For the thirty-something generation that grew up with the Commodore 64, Sid Meier’s Pirates was one of those unforgettable games that ranked alongside Elite and The Hobbit as an all-time classic.

The premise of the game was simple: take command of a pirate vessel and sail round the Caribbean in search of fame, glory and an inordinate amount of gold. Of course, hard cash isn’t just lying around, so your band of cutthroats has to take it – by force, usually – from unsuspecting merchant vessels.

Pirates is virtually unchanged from the old C64 version: it’s how you choose to live out the swashbuckling dream that’s radically different. And this, believe it or not, is fantastic news. Graphically it isn’t a complete carbon copy of the 1980s version; that would be taking retro-chic just a step too far, but it isn’t cutting-edge either. On any other game, we’d be pulling out the little black book, but in this case it’s an asset.

There are four career paths for an up-and-coming pirate to follow: privateer, treasure hunter, explorer and trader. The bulk of the game is spent sailing round the tropical islands of the Caribbean. Of course, you’re not the only pirate in town. The English, French, Spanish and Dutch are all making claims on the land (and declaring war on each other like it’s going out of fashion) and rival pirates abound. Depending on your inclination you can hunt your rivals to extinction, side with a nation and assist them in capturing their enemy vessels, or just go for broke and attack anyone and everyone.

Once you’ve targeted your quarry, it’s time to attack. Now, this is the age of sail, so you need to think before diving in, guns blazing. The wind comes from a certain direction (which varies on higher difficulty settings).With the best will in the world, no sailing ship can plot a course against the wind, so you need to use this to your advantage when attacking.

The other issue you have to deal with is the location of your guns. It wasn’t until the American Civil War that someone had the bright idea of positioning guns in a turret: prior to this, all guns were situated down the side of the vessel so broadsides are the order of the day. So not only do you have to position your vessel upwind, but you need to be in a position where you can train your flank onto your enemy, unleash a deadly broadside, then turn away so as to present a small target when he returns fire. It’s an art form that does take a little practice.

Once your vessels come alongside, you’re taken to a fighting minigame. You’re given seven different moves – three offensive, three defensive and a taunt – and have to cross swords with the enemy leader. Whoever wins the fight wins the day, and you’ll end up tousling up and down the enemy deck until one of you goes over the side.

Assuming you don’t end up in Davey Jones’ Locker, you end up with a prize vessel, a handful of doubloons and any cargo it may have been carrying. You can then sail this back to port and sell it or, you may wish to get it repaired and use it as your new flagship.

You can also upgrade your ship at the various shipwrights scattered about: bronze cannons give you extra range, cotton sails make you go faster, and so on – a good incentive to explore and not annoy every nation (otherwise you’ll find every port closed to your boat).

There’s also a land-based real-time strategy element. Not only can you fight on water, you can also land your crew and assault or capture enemy towns and villages. This gives you handsome amounts of cash and you can install governors from friendly nations.

Talking of governors, every port has a leader and, more importantly, a daughter. You don’t get to do anything too untoward, but you can win her heart – and get information – by performing a ballroom dance. Much like the swordfight routine, this is a minigame where a series of moves flashes onscreen and you have to hit the corresponding buttons. It’s tricky at first and gets very fiddly when you dance with the better looking specimens.

Of course, the more women that fall at your feet, the more your reputation is enhanced. Sid Meier’s Pirates! is phenomenally easy to get into, from the ultra-friendly user interface, through to the atmospheric music and plush graphics: its certainly one of the most enjoyable and fun strategy games we’ve seen in a long time.