Action in The North Atlantic

Action in The North Atlantic is a video game in the strategy genre developed by General Quarters Software and published by General Quarters Software originally released in 1989. It is currently playable on DOS.

One of General Quarters' best games, Action in The North Atlantic is a fun and accessible naval simulation set in World War II. The game focuses on a single battle: the Battle of Murmansk in World War II, in which your goal as the British naval commander is to sink the Germans' formidable Scharnhorst, or survive the British onslaught as the German commander.

There are many gameplay options that affect the length and difficulty of the game. You can choose whether to play at the tactical or strategic level, control the British or German navy, and the number of turns (for the tactical level) or days (for the strategic level) before the game ends. If you choose to play at the tactical level, you will command a single battleship, with a realistic radar screen and ship characteristics. You can smoke, train and fire cannons, as well as retreat from battle, or even sink the ship if the probability of losing is too great.

The graphics, being CGA only, are more than adequate for the game's focus on realism. A nice touch is that any shot you fire is animated on the screen and leaves a visible hole in the enemy's ship on impact. In this way, you can gauge the damage level of enemy ships by observing the size and number of holes in their hulls. Unfortunately, this also applies to YOUR ship, and maneuvering becomes the key to success, especially if you control the Scharnhorst on the German side, which is heavily outnumbered by numerous British warships. Once the battle is over or the maximum number of turns has been reached, the battle result is displayed with vital statistics, which can be printed on paper (although I doubt any modern printer will make this function work).

The game's strategic command mode, in contrast to the tactical mode, puts you in command of the entire fleet. In addition to plotting the courses of the various ships in your fleet, you can also call in an air strike, conduct aerial reconnaissance, and use submarines. As in any good strategic-level war game, astute planning and good timing are key to the success of your mission.

With two very different game modes, solid computer AI, a good balance of realism and gameplay, and an easy-to-use interface, Action in The North Atlantic is a fun naval simulation worth playing for all armchair commanders.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.