Great Sim  
By: jleazott - Nov 2, 2009
Version: 1.7
This is a very deep and engaging game that offers a unique experience. It's apparently a port from the Amiga platform which I had never played. The only warning for people is that it's definitely not a "pick-up and play" in the grocery line kind of game. It takes some time to learn and time to play which I don't happen to have a problem with (being a seasoned PC gamer) but some may find it intimidating. The devs seem to be very active with this app constantly updating and taking feedback which is always great to see. Overall a great effort sure to please deep strategy fans.

Well if you liked it on the Amiga you really should buy it.  
By: Fozza101 - 10-Dec-2009
Version: 1.7
Well I am losing soo much time to this game.
Highs
- True Port of the Amiga classic everything is in their, Icebergs, Raft saving, leaving/entering ports all of it.
- Allows you to play you're own music whilst playing, I listen to audiobooks whilst plugging away at my shipping Empire
- Form factor works really well. Use the enlarged control buttons for most ease of use.
Lows
- Saving the Raft is still as hard as ever, I know the Science behind it but the thing move so fast!
- General speed needs to be a bit slower on main screen if you have a lot of ships it is difficult to stop time to visit your office before another event flashes up.
All in all
If you played and liked the orginal (Did you buy it or get it through other channels???)
You will love this Conversion and you will finally be paying the developers the money you owe them ;)

An involving, realistic sim  
By: lvillalt - Jul 24, 2009
Version: 1.4
Edit:
The new update worked perfectly, and loaded my saved game without a hitch. I am giving this five stars because I enjoy realistic simulations, and this is, in my opinion, the premier example of a detailed business simulation game on this platform. You are attempting to survive the realities of the business, with all its expected and random aspects. For a better review, look at AlbieOne's...
This game is a deep and engrossing simulation of the business of maritime shipping. If you are a fan of trading-style games, this could be for you. The graphics are there just to guide you through the game, but are not the point.
I personally enjoy these types of games, and find figuring strategies interesting.
If you are expecting flashy graphics as the main point of a game. Then this game may not be for you. If you, on the other hand, are into retro graphics and involved gameplay, this game may be what you are looking for.

Perfect port of a classic game!  
By: Wakama - Jun 4, 2009
Version: 1.3
Awesome job guys! This game brings back a lot of memories from my Amiga 500 gaming days! It has the exact same look, feel and sounds as the original classic. Please don't change a thing! For those critics who can't appreciate the beauty of a classic, please also make available on the iPhone a version of your more updated PoC Sim3d or PoC XXL. Thanks for taking the time to make this available on the iPhone.

Brilliant  
By: What name is available? - 08-Jun-2009
Version: 1.3
Most of the reviewers here clearly didn't research what they were buying. This is for people who are interested in the world of cargo shipping. This is a very accurate and fun shipping simulation. Yes the graphics are dated but so what this is not supposed to be an arcade game. Developers Updates have been very good. For me one of my favourite games on iPod touch. If your not interested in shipping/economy simulation you probably won't like the game, if you are you probably will.

Old School!!  
By: Harry High Pants - 21-May-2009
Version: 1.2
Saddly my amiga 500 blew up a few weeks ago and Ports Of Calls was one of my favorites. i was so happy to see it available on the app store! I wanna disagree with other reviews that said the gfx could have been updated for the iphone.. hell no, that original old school artwork is where its at! The extra buttons interface, is fine in my opinion, as i can't really think of a better way to aid userbility on this small format without disturbing the original game layout. Although the forth comming update wil be interesting to test run. I love how the original form of game play has been left unaltered. Thanks for making this classic available.

Good sim game  
By: ipod-max2 - Nov 2, 2009
Version: 1.7
I got this game because I like sims and I wanted to see the google maps integration. The map integration shows up at the beginning of the game and you can see all the ports of call. It's pretty cool that you can see where they are and what they really look like. For the game itself, the graphics are not as polished as some other titles, but that's not what this game is about. Working your ships and building your wealth is. I enjoyed piloting the ship into the different harbors. Also, some of the other challenges were fun too. Eg, you have to avoid collisions with other ships using radar, etc. I kept thinking I'm going to stop playing but kept going one more round. Worth a try.

