A brilliant 1990 abandonware game that's likely to stay relevant for a long time, Conflict: Middle East Political Simulator gives you the job of Israeli Premier. It's set in a hypothetical 1997 that isn't so far from reality. After the last Israeli leader is murdered (a prediction only two years off from the 1995 Rabin assassination), you step into the shoes of the hardest-working man in the Holy Land. Playing Conflict puts you into the Israeli mindset like no newspaper article can. You're surrounded by the potentially hostile Arab states of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, each of which could invade Israel and end your game in a second if you lower your guard.
You can stay in power through diplomacy or military posturing. Sometimes your neighbors will be willing to befriend you, and even become allies, while countries like Libya and Iraq descend into war. But usually one of the neighboring states will threaten you. Purchasing tanks, jets, bombers, spy planes and SAM launchers from arms brokers, you decide when it's wise to arm the border. You can also choose to pre-emptively strike nuclear reactors in countries like Egypt to prevent nuclear blackmail. Other factors include how you choose to deal with the Palestinian problem, which the U.N. will sometimes ask you to address. But the simulation mostly feels like 1970s-1980s Israel, when an uprising wasn't feared so much as an Egyptian tank invasion. All of this isn't as dour as it sounds, thanks to an easy-to-learn interface and the game's frequent tongue-in-cheek humor, which appears in the form of Paperboy-like newspaper headlines.
Conflict is a political/strategy simulator, inspired by a prediction of how events in the Middle East could unfold in the 1990s. In this 1997, the Israeli prime minister dies (either by assassination or by bomb blast), and you're appointed as the new prime minister.
In the game you have to make and follow political policies regarding other countries in the Middle East, control intelligence and purchase arms, try to beat the other countries in the nuclear race and keep peace with the Palestinians and, of course, conduct battles with other countries.
Let me first say, this game is pretty cool.
Put into the role of the new Israeli Prime Minister in January 1997 just after the previous one was assassinated, you are thrust into the corrupt world of fantasy Middle Eastern politics.
As Prime Minister (PM), you need to make diplomatic relations with your neighbors either for better or worse, whichever suits you, and make sure you stay on top at all times. You don't need to worry about Lebanon or Jordan. The countries of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, should be your top priorities. I'll explain this in further detail.
You can only go to war with the countries neighboring Israel. Lebanon is easy since you can usually win a war with them within a single month if you have a lot of tanks and air forces. Jordan usually takes about two to three months to conquer. Syria is a challenge, but can still be beaten, especially if you build up forces on the border quickly and invade. Egypt is pretty much a no-go. They have a superior military, air force, and resources. The only ways I found to beat them are either an extremely lucky sneak attack, attacking them while they are at war with Libya, or taking them out by supporting insurgents in their country. The last option is the easiest. I once won an entire game by using this tactic. The only way to get rid of countries like Libya, Iraq, and Iran, is to support insurgents.
Yes, the way to win the game is by being the last stable country in the Middle East. That in itself is easier said than done. Ending up going to war with either Syria or Egypt when you aren't ready happens quite often, or one of the nations will acquire nuclear technology before you do and nuke you.
On top of either becoming friends or enemies with your surrounding countries, you have options such as buying weapons and such from France, the U.S., Britain, or the Black Market. You can take strategic actions against your neighbors such as posting troops on their adjacent borders, making tactical air strikes, and invading. You can fund Israel's nuclear program (which is actually a good idea) and also take care of problems with the Palestinians. Usually for me, things are okay and I never need to post a brigade, but every once in awhile I need my police to go in and knock some heads around.
Every year at around July, a summit is called, and if you go to it, the U.S. usually wants you to either stop increasing the size of your army for two years or make a homeland for Palestinians. I usually allow the Palestinian homeland, but ignore their wanting to stop my army's growth.
At the end of the year, you either have the option to increase your defense budget, leave it the same, or decrease it. Increasing it too much can cause problems, so be careful!
All in all, I rate this game a 5. Fun, quick, easy to learn, it's got it all. Have fun!
Well, the whole game is based on the Middle East situation. You're the leader of Israel and your main goal is to make your country a stable country in the Middle East. Make friends and enemies, attack neighbours, buy tanks and airplanes and much more. Do not make too much enemies, cuz they might kill your country too.
The game is ok, the graphics are very basic and the sounds are minimal. The gameplay is ok, but it's not a real addicting game. The main idea of the game is very good though.
How to run this game on modern Windows PC?
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