Theatre Europe

Theatre Europe
Developer(s)	Sean Pearce David Bolton
Publisher(s)	PSS
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 MSX Atari 8-bit
Release date(s)	NA 1985 EU 1985
Genre(s)	Strategy
Mode(s)	One player

Theatre Europe is a game for the Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, MSX and ZX Spectrum home computers. It casts the player as either NATO or the countries of the Warsaw Pact. The goal is to eliminate the other faction without destroying the world in nuclear war.

Apart from the possibility of using nuclear weapons, the game also includes chemical and conventional weapons.

One unusual aspect of the game is that in order to initiate a nuclear attack, the player had to call a special United Kingdom telephone number to hear the launch code. (Versions of the game localized for the United States directed the player to a U.S. telephone number.) The telephone number connected the player to a recorded message, which started with the sound of air raid sirens and dramatically built up through various sounds of war to a huge explosion, followed by the sound of a crying baby. As this faded out, a voice stated, "If this is really what you want... the code is 'Midnight Sun'".

In contrast to the game's subject matter of war, a portion of the title music is an homage to John Lennon's 1969 song, "Give Peace a Chance."

Reception

The game was voted strategy game of the year at the Golden Joystick Awards.

External links

• Very detailed description of the game
• Theatre Europe at MobyGames
• Theatre Europe at World of Spectrum
• Images,Review in Snapshots and Longplay links