The Kiwi software development company Dinther Product Design launched the first version of its free ship simulation, Ships, the other day, which leverages on the browser-based Google Earth plugin as the primary graphics engine, according to the Google Earth Blog.

First of all, let me point out that I was never much of a gamer, save for a brief Amiga period some 20 years ago, but this one actually had me impressed. Not so much by the game’s features and functionality perhaps as by its availability, as a free of charge offer based on third party R&D and development, such as Google’s ever-improving Google Earth.

If you’ve used Google Earth before, you already know some of the drill. Type in any location in the world (or click on it on the map), and you’re there. Personally I couldn’t resist ordering a huge container vessel to the Oslo harbour, as seen in this screendump:

A container vessel next to Oslo's Aker Brygge.

As you will see from the above screendumps, Ships is nowhere near the realistic experience you get from simulation programmes applied in commercial training, but it is great fun, offering different angles and vantage points, a selection of vessel classes, close to realistic navigation features (but no cigar) and, above all, hours of fun, if you’re so inclined.

I suppose it’s pretty obvious by now that I have no future as a gaming critic, but I thought you might be interested. Please check it out (requires that you download the Google Earth plugin). Before you do, you may find this brief walk-through interesting, though:

Top photo: Screendump from Ships, showing the “Queen Mary 2″ in Rotterdam.