Captain Silver

The Good
The graphics blow away the NES/Famicom's graphics. For a late 80's SMS game, you could almost call it an early Mega Drive game if you only saw it. This was an arcade game and SEGA did a great job porting it to 8-bit hardware.

 The game has some very catchy tunes. Even if you don't have FM sound, you might still be humming later on.

  The controls are well and tight and pretty responsive.

  The gameplay is extremely fun and addicting. It plays like a beat-em-up combined with a side scrolling platformer. It is a nice pirate game that will surely be a regular on your old Master System.<br><br>**The Bad**<br>      However, you really should get the PAL or Japanese version over the American version of Captain Silver. In the version we got, TWO WHOLE LEVELS are missing. Why SEGA of America would even think this was a good idea I'll never know. Instead of a 6 level game, we get a short 4 level game.

 The game is very cheap. You get a 1 hit death system. And you get killed from birds, crabs, and small town fountains of water! C'mon!!!

 This might not be a real complaint, but I don't know if there's really a story to this game. All I know is you're some pirate going around beating enemies.  <br><br>**The Bottom Line**<br>     Overall, this is a pretty fun game and one of the better Master System titles. But you really need the one of the European of Japanese versions. Like I said, 4 LEVELS???!!!

The Good
The vibrant colours you see in every level are really eye-catching compared to the dull and patchy graphics of the original arcade version. Even the music has better tunes, rhythm and instrumentation and even better when FM (YM2413 chip) is enabled. The makers of this version took a big step for the European and Japanese versions and added two new levels, four new bosses and an actually ending to the game instead of the arcade-style looping.

The Bad
Just like any port from an arcade, a few sacrifices are made that don't carry from the original, including lack of vertical scrolling, no longsword powerup and less vocal sounds, but nothing that ruins the game in the least. It's disappointing that the US version of this game was a straight port of the arcade and did not get the deluxe treatment as the European and Japanese versions did. Comparable to Ninja Gaiden, there are some unforgiving areas where enemies spawn and spam you, but with the right powerups and reflexes, you can overcome them.

The Bottom Line
If there was ever a port from the arcade that completely bested it, this would be the one game. It's like playing Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" in an arcade style platformer. For a port, this brings together some of the best elements and mechanics the Sega Master System has to offer. You can't go wrong with this game. If a specific regional version of the game does not pose an issue, you'll want this title for your own personal home arcade.