Great game, graphics not so good.  
By: FrogUSA - Oct 7, 2009
Version: 1.6
The concept behind Port Of Call is simple but great. In Ports Of Call you're the owner of a shipping company and you have to make as much profit as you can. You do that by transporting stuff for other firms, but it isn't as simple as it sounds, because tugs are expensive and it's much cheaper to steer out of the port yourself, but than you also take the risk of wrecking your ship. When your on the see also all kind of thinks can happen. Your ship can be attack by pirates and sometimes there appears a ship on the radar and you have to steer around it. That is quite difficult. You have to take all kind of decisions.
I really enjoyed playing Port Of Call and the ship simulation is also very much fun. When I first started it wasn't simple to understand, but with a bit of trying and some logic I started to understand the idea and now I'm making very much profit. The google maps mode (so you can see your ships on the satellite) looks good and is fun to watch. Everything is perfect, except one thing and that's a big downside of the game: the interface. You see that the game is ported from the computer: the buttons are small, sometimes too small to touch good and the graphics are a bit outdated. You've got the options to zoom out your screen and have bigger buttons next to the main screen, but that off course isn't an elegant solution. If this game should be updated with a new interface especially made for the iPhone this game should be much better. Now it's still great and I recommend it to people that like playing management game and doesn't matter how a game looks.
I think this is a great game and I give it 4/5 stars, just because it's very much fun to play.

Great game, but some improvements would be really nice.  
By: JeffTG - Aug 3, 2009
Version: 1.4
This plays just like the classice Ports of Call that I played years (many) on my old Amiga computer. This version is great since I can finally play for long "game-time" periods anywhere I am and not be locked to a computer. Some improvements are really neeeded however:
- it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to save a raft on the iPod. This was always difficult on the computer, but extremely hard on iPod. I've done it once in I can't count the number of tries. PLEASE do something about this!!!!
- while the game is great, I would really like some new ports, cargos, and something other than "tugs on strike". After 26 "game years", a little more variety would be nice.
- it is too hard to stop the clock to save a game or check the office. Please add an override so you can do these easier.
Please consider spicing this version up or releasing a newer one. I'm still playing, but honestly, after several months, I'm beginning to get bored.

Great example of the genre.  
By: Fletchnuts - Jun 15, 2009
Version: 1.3
Ports of Call 1.3 is a wonderful and deep maritime simulation game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I found myself spending hours and hours making runs across the globe with multiple ships. The game has two modes, one with ship control and one without. Both the windowed and full screen interfaces are functional, and button presses are responsive and quick. The art and graphics, although dated, do not take away from what the game is, I actually enjoyed them myself. If you're into economic simulations and trading games, you'll find yourself putting many hours into this one!
That being said, if you're not prepared for micromanagement on some level then this game will not appeal to you.

Good game  
By: faiqthefreak - May 7, 2009
Version: 1.2
I played this long time ago as on DOS so ya decade ago and I liked it than. It was easier on PC to controls and turn than the iPhone but that understandable I guess. Now I could play it whenever I need to kill time and it does. This game makes u use ur busness side and ur driving side and no vilonce. By driving I mean controling the ship. It's not for the average player as their better games out their specially cheaper. Truthly if I wasn't a fan of the game, I wouldn't have got it but I don't regret getting it either 

A Deep Sim Game From the Past  
By: AlbieOne - Apr 4, 2009
Version: 1.01
Since I didn't have any previous experience with Amiga version, Ports of Call was all new to me. First off, I thoroughly enjoy this game. The simulation and the depth are there, and kept me thinking the entire time I was playing. If you're into sim-type games, Ports of Call, contentwise is pretty good.
The premise is that you’re running your own shipping company and your decisions determine the fate of your company. You can choose your home port, manage finances back at the home office, buy/sell vessels, and decide on charter assignments among other things. There’s even a section where you steer your vessel which for me takes some practice. Of course, you can always a tug for a price. In terms of your vessel, you also have a hand in repairs and refueling so you really do get some experience with every aspect of the shipping industry.
Ports of Call is a port from more than two decades ago, and honestly, while the graphics aren’t comparable to those found in today’s games, it really doesn’t matter nor impact gameplay. I really don't need heavy graphics since I think most games today rely too much on awe-inspiring graphics and too little on content. The ones used from the original port are more than adequate, but they can always be made more vibrant to appeal to the broader audience. The sound effects add just the right touch.
What could use some changes are the buttons. When I first started playing, I was confused by the buttons in the main window and then the same buttons with the same functionality on the right-hand side. Hopefully, that can addressed in an update. If there was better way to steer ships either by tilt or even through a d-pad, that would help. But then again, it does provide you with a minimal taste (as good as you can get for a game) of the difficulties with steering a vessel.
Ports of Call has the depth, and with a few adjustments, it could be even better. Overall, this is a classic strategic sim game, and I'm glad this has been brought to the iPhone/iPod Touch. The dev plans to update/upgrade the game and I’m looking forward to seeing more from him.

