ZZAP!64 - Issue 2 - June 1985

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STARTING A
NUCLEAR
WAR
The most controversial part
of the program involves the
use of chemical and nuclear
weapons. You are given the
option of selecting these
'special missions' at the end
of each turn.
A CHEMICAL LAUNCH is
automatically targeted on an
enemy supply city. A special
readout will give you the de
tails and expected results.
will also tell you the results of
the attack. Using this mission
carries the risk of an enemy
nuclear response.
A STRATEGIC NUCLEAR
ATTACK involves some nailbiting
and tense moments.
When you first switch to
nuclear mode you are given
30 seconds to ring a phone
number and obtain a special
authorisation code. This is a
real number, 0203 668405,
contactable 24 hours a day.
If you enter the correct
code number (it's always the
same) then you are allowed
direct control over all targeting
and warheads. There are
three separate settings:
• Standby, which you revert
to if you decide against a
launch.
• Strategic launch, in which
a single nuclear strike can be
targeted on an enemy city or
unit (see below). Enemy reaction
will be severe.
• Fire-Plan, a full-scale
strike. This should NEVER be
used. Retaliation is extreme
beyond measure.
Targeting a single nuclear
or chemical launch is alarmingly
simple. You are given
control of a cursor which you
can position over the desired
target. Press fire and the rest
is done automatically.
When under enemy
nuclear attack, a launch will
be detected and a large
Impact Predictor cursor will
precede the target cursor. If
you have an option called
'reflex system' switched on,
your forces will automatically
launch a strike of similar
size. There is nothing you can
do but watch the targets
destroyed in a chilling sequence
of graphic screens.
As you play this game, it
becomes increasingly clear
that the war cannot be won
with nuclear weapons. Only
lost.
It
hopes that his program will
Effective noises plus
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one of
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different, and you can play
' either peace. 'I think
side.
it's a crying
shame that there are so
many problems in the world
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0/ y°u re strong enough to grapple with the alarming game and all we can
concept,
do is sit back
/Q you'll find this one very, very special indeed. nuclear weapons
because we mistrust each
Developing Theatre Europe
gave experienced war games
programmer Alan Steele one
of the frights of his life. It happened
The atmosphere
ng|
generated
\ by this excellentgame is
incredible, and virtually
K
by an ything else
}%. available on the 64. Using the
unpleasant and horrific
subject of nuclear war, for
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mm the purpose of a game, may
Jjf appear distasteful to some.
But on playing it will be seen
as the game reached
that, as in real life, the use of completion. He and the rest
Ilf nuclear weapons for the of the PSS team had done
11^ purpose of winning a war, is extensive research into the
a futile one and gains
relative strengths of the
nothing.
NATO and Warsaw Pact
/ was amazed: me, a wargames hater loving a
forces, including contacts
war game. It must be special and it is. The
with the Ministry of Defence
combination of the most tense and atmospheric
screens yet seen on the 64 with a
London.
and the Soviet embassy in
simple to use, yet complex war game is
With the information, they
stunning. Although the game is controversial
programmed in the figures
it in fact makes dear the horrors of a nuclear
and then let the computer
conflict. The graphic details ofthe outcome of
play itself to see what happened.
The result was chill-
a nuclear war in Europe was a far cry from the
'blast the Commies' tone of other games.
ing. Every time the communist
forces scored an overwhelming
victory, leaving
Nato with the stark option of
The arcade screens
using nuclear weapons, or
allowing West Germany to
At the start of the game there is an option: choose wh
fall.
you'd like action screens or not. (Serious wargamers shou
Alan says the experience
take this option).
had a big impact on him. 'For
When you attack or are under attack you are asked to select a a long time I'd wanted to
battle. Move the cursor over the desired unit and a picture of a write a war game based on
plain with mountains in the background will be presented on the current situation in
screen with planes, helicopters and tanks moving about.
Europe to see what would
A target cursor is under your control in Missile Command si
happen. I didn't start out with
and you use this to destroy the enemy.
any axe to grind, we just took
The tanks which trundle up and down the road
the program and put in the
reground are your forces. Be careful not to hit them as they fire most reliable information we
it the planes too and can bring them down.
could get. I find the result
How well vou do on this screen — ie. how many tanks and very disturbing — after all it's
rvr
roy with how many missiles — plays a major part NATO's avowed policy to go
erformance is taken into consideration as a nuclear if its conventional
actor deciding the fate of your forces elsewhere. So if
forces cannot hold back the
dly in this phase then expect severe losses all round. Warsaw pact forces in a
future war.'
The superiority of the
Q
Warsaw Pact was so great
0 / The large package has an
that PSS have actually had to
/q excellent instruction Q A Certainly
Q/
not just another
booklet, a/ossv maD. Qtf /O w 9ame.
fiddle the figures in the version
of the program that's
been released. Otherwise,
they say,
Certainly better than most Q Ey 0/ Be careful. The effect this
war games!
71 %
it wouldn't make a
13 /O 9ame can have on you reasonable game —
is
the
alarming.
same side would always win.
50UND
^STABILITY
Alan himself strongly
other.'
Why the figures
were fiddled
20 ZZAP! 64 June 1985