hose looking for the chance to control a virtual Johnny Depp may be disappointed, but anyone yearning for life on the high seas will be thrilled with Pirates of the Caribbean. As Captain Nathaniel Hawk, both land and ocean are open for exploration, as are your gameplay options. Much like Bethesda’s Sea Dogs (Pirates was originally conceived as Sea Dogs II), you can choose the path of good and hunt down the pirate scourge, or choose evil and become a pirate yourself.

Many quests and activities are presented, but it’s entirely up to you which you pursue and how you complete them. RPG fans will love the open-ended feel of the game, but more casual gamers may be put off by the lack of guidance and the game’s few minor control issues. Combat feels especially shallow, which can make swordfighting a bit repetitive. Aside from these minor quibbles, Pirates is pretty solid. Graphically, it’s a bit plain at times, but the character models are highly detailed and the sea battles are breathtaking. The real draw is the open-ended gameplay, which makes it easy to lose hours in Pirates’ world. This is probably the closest you can get to becoming a pirate without wearing an eye patch.  

MATT HELGESON   7 If you want the comic swashbuckling of the movie, look elsewhere. The sequel to Sea Dogs, this is an odd, waterlogged RPG, one that delivers a ton of depth and some cool naval battles. Sadly, this doesn’t seem tailored for PC, as the swordplay is pretty clunky with a keyboard and mouse (I even saw some tutorial text refer to the A button on the Xbox controller). I still dug the ship warfare, but overall this game is a little too meandering and aimless for my taste.