''Patriot'' is a

computer wargame A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use an ...

about the Gulf War, developed by

Artech Digital Entertainment Artech Digital Entertainment, Ltd. (stylized as ARTECH studios) was a video game developer formed in 1982 in Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Also known as Artech Studios, the company developed games such as ''Raze's Hell'', ''Monopoly (2000 vid ...

and published by Three-Sixty Pacific. It was released in 1991 for MS-DOS. The player can command either the Iraqi or

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

forces.

Gameplay

Reception

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...

''s April 1993 review began: The reviewer, who participated in the Gulf War and experienced wargamer and computer wargamer, stated that "Based on the program as released, I could not begin to figure out what to do or how to do it. Clearly, there is something wrong with this picture". He criticized the documentation, user interface, unrealistic unit strength, and lack of options such as military intelligence, logistics, or most

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

. The reviewer stated that ''Patriot'' was "the first civilian wargame ever published which could be used immediately in the military for a CPX (

Command Post Exercise A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the comb ...

). And this is part of the problem"; while with many novel features, he wrote; "the lack of a meaningful game dooms the remainder to oblivion". When evaluating version 1.10 of ''Patriot'' in December 1993, the same reviewer noted improvements in the documentation, stability, and user interface. He stated that "this was a wargame straight out of

Command & General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

or the War College. In fact, this remains ''Patriot''s greatest strength and failure — it is simply too military. There is no feeling of action or vicarious thrill/terror ... it often is not fun". The reviewer recommended that "casual gamers" avoid it, advised that the game be "marketed to the defense establishment as a serious tool for decision-making", and suggested that it might assist students in military staff colleges with coursework. In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' declared ''Patriot'' the 45th-worst computer game ever released.

References

{{reflist 1991 video games Computer wargames DOS games DOS-only games North America-exclusive video games Turn-based tactics video games Video games developed in Canada Video games set in Iraq Gulf War video games Artech Studios games Single-player video games