To a sixteen year old, there is nothing like the joy of owning your first car. Nothing compares to an open road and a full tank of case (though at today’s prices, good luck with that full tank). You would do almost anything to obtain that first car, possibly even ignoring a history check on the car just to get those four wheels moving in your direction. Well, life is no different for a sea captain working toward his first ship. And that is exactly where the captain of the Corsair finds himself as the game opens. He recently purchased the Corsair, his first ship, and well, maybe I should just let him tell you himself what happened next:

It seemed such a bargain at the time. I was not concerned much with regards to the previous owner, nor the recent history of the ship. Perhaps I should have…As when I left on my first trip out to sea…I was attacked by Pirates!

Now, that is the sea captain’s equivalent of getting carjacked on your first day driving that new car. So, what happens next? Well, we can take a closer look at the game after the break.

Installation and Registration: Installation follows the standard PDAMill system. Download the trial version, which is a limited version of the game. Once you purchase the game, you will be given a link to the full version as well as a registration code to unlock the full version. As I have mentioned in the past, I have never been a fan of this registration method which uses two different files for the trial and full versions. It just causes clutter on my computer and device. Mainly because the full version never overwrites the trial. There is no reason to have the trial version once you have downloaded and installed the full version of the game, and I think if PDAMill is going to stick with this system, they should find a way to have the full version delete or overwrite the trial version during installation.

Overview and Gameplay: Corsair is a classic, arcade-style shooting gallery game. It is also an excellent lesson in Caeat Emptor, let the buyer beware. For only after purchasing the Corsair does our expeditious captain learn of its troubling past and hidden secrets.

Almost immediately upon setting sail with his new ship, the Corsair is boarded by Pirates. This is Day 1. The Pirates hide behind boxes, crates, cannons, pretty much anywhere they can squeeze. Periodically, they will jump up to attack. When they do, you must shoot them before they can hit you. If they hit you, you will lose a portion of your health hearts. Lose them all and your game will come to a quick conclusion.

Of course, that is not all they are doing. In addition to firing their guns at you, they will also lob:

• bombs — shoot the bomb before it explodes or you will suffer extra damage)
• treasure — which increases your score if you can hit it
• first aid kits — which will give you back some health hearts.

I was impressed by the variety of different enemies. As you make your way through the game, you will be required to fight pirates, crooked soldiers, ghosts, monsters, and more pirates. One thing I did notice, however, is that the enemies on each screen always follow the same pattern. So, pay attention on each screen. If you die and start the level over again, there is a good bet you can predict where the enemies will appear.

Additionally, on each level, the enemies have taken several hostages. Watch out you do not shoot the hostages as they will occasionally pop out as well to call for help.

You will also want to keep an eye on your ammunition. You carry a six shooter. It would have been nice if there were an opportunity to upgrade your weapon throughout the game, however, this is the firearm you will use the whole time. When your ammunition runs out, you must hit the reload button in order to keep firing.

Controls: This is a stylus oriented game. There are no D-pad or other buttons with which you will need to familiarize yourself. In order to fire your gun, simply tap the screen on the location as which you wish to aim. Nothing to it. Once you tap, a round will be fired. Hopefully your aim is true, because those Pirates are pretty good shots and only get better as the game progresses.

Levels: The game begins on Day 1, and each subsequent day brings a new level of adventure to the crew of the Corsair, as they learn its secrets and set off to find hidden treasures. Of course, this means more and more deadly enemies firing back at you at each turn. At the end of each Day, you will need to face the big boss of the enemy crew. Be careful, he is quick and it will take a lot of firepower to bring him down.

The days are broken into several levels. At the end of each level, you will receive a summary of your progress so far. If you die during the course of a game, you will be able to begin again from the last level you began. Additionally, each level consists of several screens. When you clear each screen, your health hearts and ammunition will be completely filled before moving on to the next area.

Difficulty: There are three levels of difficulty (obviously, easy, medium, and hard). The levels feature essentially the same gameplay, however, the pace of the game increases significantly between the different levels. This keeps the game fresh and challenging, even as your skill continues to improve.

Graphics: PDAMill has a very distinctive quality to the graphics in almost all of their games, and Corsair fits right into this. In fact, if I had stumbled upon this game, without knowing who developed it, I probably would have pegged it relatively quickly as coming from the creative minds of PDAMill. The cartoonish and effective quality of the graphics has been one of the mainstays of the PDAMill studios, and I absolutely love it here.

Obviously, in a game like this you do not want too much realism. This is not Grand Theft Auto or an ultra-violent shoot ‘em up game. This is intended to be a fun arcade-style game with some exciting twists. As such, the more cartoonish graphics are exactly the right fit for this game.

Audio: This was one game where the sounds and music significantly enhanced gameplay. I thought the music was perfect. It really gave the feel of a swashbuckling adventure, and helped me suspend my disbelief and lose myself in the game.

The sounds were also fantastic, with the enemies screaming in character as you nail each one with your six-shooter. This is one are where many games falter, however, I felt PDAMill did a fantastic job incorporating sounds and music which really added to the environment of the game without creating a distraction.

Save: Corsair follows the saving convention that most PDAMill games employ. Simply exit the game and it will be saved. The next time, just tap continue to start at the beginning of the level you were playing. You can only store one game at a time, though. Start a new game and your previously saved game will be deleted.

Conclusion: I had never played a shooting gallery-type game on the Pocket PC before I checked out Corsair. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous going into the review. How would this type of game translate to the touch screen? Would the tap and fire controls be too easy? Well, I can quickly answer that second question from first hand experience. This game starts out easy, but soon you will find enemies popping up in quick succession forcing you to be a perfect shot or face losing your ammunition. Nonetheless, you have only one choice once you begin the game. You must fight to save your ship. Your entire life savings is bundled into it. Past or no past, it belongs to you now. Besides, it is hiding a pretty hefty secret which you will want to learn before any unsavory characters steal it from you. So, weigh the main anchor, ye scallywags, and prepare to set sail for uncharted waters. I’m the Captain of this here ship…and its name be The Corsair!

Vital Stats:

Name: Corsair

Developer: PDAMill

Version: 1.0

Test Platform: Windows Mobile 6

Price: $19.95

Available From: PDAMill

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