I'm giving this a 'thumbs down' not because it's a complete disaster. It's not. The game is stable, free of obvious bugs, and it is somewhat engaging for the first couple of hours. Let me run through the first challenge as a case study:

You get a call that some one is in trouble. You put the pedal to the metal and head toward the arrow which indicates where the people are who need rescuing.

You realize very quickly that this is taking a long time. Ten minutes in fact. That's ten minutes of doing nothing but holding down the 'w' key. I discovered later that there's an option that doubles the speed; so reduce the time to five minutes of holding the 'w' key.

[Edit] Greanthal pointed out that I could go at 4X speed. I didn't remember that option so I returned to the game and headed out to sea. Under menu there are several speed options one of which is 'fastest'. This is what I had clicked before and got 2X speed. So I clicked it again and got the same result. What I didn't realize was that 'fastest' is not 'fastest'. If you click the option again you get 4X. I guess it means 'fastest acceleration'.

[Edit] This does not save the game from my thumbs down rating however. In the third mission under the Baltic senario, it still takes 7 minutes at 4X to reach the rescue destination.

Once you arrive on the scene you perform a couple of tasks including pulling three people out of the water. This all takes less time than it took to get there.

Now you discover you have to take the rescued people back to port . . . another five minutes of holding the 'w' key. You get back to port and you find out you have to return to the damaged boat . . . another five minutes of holding the 'w' key.

Back at the rescue site you attach a rope to the boat (takes about a minute) and you turn around to head back to port . . . another five minutes of holding down the 'w' key. I think you get the picture.

Among other issues I have is that you can't turn off the music. It's integrated with the master volume. The music is louder in the menus but still in the background while travelling back and forth holding down the 'w' key.

Also, the claim about the wonderful water physics is a gross exaggeration. I spent most of my childhood on the water, including open sea. The water in this game barely resembles anything I've experienced. A passing boat makes a deep furrow which lingers for an unnaturally long time; it looks more like a large furrow left by a tractor and plow ('plough' if you're outside North America). Worse is that your boats do not interact with these 'furrows'. You practically hover as you pass over them; not so much as a slight dip.

Some one in a review said it might be a $15 title. I'd say it's barely worth it at $10.

I'm giving this a 'thumbs down' not because it's a complete disaster. It's not. The game is stable, free of obvious bugs, and it is somewhat engaging for the first couple of hours. Let me run through the first challenge as a case study: You get a call that some one is in trouble. You put the pedal to the metal and head toward the arrow which indicates where the people are who need rescuing. You realize very quickly that this is taking a long time. Ten minutes in fact. That's ten minutes of doing nothing but holding down the 'w' key. I discovered later that there's an option that doubles the speed; so reduce the time to five minutes of holding the 'w' key. [Edit] Greanthal pointed out that I could go at 4X speed. I didn't remember that option so I returned to the game and headed out to sea. Under menu there are several speed options one of which is 'fastest'. This is what I had clicked before and got 2X speed. So I clicked it again and got the same result. What I didn't realize was that 'fastest' is not 'fastest'. If you click the option again you get 4X. I guess it means 'fastest acceleration'. [Edit] This does not save the game from my thumbs down rating however. In the third mission under the Baltic senario, it still takes 7 minutes at 4X to reach the rescue destination. Once you arrive on the scene you perform a couple of tasks including pulling three people out of the water. This all takes less time than it took to get there. Now you discover you have to take the rescued people back to port . . . another five minutes of holding the 'w' key. You get back to port and you find out you have to return to the damaged boat . . . another five minutes of holding the 'w' key. Back at the rescue site you attach a rope to the boat (takes about a minute) and you turn around to head back to port . . . another five minutes of holding down the 'w' key. I think you get the picture. Among other issues I have is that you can't turn off the music. It's integrated with the master volume. The music is louder in the menus but still in the background while travelling back and forth holding down the 'w' key. Also, the claim about the wonderful water physics is a gross exaggeration. I spent most of my childhood on the water, including open sea. The water in this game barely resembles anything I've experienced. A passing boat makes a deep furrow which lingers for an unnaturally long time; it looks more like a large furrow left by a tractor and plow ('plough' if you're outside North America). Worse is that your boats do not interact with these 'furrows'. You practically hover as you pass over them; not so much as a slight dip. Some one in a review said it might be a $15 title. I'd say it's barely worth it at $10.