''Strike Fleet'' is a 1988

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Lucasfilm Games Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor, former video game developer and publisher, and a subsidiary of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development grou ...

and published by

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...

. It was released for the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. ''Strike Fleet'' is the unofficial sequel to the war game ''PHM: Pegasus''. The player controls either the United States Navy, American or Royal Navy, British Navy, 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 An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

of various other nations including

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Scenarios

1. Stark Realities

The player's American frigate is on a routine patrol in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, 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 Stanley (also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a population o ...

on the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

, 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 Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

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 The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separate ...

from travelling through the

GIUK gap The GIUK gap (sometimes written G-I-UK) is an area in the northern Atlantic Ocean that forms a naval choke point. Its name is an acronym for ''Greenland, Iceland'', and the ''United Kingdom'', the gap being the two stretches of open ocean amo ...

, sinking enough ships and subs to seriously cripple their forces.

7. Surprise Invasion

The captain commands a 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 ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' 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. 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". Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser of ''

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

'' 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". Ervin Bobo of ''

Compute! ''Compute!'' (), often stylized as ''COMPUTE!'', is an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's ''PET Gazette'', one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET. ...

'' in July 1988 liked ''Strike Fleet''s 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". Jack Warner wrote in ''

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and '' The Palm Beach Daily News' ...

'' 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''.

Reviews

* ''

Casus Belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one bou ...

'' #46 (August 1988)

References

External links

* * * {{abime, id=2147 1988 video games Amiga games Apple II games Atari ST games Cold War video games Commodore 64 games DOS games LucasArts games Naval video games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States