''Patriot'' is a

computer wargame A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use ...

about the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, developed by

Artech Digital Entertainment Artech Digital Entertainment, Ltd. (stylized as ARTECH studios) was a video game developer formed in 1982 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Also known as Artech Studios, the company developed games such as '' Raze's Hell'', ''Monopoly'', ''Jeopardy!'' ...

and published by

Three-Sixty Pacific Three-Sixty Pacific was an American video game publisher and developer. Founded in the late 1980s by avid wargamers and military history enthusiasts, they were acquired by IntraCorp Entertainment Inc. in 1994. Games They have developed the mo ...

. It was released in 1993 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 op ...

. The player can command either the

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i or

Coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

forces.

Gameplay

Reception

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 ...

''s April 1993 review began: The reviewer, who participated in the Gulf War and experienced wargamer and computer wargamer, stated that "Based on the program as released, I could not begin to figure out what to do or how to do it. Clearly, there is something wrong with this picture". He criticized the documentation, user interface, unrealistic unit strength, and lack of options such as

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

, logistics, or most

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

. The reviewer stated that ''Patriot'' was "the first civilian wargame ever published which could be used immediately in the military for a CPX (

Command Post Exercise A military exercise, training exercise, maneuver (manoeuvre), or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations. Military exercises are conducted to explore the effects of warfare or test tactics and stra ...

). And this is part of the problem"; while with many novel features, he wrote; "the lack of a meaningful game dooms the remainder to oblivion". When evaluating version 1.10 of ''Patriot'' in December 1993, the same reviewer noted improvements in the documentation, stability, and user interface. He stated that "this was a wargame straight out of

Command & General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

or the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

. In fact, this remains ''Patriot''s greatest strength and failure — it is simply too military. There is no feeling of action or vicarious thrill/terror ... it often is not fun". The reviewer recommended that "casual gamers" avoid it, advised that the game be "marketed to the defense establishment as a serious tool for decision-making", and suggested that it might assist students in military staff colleges with coursework. In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' declared ''Patriot'' the 45th-worst computer game ever released.

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/10006/patriot, name=''Patriot'' 1993 video games Artech Studios games Computer wargames DOS games DOS-only games Gulf War video games Single-player video games Three-Sixty Pacific games Turn-based tactics video games Video games developed in Canada Video games set in Iraq