I was so fun at first to play this mobile recreation of the classic game Taipan! However, as at least one reviewer noted previously, the algorithm is skewed. You get too few opportunities to buy guns, they send more and more massive numbers of pirate boats against you, and the game seems to get locked into a pattern of having pirates hit your guns repeatedly. It’s predictable. Once the “buggers” hit your guns once in a big fight, they go on to hit them every time they attack and you run out of guns fast. The probability does not seem random at all once past a certain point. No matter what strategy you use, the bias in the game will bring you down. It’s too bad because it’s a fun game. But you get tired of the bias fast.

Like many other reviewers, I was in single digits when I learned to play this game on the Apple II. And this is an awesome port! I love the extremely subtle adaptations for mobile devices, which only exist to increase ease of play rather than detract from the nostalgia of the original set up. Like auto save. Like turbo mode (if you elect to skip the pirate attack animations). The only thing I'm missing is the sound. This is such an accurate port - why not include the original sounds as well? I can still hear in my head the sound that's made when the player is alarmed to Pirates, but unfortunately, not on my mute game. It's not a big thing I suppose, but it does detract from one of the things that make this simple platform such a joy to play - total immersion in the nostalgia of the original. Karateka did a bang-up job with their port, and the original music was a big part of that. Sound is the only reason I'm giving 4 out of 5 stars. Please add the sound. Please, please!

I played this game for hours on my Apple II back in the 80’s. I respect that the money lender glitch is there, too. Unfortunately, guns get hit with incredible frequency and there just isn’t a good way to keep up; not a lot of opportunities to buy a new gun. It’s also odd that you can pay a lot less for a gun than a larger ship in this game. Also, a Ma Tsu should have some bodyguards and not get beat up so often.

Update: it doesn't look like there was an update, but after picking this game back up and playing it a few times, I am constantly getting beaten and robbed and mobbed by pirate ships. And I almost never get a chance to upgrade my ship or buy a gun. It has been a while since I've played, but I don't remember the game being like this before or even back on the Apple ][. Old: The gameplay is spot-on, and better.All the one-star ratings are a little unfair to the quality since they all relate to the fact that this game utilizes Apple's in-app purchase system instead of offering free and paid options as separate apps.I'll grant that it could be more clear during the process about how the in-app restore would work. (Happens on the same screen where you hit "buy". There'll be a new option after you reinstall.)I was previously uninitiated with in app purchases.There's most definitely nothing shady going on!