Ports of Call

Title           Ports of Call
Game Type       Action Strategy
Players         1-4
HD Installable  probably
Compatibility   All
Submission      Angus Manwaring Profiled Reviewer

Review
Ports of Call is one of those peculiar Amiga titles that for some odd
reason has grown rosier and rosier in player's memories as the years have
passed. Don't get me wrong, it deserves to be thought of highly, but it
has some indefinable quality to it that causes it to be mentioned again
and again on the Internet and always with affection.
 The game is based around your attempts at running a successful
shipping business. You start off with a small amount of money, enabling
you to purchase a "rustbucket" from a range of vessels including some
extremely expensive and classy looking ships. You're notlikely to get near
these till much later however. As in Elite you must start by making small
amounts of profit, painstakingly carrying your cargo to it's destination
attempting to cut costs at every point. You'll be tempted to forego
repairs and accept distinctly shady jobs that you shouldn't in order to
better your position, and improve your vessel. You should also visit your
office reguarly and check that your admin is in order, if you don't you're
likely to be sorry.
  The jobs that you are offered need to be completed within a certain
time, so you'll need to assess if your vessel is up to it, and what would
be a sensible speed to travel at. Most of this is done by clicking on text
gadgets etc in an AmigaDOS style environment, but every now and again you
are faced with an arcade sequence where your seafaring skills are put to
the test. Failure is not usually fatal, but you can expect additional
bills for damage and loss of time if you mess things up.
  There is something of a Cinemaware flavour about the way the game works,
they haven't pushed the boat out (sorry) to the same extent, but there's
some tasteful design throughout much of the game which is quite similar.
  The game has an appeal which is almost universal and will charm young
players and not so young players alike. Definitely worthy of classic
status, and something that it's creators can justifiably be proud of.

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