Get ready to haul anchor, hoist the mainsail, and prime the cannons: Assassin's Creed Pirates is coming to iOS next week.

A spin-off to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, this seabound adventure puts you in control of a sleuthing seadog named Alonzo Batilla.

It's up to you to maintain Batilla's vessel and look after your crew as you sail across the Caribbean in search of the answer to an ancient - and probably profitable - riddle.

Though the character interactions are handled via crude text bubbles, you will get the chance to steer your ship and do battle with other pirate vessels in real time.

Early impressions are promising, with the game comprising loads of different combat mini-games to master. It's also as pretty as a shiny gold doubloon. 

We'll have a hands-on video up as soon as we can. The game itself will appear on the App Store's horizon on December 5th, and will set you back £2.99 / $4.99