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Shrapnel Games has released a demo of their upcoming naval warfare for the Mac, Salvo! The 293 MB demo includes four tutorial scenarios, and the complete help documentation consisting of the quickstart and user guides, plus a full campaign, 'The Bourbon Navy'.

Here's more from the press release:

While 'The Bourbon Navy' is one of the smaller campaigns to be found in Salvo! it showcases what gamers should expect from the full retail game, and when combined with the tutorials players will get the full Salvo! experience in all its glory. From actions involving a handful of vessels to large scale fleet engagements, it's all represented in the demo.

Tim Brooks, president and founder of Shrapnel Games, is quite excited over the demo. "I love the fact that the sea dogs of the world will get a taste of everything the full retail game will have to offer. A lot of people have been quite excited over the prospect of easily commanding an armada, and now thanks to the demo they'll get to see just how easy mastery of the high seas comes to the player. In fact, with the various battles included it's almost more like a mini-game than just a demo!"

Players will also be able to read the 'mission introduction' to the rest of the scenarios and campaigns that will be found in the retail game, allowing them a peek into the exciting engagements they will be able to soon participate in. It should also be noted that the demo is not crippleware by any means. Virtual captains don't have to put up with time limited gameplay, or the inability to save the game, or feel cheated out of any other game resource. Play the demo as you see fit. After all, a demo is meant to let players sample the actual game, not twist into 'beat the clock'.

Salvo!, playable on both PCs and Macs, was originally slated for a May 1st gold date but the date has been delayed until the end of May. Salvo! is a single-player experience of naval war from the 17th through 19th centuries, with an emphasis on command and control using an intuitive command scheme. Five major sailing forces are included in the game, as are two pirate forces, and a wide variety of ship types.

Macgamestore.com is currently taking pre-orders for the game for $39.95. It is scheduled to ship at the end of May.

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