Not content to cover the more obvious simulators, like buses and planes, the normal things which kids might aspire to do when they grow up, Excalibur has gone possibly one step too far with its Ports: Pressure at the Ports game.

I’m not sure that I ever met a single person who either wanted to unload cargo for either fun or as a living, so, I’m not sure who this is supposed to appeal to.

Like, some of their other games, Ports is surprisingly poor when it comes to its responsiveness and intuitive controls, or lack thereof, which considering the age group is three and up, stands as a massive disincentive for kids to play. For adults the game's lack of speed - it’s really, really slow - and the slap dash presentation will not be welcomed.

So what do you get if your biggest ambition was to work on the docks? Well they continue to use the same engine, so the basics of all these games has become routine. There's a number of vehicles to play with, in twenty different ports, different things to pick up and put down and some variety of missions to give you a sense of purpose.

Compared to a flight simulation, these games are quite limited, usually good for an hour’s play, possibly less in the case of Ports as the game play is so slow.

5

Charles Packer