The Game Screen

The left side of the game screen shows your overall score, number of ships you have left, and the number of pirate towns you have established.

The left side also allows you to press the Pause button, the Retire button, the New Game button, and the Help button.

The pirate figure on the left side indicates your general skill level by his pirate clothing.

The right side of the game screen allows you to keep track of your ship supplies, ship damage, number of cannonballs, your pirate reputation, loaded treasure, and amount of treasure you've buried on deserted islands.

Basic Strategy

As you sail your ship, avoid crashing into other ships or islands. Crashing uses up another of your ships and loses all your unburied treasure.

You can battle any ships that have red on their sails. These are enemy ships. You can fire once and then pull alongside a ship and hold the spacebar down to board and plunder. This wins you supplies, cannonballs, and treasure.

The only way to repair damage to your ship is to dock at islands. You dock by pulling alongside a dock and holding the spacebar down. The spacebar always stops your ship, allowing you to board or dock or simply anchor.

Some islands have special icons indicating that they have supplies, cannonballs, treasure, or mini games built in. Mini games allow you to find large amounts of treasure or build pirate towns.

Building pirate towns increases your chances of turning your buried treasure into greater wealth at the end of the game when you retire.

Winning

You decide when to retire from your pirate career. If you retire with a small amount of treasure and a poor reputation, you will end up with a low score.

Of course, if all three of your ships are destroyed, your game will be over.

Try to get as much treasure as you can. Avoid being hit by cannonballs. Be careful of which ships you attack so that you keep your reputation score high. Remember that your score, reputation, and supplies are constantly decreasing. So you must stay active as a pirate in order to score high.

To qualify to become an island governor when you retire, you must have a score of at least 100,000 and a reputation of 100.

Controls

Steer your ship with the arrow keys.

Fire your cannon with the 1 and 2 keys.
Stop, board, or dock with the spacebar.

To play island mini games, keep the spacebar down and use the mouse to play. If you release the spacebar, the mini games will disappear and your ship will be moving again.

You'll get the hang of it with a little effort. Take your time and learn the sailing techniques that keep your ship out of danger.

Play Sea Pirates