Swashbuckling fun for budding buccaneers

Ahoy there, Mateys! As you may have noticed, pirates are everywhere these days. From feature films to reality TV, it seems you can't turn around without seeing these marauders of the high seas. So, why should the little ones be left out of the action?

The Pirate Land Pop Up Adventure from Mattel, El Segundo, Calif., promises hours of imaginative fun for the budding buccaneer. This Matchbox playset comes in a portable case which swings open 360[degrees] to reveal four themed areas: the Pirate Ship, Croc Cove, Forbidden Island, and Treasure Lagoon.

Pirate Land ($29.99) comes with a firing cannon and two cannon balls, a chomping crocodile, two pirate figures, treasure chest filled with gold, and, of course, a Matchbox car. While kids will love the adventure, parents will love that it arrives assembled and, when clean-up time comes, the child just closes the case and the playset folds away neatly. For more information, visit www.matchbox.com.

Older swashbucklers can take on the role of pirate captain in the 17th-century Caribbean in Sid Meier's Pirates! for PlayStation Portable. Players navigate ships around beautiful islands in a quest for treasure, lost relatives, and Incan cities. Fierce naval battles provide harrowing action sequences such as swinging from yard arms, slashing down sails, and clobbering crews on the way to finding the enemy captain. Gamers also must learn to perform a series of intricate dance steps in an attempt to woo the governor's daughter, who, in addition to providing companionship, may hold valuable information.

Users can take advantage of PSP's wi-fi capabilities to compete against up to four players. This adventure/strategy game ($29.99) from 2K is rated E10+ for mild violence. For more information, visit www.2kgames.com/pirates/psp.

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