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Pirate is billed as an adventure 'mainly for young people' but I wonder how long it would keep their interest. The program has three parts, an introduction and two sections of adventure. It uses a split-screen Mode 7 display, upper half for graphics and lower for text.

You are the captain of a pirate ship and have to search for treasure, clues and a hidden password, which is your entry to the second part. Clues and jewels are normally to be found on the islands but may also be won by battling with other pirate vessels. The second part puts you on Blackbeard's Island in search of a hidden cave, where lies the pirate chief and a king who needs rescuing. Finishing the pirate off will finish the adventure.

Most of the locations in both parts of the game are accompanied by graphics which are generally well executed, but the text is disappointing. The only input is by function keys, which represent the four points of the compass and the answers Yes and No. This may be easy to use, but tends to prevent any real involvement.

The responses from the program are also slow. There seems little point in displaying text line-by-line for younger players when you can spend as long as you like reading the completed screen.

The concept and graphics are good but the allowances made for the younger user are the wrong ones.