Overrun!

Overrun! is a video game in the strategy genre developed by Strategic Simulations, Inc. and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. originally released in 1989. It is currently playable on Commodore 64.

Overrun! offers a meticulous simulation of late 20th century squad-level action in European and Middle Eastern terrain. Players command a battalion of infantry, armor, artillery and helicopters on behalf of Arab states, Iran, Israel, NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Most of the scenarios are speculative and near-future (including an Iranian invasion of Kuwait), but a historical war, the Arab-Israeli 'October War' of 1973, is featured. A single-player campaign of randomly generated maps has you starting with a main force that, hopefully, you'll retain and expand with each victory.

SSI relies on their Panzer Strike engine with this version. Each unit has several static attributes, from size to morale, and a changing status based on orders and circumstances that determine its combat effectiveness from moment to moment. Weapons - and there are dozens - are carefully detailed with six characteristics of their own. Vehicle armor is distinguished by its location, so targeting also plays an important role. The manual offers a thorough explanation of the mechanics, including formulas, plus a nineteen-page supplement with tables.

The currency of each turn is orders, obtained and expended by each command unit. Without orders, your squadrons will just continue what they are doing or react to what is done to them. If they lose their superior officer, control passes to the computer. Orders are issued almost in real time, because movement and actions occur in twenty-second pulses (game time) and run continuously until a player interrupts the action to issue orders. This combination of a fragile chain of command and continuous play means that letting the eyes wander can turn the unexpected into total defeat.

The game screen is devoted to a small-scale map, fifty meters per square, with one level of zoom out. A lot of scrolling is necessary to judge the terrain, but a useful line-of-sight tool takes some of the guesswork out of it. Below the map is a menu of shortcut commands and submenus, with a status line for the selected unit or terrain. Terrain factors are modified in the game with smoke, either fired by units or resulting from burning vehicles and vegetation.

Scenarios can be played solo, hot-played with two players, or entirely by the computer. A scenario editor offers complete control over map creation and initial forces, plus three different types of engagements, several objectives, and five difficulty levels.

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