Strike Fleet Explained

Strike Fleet
Developer:Lucasfilm Games
Nickel Ltd. (Amiga, ST)
Publisher:Electronic Arts
Designer:Noah Falstein
Programmer:Lawrence Holland
Artist:Nancy L. Fong
Ken Macklin
Composer:Tom Tenbroek
Nic Tenbroek
Released:1988: C64, Apple II
1989: MS-DOS
1991: Amiga, ST
Genre:Strategy, wargame
Modes:Single-player
Platforms:Commodore 64, Apple II, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST

Strike Fleet is a 1988 video game developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. Strike Fleet is the unofficial sequel to the war game .

The player controls either the American or British Fleets over the course of ten scenarios, of which the last four can be played as a single campaign. The player must fight against the navy and air force of various other nations including Argentina, the Soviet Union, and Iran.

Scenarios

1. Stark Realities

The player's American frigate is on a routine patrol in the Persian Gulf, defending itself and all neutral shipping in the Gulf.

2. The Enemy Below

On May 1, 1982, two British frigates were providing ASW coverage for their forces near Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands, when they detected, and were fired upon, by the Argentine sub . Neither side acknowledged a hit that day. This mission is to search for, and destroy, Argentine submarines that may be in the area.

3. The Road to Kuwait

The captain must escort three tankers through the Persian Gulf.

4. Falklands Defense

During the Falklands War, the captain must engage and destroy three Argentine frigates.

5. Dire Straits

The ship must defend a small convoy of empty oil tankers in the Persian Gulf against speedboats armed with guns and grenades.

6. Atlantic Cork

In a World War III scenario, the captain must prevent the Soviet fleet in the Norwegian Sea from travelling through the GIUK gap, sinking enough ships and subs to seriously cripple their forces.

7. Surprise Invasion

The captain commands as small task force that is trying to prevent a Soviet invasion fleet from reaching Trondheim, Norway.

8. Escape to New York

The captain must make a fast transit to the U.S. east coast, avoiding or defeating Soviet subs, cruisers, and bombers.

9. Wolfpack

The captain must escort a convoy of reinforcements to a U.S. base in Iceland.

10. Mopping Up

The captain must prevent Soviet ships and submarines from returning to their bases to refuel.

Bonus scenarios

The PC version of the game included two bonus missions

11. Bunker Hill Blues

The captain must defend the ship from attacking forces.

12. One for the Gipper

The captain must destroy two oil platforms and one frigate while remaining undamaged.

Reception

Evan Brooks of Computer Gaming World in April 1988 rated Strike Fleet 3.5 stars out of five. He thought that the game improved upon PHM: Pegasus due to the added excitement and variety, while still maintaining quality graphics and historical accuracy. Brooks questioned some decisions regarding the user interface for the bridge and weapons systems.[1] In June 1992 and January 1994 he reiterated his 3.5 stars rating: "Good graphics and game play do much to overcome certain historical inaccuracies ... but switching from bridge-to-bridge to effect changes can be an awkward experience".[2] [3]

Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser of Dragon rated Strike Fleet five out of five stars in June 1988, stating that Strike Fleet was "a software program you must consider for purchase". They praised its scope, graphics, and documentation, and thought the ten included scenarios offered "hours of intense excitement". The Lessers concluded "LucasFilm is to be heartily congratulated".[4]

Ervin Bobo of Compute! in July 1988 liked Strike Fleets documentation and "always good without being cluttered" graphics. He concluded, "Although the notion of commanding a fleet of ships may seem daunting, it can be done. Really".[5]

Jack Warner wrote in The Palm Beach Post in November 1988 that Strike Fleet for Apple II was the only game he knew of that successfully portrayed "modern tactical warfare with a live-action feel", and was much better than PHM: Pegasus.[6]

Reviews

Notes and References

  1. News: April 1988 . Brooks . M. Evan . . Strike Fleet . 36–38 .
  2. The Modern Games: 1950 - 2000 . Computer Gaming World . June 1992 . 24 November 2013 . Brooks, M. Evan . 120.
  3. Brooks . M. Evan . January 1994 . War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950-2000 . Computer Gaming World . 194–212.
  4. The Role of Computers . Lesser. Lesser. Lesser. Hartley. Patricia. Kirk . Dragon . 134 . June 1988 . 80–86.
  5. News: Strike Fleet . Compute! . July 1988 . 10 November 2013 . Bobo, Ervin . 70.
  6. Web site: Warner . Jack . August 12, 1988 . Lucasfim's Strike Fleet has feel of real warfare . March 21, 2022 . 192 . . Cox News Service . The Palm Beach Post.
  7. https://archive.org/details/casus-belli-046/page/n95/mode/2up