<s>
Sid	B-Application
Meier	I-Application
's	I-Application
Pirates	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
simulation	O
of	O
the	O
life	O
of	O
a	O
pirate	O
,	O
a	O
privateer	B-Application
,	O
or	O
a	O
pirate	O
hunter	O
in	O
the	O
16th	O
,	O
17th	O
and	O
18th	O
centuries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
for	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
have	O
also	O
been	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
receives	O
a	O
letter	O
of	O
marque	O
authorizing	O
service	O
as	O
a	O
privateer	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Spanish	O
Empire	O
,	O
the	O
Dutch	O
Republic	O
,	O
the	O
Kingdom	O
of	O
England	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
French	O
colonial	O
empire	O
in	O
the	O
Caribbean	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
tests	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
skills	O
:	O
hand-eye	O
coordination	O
during	O
the	O
fencing	B-Operating_System
sections	O
,	O
tactical	O
ability	O
during	O
the	O
land	O
and	O
sea	O
combat	O
phases	O
,	O
and	O
strategic	O
thinking	O
,	O
for	O
everything	O
from	O
choosing	O
a	O
wife	O
to	O
deciding	O
when	O
to	O
divide	O
up	O
the	O
plunder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
sported	O
both	O
disk	O
and	O
manual	O
copy	B-Application
protections	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
success	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
similar	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Samurai	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
widely	O
ported	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
,	O
first	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
(	O
1987	O
)	O
,	O
then	O
later	O
to	O
the	O
IBM	O
PC	O
(	O
1987	O
)	O
,	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
(	O
1988	O
)	O
,	O
Macintosh	B-Application
(	O
1988	O
)	O
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
(	O
1988	O
)	O
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
(	O
1989	O
)	O
,	O
Amiga	B-Device
(	O
1990	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
1991	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
MS-DOS	O
compatible	O
operating	O
systems	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
on	O
CD-ROM	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
edited	O
by	O
Kixx	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
puzzles	O
appealed	O
more	O
to	O
female	O
gamers	O
than	O
previous	O
products	O
from	O
MicroProse	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
known	O
for	O
military	O
simulations	O
like	O
F-15	B-Application
Strike	I-Application
Eagle	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
led	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
spiritual	O
predecessor	O
of	O
countless	O
others	O
since	O
,	O
both	O
by	O
Sid	O
Meier	O
himself	O
(	O
Civilization	B-Application
,	O
Railroad	B-Application
Tycoon	I-Application
)	O
and	O
many	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
five	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
in	O
a	O
1990	O
survey	O
of	O
historical	O
strategy	B-Application
and	O
war	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
four	O
stars	O
in	O
a	O
1993	O
survey	O
of	O
pre	O
20th-century	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
genre	O
breakthrough	O
,	O
this	O
is	O
a	O
fascinating	O
simulation	O
of	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
Piracy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Australian	O
Commodore	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
Review	O
noted	O
excellent	O
manual	O
,	O
educational	O
and	O
historical	O
aspects.The	O
Australian	O
Commodore	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
Review	O
,	O
page	O
34	O
Orson	O
Scott	O
Card	O
wrote	O
in	O
Compute	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
in	O
1989	O
that	O
Pirates	O
use	O
of	O
an	O
unusually	O
strict	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
was	O
understandable	O
because	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
so	O
good	O
that	O
even	O
people	O
who	O
drive	O
55	O
mph	O
might	O
consider	O
stealing	O
it	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
18th	O
best	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
was	O
by	O
far	O
the	O
best	O
by	O
then	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gold	O
remake	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1x	I-Application
,	O
DOS	B-Device
compatible	O
operating	O
systems	O
,	O
Macintosh	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
on	O
CD	O
for	O
the	O
CD32	B-Device
in	O
1994	O
with	O
enhanced	O
CD	O
audio	O
tracks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MS-DOS	O
version	O
includes	O
VGA	O
graphics	O
,	O
a	O
MIDI	O
score	O
,	O
mouse	B-Device
support	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
scheme	O
requiring	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
identify	O
the	O
flag	O
of	O
a	O
pirate	O
ship	O
sighted	O
on	O
the	O
horizon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
remake	O
published	O
in	O
2004	O
,	O
also	O
entitled	O
Sid	O
Meier	O
's	O
Pirates	O
!,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PSP.Sid	O
Meier	O
's	O
Pirates	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	O
versions	O
were	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
(	O
2010	O
)	O
and	O
Apple	O
's	O
iPad	B-Device
(	O
2011	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
20	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPod	B-Device
Touch	I-Device
was	O
released	O
,	O
published	O
by	O
2K	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
7	I-Protocol
on	O
9	O
April	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
