Decision in the Desert

Developer: Microprose
Publisher: Atari
Genres: Simulation, Strategy
Rating: 3.0 of 5, 5 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 11 minutes
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A precise, tense historical wargame where you methodically deploy units against an advancing enemy in real time.

real-timetacticalhistoricalsimulationtensestrategicminimalistmethodical

What players say

Players say the Steam version is barely playable out of the box: it lacks mouse and keyboard controls, and a bug halts the first attack unless you manually edit the dosbox config. Those who get it running find it a shallow, repetitive wargame with only five scenarios, and many recommend the Atari or Commodore 64 original instead.

Screenshots

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More by MicroProse Software, Inc.

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.