While the cheerful island graphics and pirate themes are fun, King of Seas' over reliance on grinding quickly stifles the enjoyment. Exploration is highly enjoyable, but after you've seen everything, the story is the only thing left to pursue. Artificial barriers to extend the experience frustrate, as there is little satisfaction in grinding to victory.

You can easily get by in this game with just sailing around, enjoying the wide open spaces and, every so often, picking off an easy ship when you stumble across one. That may not be the point of the game, but I've always thought that one of the signs of a good game is that it allows you to play it your way - and there's no denying King Of Seas gives you the freedom to do just that.