] Three Rings, developer and operator of Yohoho! Puzzle
] Pirates, the massively multi-player game of Puzzles and
] Piracy for the casual gamer, today announced a number of
] milestones for their hit online game.

This game deserves all the awards it has won. It's that rare beast, an *innovative* multiplayer online game. Graphics aside, it's one of the most creative things I've played in a long time, and I'm totally hooked.

In a nutshell, it's a combination of a multiplayer world, casual games, roleplaying, economics, exploring, and combat. I'm also delighted by a very intuitive interface, and an extremely low barrier to entry. No box needs to be bought in a store, no extensive form needs to be filled out to create a character. All you need is a character name, an email address, and a computer that can surf the web and run Java (there's about a 3 Meg initial download).

Once in the game, there's a smooth introductory tutorial that brings you right into the gameplay, and then you're right into the action. New players are hired aboard ships which sail the seas, fighting brigands and pillaging treasure: Gold, valuable commodities which can be sold at various islands, and charts which lead to new islands. As a player gains experience, they can be promoted to Pirate, Officer, or higher. If enough resources are gathered, players can acquire their own ships, form their own crews, ally together under various flags, and then battle it out in huge blockades for control and governorship of the various islands.

It's great fun, and I highly recommend it. :) The game can be played at:

http://www.puzzlepirates.com