''Gunboat'' is a

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of Conceptual model, models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or proc ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed and released by

Accolade The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...

in 1990 for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...

. Ports were released for the Amstrad CPC,

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as t ...

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

and TurboGrafx-16. It is a combat simulator of a Patrol Boat, River (PBR).

Gameplay

''Gunboat' begins in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. When the player earns a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

's bar, the game moves on to fighting drug kingpins in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. After achieving the grade of

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

, the player patrols the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

. The player uses the keyboard, the function keys, and the joystick to move through stations aboard the patrol boat, including the pilot, stern gunner, and midship gunner. The pilot controls the

searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...

s and the speed of the boat, identify targets for the gunners, and command the crew to open fire or cease fire. Each weapon station has a specific gun type: M2 Heavy MG, M134 Gatling Gun, Mk19 Automatic Grenade Launcher, Etc. Each of the weapon is better for certain type of targets, which in turn sometimes requires maneuvering the boat in respective angle of that weapon to the target.

Reception

Brad Bombardiere reviewed the game for ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine 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 1993. It expanded greatly through ...

'', and stated that "for those who have tired of their flight or tank simulators, make a splash with ''Gunboat'', a high speed combat "rollercoaster" ride offering both authenticity and good old shoot-'em- up fun". ''Gunboat'' was rated 9/10 in '' VideoGames & Computer Entertainment''. The PC version of the game received 4 out of 5 stars in ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'', while the Amiga version of the game received 3 out of 5 stars. A 1992 ''

'' survey of wargames with modern settings gave the game three stars out of five, and a 1994 survey gave it two-plus stars.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Gunboat''
at

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''Gunboat''
at

GameFAQs GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...

''Gunboat''
at the Hall of Light 1990 video games Accolade (company) games Amiga games Amstrad CPC games DOS games Naval video games Ship simulation games Single-player video games The Code Monkeys games TurboGrafx-16 games Video games developed in the United States Video games set in Colombia Video games set in Panama Video games set in Vietnam Vietnam War video games ZX Spectrum games

Gameplay

Reception

See also

References

External links