Terrorist (video game)
A two-player strategy game about terrorism and government response.
Terrorist is a real-time, two-player strategy game developed by Steven Pederson of Edu-Ware Services for the Apple II and published in 1980. One player controls a government authority while the other commands a terrorist organization across three scenarios: building seizure with hostages, air piracy, and nuclear blackmail. The game uses an elaborate scoring system to determine the winner based on the government's societal values and the terrorist's objectives.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Edu-Ware
- Designer
- Steven Pederson
- Released
- 1980 (NA)
- Genre
- Strategy
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Apple II
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Terrorist is a two-player game where both participants make moves simultaneously using the Apple II's game paddles. The terrorist player begins by employing a scenario generator to define the government being targeted, selecting among societal values such as individual rights, state rights, and economic progress; for instance, the United States emphasizes the former while Japan emphasizes the latter. The terrorist then chooses one of three fictional organizations: the International Brotherhood for Liberation, the National Fundamentals Army, or the People's Low Republic, and develops a list of demands. The National Fundamentalist Army, for example, is concerned that a rapist/murder is not being efficiently brought to trial. Once the political environment and goals are set, real-time action begins, with each player independently calling up different options via the game paddles. Designer Pederson intentionally introduced clumsiness through the paddle controls, stating that the player simulates a decision maker whose actions may not be executed or may be executed too late, reflecting that leaders are not in full control of all events.
Reception
Terrorist sold only a few hundred units, typical of Edu-Ware's zip-lock bag era, but received positive reviews. Peelings II magazine gave it an 'A' rating, praising the well-organized text layout of the game screens, though criticizing the scoring algorithm as opaque and programmer-oriented. John Martellaro, in his Peelings II review, highlighted the game's educational value, suggesting it would be suitable for a college history or political science class. Bruce Webster, reviewing in The Space Gamer No. 31, noted that while the game is not cheap, interested buyers should get it, but warned that like Diplomacy and other political games, it could cause players to lose friends if taken too personally.
More in Apple II Game Library
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced