I’m not big into collecting different versions of the same game, but for some games it’s nice to have different versions. That is the case when the box art and design are very different. I like having both the folio and grey box release of Planetfall for example. And I would like to have the nice version of Kyrandia 2 next to the ugly one I have. I described some of these variations in an earlier post. And in very rare cases I just love a game so much that I want to have different versions, like Dune, or in this case Pirates!

I read a bit about the different box art of the Pirates! games in an excellent article by Jimmy Wilhelmsson. He interviewed Michael Haire, who did the graphics, who said that the first US cover was more painterly, while the second version was to be more realistic and the third version was about guys in costumes.

I like the EU version with the two battling ships, but also the first two US versions. And the first one is the one I have now added to my collection. This newest addition in the first US version for the C64. I already had the European version for the C64. I like playing the original game more on the Amiga than on the C64, although both have there strengths. Because the Amiga version has the same box art as the C64 version, I don’t feel te urge to own a copy of both though. I almost never play these old games from tape or floppy anyway.

This new addition is in much better shape than the version I already had. I like that it is a folio design. That makes it even more different from the boxed EU version I already have. And the map is also in much better shape. The other one is just barely hanging together with adhesive tape. Although I probably won’t use it much because the map that comes with the most recent release of the game is the best.