The graphics are pretty good and the zoom option on the combat battles look great – it’s impressive to see your ship destroy another’s sail mast for example. They aren’t jaw dropping, but they will suffice nicely.

The audio is a mixed bag; the music is great and while there’s no “Yo-Ho,” the soundtrack captures the feel nicely. The game does have a lot of text and very little voice acting wish is always rather annoying to me…the text is legible and you aren’t scrolling through pages at a time, but it’s noticeable enough for me to complain about it. There is a lot of loading as you go from ship to shore, but the load times aren’t long. It’s more of a frequency issue than a time issue.

If you have never played the game, then absolutely, Pirates is a must have for your PSP. If you’ve played the Xbox or PC modernized version, there is still enough here to warrant trying it out but it may not be a purchase if you’re already enjoying that game. With endless replay value, Sid Meier’s Pirates for the PSP is an easy “buy” recommendation