |title=PC Player German Magazine 1993-08: PC Player: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= August 1993|accessdate=2021-01-20}}
Amiga Joker (German){{cite web|author=pedgarcia |url=https://archive.org/details/AmigaJokerSonderheft5Strategie/page/n81/mode/2up |title=Amiga Joker Sonderheft 5 Strategie: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive |date= |accessdate=2021-01-20}}