A classic!!  
By: mikel_33 - 29-Apr-2009
Version: 1.01
This is what I hope to see more of in the future. Great ports of old classic games. Loved this on my Amiga 1000 and love it more on my iPhone/iPod Touch. Same gameplay as the original with extra buttons for easier touch control. Now I hope to see AreoBiz ported over to the iPhone, that would rock! If you enjoyed the original Ports of Call then this is a must buy! Could have been a buck or two cheaper though but still worth the $4.99 for great classic gaming.

A Pleasant Surprise  
By: starjimstar - 4-Apr-2009
Version: 1.01
Okay, so I love it. This is classic tycoon style gameplay: manage your money; manage your resources; take on jobs; meet deadlines; think on your feet and deal with problems as they arise. There are also mini games you can choose to play, like docking your freighter in the harbor or taking it out to sea. Some whippersnappers will call it 'ugly,' but we called it 'polished' in 1986 and it is beautiful to me.
As for the technical side; there is a bit of a learning curve but about 10 minutes of button pecking and I started to make money. The buttons are, well, not bad. The original buttons can be difficult to select because they are small and close together; made for a mouse. Although the game buttons are preserved, the main button sets are also displayed in updated form along the edge of the screen; perfect for fingers. I also tried pressing the home button to exit without saving. There is an auto-save feature built in and I was back on track in no time: so your empire should not collapse due to incoming phone calls.
All 'n all, I am very pleased with this port of 'Ports of Call.'

Great Sim  
By: jleazott - Nov 2, 2009
Version: 1.7
This is a very deep and engaging game that offers a unique experience. It's apparently a port from the Amiga platform which I had never played. The only warning for people is that it's definitely not a "pick-up and play" in the grocery line kind of game. It takes some time to learn and time to play which I don't happen to have a problem with (being a seasoned PC gamer) but some may find it intimidating. The devs seem to be very active with this app constantly updating and taking feedback which is always great to see. Overall a great effort sure to please deep strategy fans.

Really Great, But Not For Everyone  
By: uCENGIZu - Oct 14, 2009
Version: 1.6
This game has loads of content. It's an amazing combination of simulation and other game elements, and it makes for a compelling experience. However, it isn't great for pick up and play content. To really experience everything the game has to offer, you'll have to sit down with it for awhile. You might want to try the Lite first though, because it's a pretty hefty game to just start up.

Well if you liked it on the Amiga you really should buy it.  
By: Fozza101 - 10-Dec-2009
Version: 1.7
Well I am losing soo much time to this game.
Highs
- True Port of the Amiga classic everything is in their, Icebergs, Raft saving, leaving/entering ports all of it.
- Allows you to play you're own music whilst playing, I listen to audiobooks whilst plugging away at my shipping Empire
- Form factor works really well. Use the enlarged control buttons for most ease of use.
Lows
- Saving the Raft is still as hard as ever, I know the Science behind it but the thing move so fast!
- General speed needs to be a bit slower on main screen if you have a lot of ships it is difficult to stop time to visit your office before another event flashes up.
All in all
If you played and liked the orginal (Did you buy it or get it through other channels???)
You will love this Conversion and you will finally be paying the developers the money you owe them ;)

Thank you  
By: Dreamcee - 17-Aug-2009
Version: 1.5
Fantastic pretty much exactly as I remember the amiga original and thank you for not changing the graphics or sound keep up the good work oh and I love the random comments still funny today

Sweet   
By: Maelick - Aug 16, 2009
Version: 1.5
Ive been mossing this game for a long time thank you so much for bringing it to my iphone. I absolutely love thos game and it's just as great on my  as i remember. Buy this

An involving, realistic sim  
By: lvillalt - Jul 24, 2009
Version: 1.4
Edit:
The new update worked perfectly, and loaded my saved game without a hitch. I am giving this five stars because I enjoy realistic simulations, and this is, in my opinion, the premier example of a detailed business simulation game on this platform. You are attempting to survive the realities of the business, with all its expected and random aspects. For a better review, look at AlbieOne's...
This game is a deep and engrossing simulation of the business of maritime shipping. If you are a fan of trading-style games, this could be for you. The graphics are there just to guide you through the game, but are not the point.
I personally enjoy these types of games, and find figuring strategies interesting.
If you are expecting flashy graphics as the main point of a game. Then this game may not be for you. If you, on the other hand, are into retro graphics and involved gameplay, this game may be what you are looking for.