Operation Market Garden (Atari 8-Bit, 5 1/4" Disk) Strategic Simulations, Inc. - 1985 USA, Canada Release

Operation Market Garden
Product ID	SSIIN0093
Platform(s)	Atari 8-Bit
Packaging	Retail Box
Media	5 1/4" Disk
Copyright date	1985
Publisher(s)	Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Category(s)	Entertainment, Simulation, Wargame, World War II Wargame
Country of Origin	United States of America

Description from the packaging.

Airborne Assault

Operation Market Garden was Field Marshal Montgomery's brainchild, a brash- and as judged by history, uncharacteristic and ill-advised- plan to accelerate the Allied invasion of Germany. Its objective was to secure the crossings over the great Dutch rivers, Maas, Waal, and Lower Rhine, thus opening a path for an armored advance into northern Germany before the onset of winter.

Launched September 17, 1944, Operation Market required the U.S. 101st, 82nd and British 1st Airborne Divisions to capture the bridges at Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem, respectively. At the same time, Operation Garden demanded a 64-mile ground advance to Arnhem by the British armored 30th Corps.

Due to hasty strategic decisions and bad luck, Montgomery came up one bridge too short- and failed.

For the armchair general who'd like to try his hands at directing the historic operation- and possibly changing it's outcome, SSI presents this realistic and exciting simulation.

It is really two games in one. The Advanced Game gives hardcore strategists full control of the action: For example, you plot artillery barrages and determine supply drops. The simpler Intermediate Game uses the computer to handle these chores. Hidden movement is an option in both versions.

From the battleground terrain to the original 'cast of characters,' every historical detail has been painstakingly recreated. Each engineer, infantry, mechanized infantry, tank, artillery, recon, elite glider and paratroop unit is rated for combat strength, effectiveness and fortification level.

Game play covers air strikes, combat, cross-river assaults, and bridge construction/destruction. Units can change between normal and travel modes, and are supplied along an extensive road network. You can build battalions into brigades and regiments, or break them down as you wish. As in the real battle, weather conditions will affect the availability of air strikes and reinforcement/supply drops.

Defensive/offensive fire phases and HQ command center control impart a strong tactical flavor, further enhanced by such features as order of battle and time of battle. The former lets you decide which of your units goes first into combat; the latter determines how effectively they fight as a function of the length of time they have been in a given position.

The computer not only handles all administrative drudgery to make this simulation playable and fun, it also plays one mean game. If you opt for solitaire play, it directs the Germans.

• Scrolling Hi-Res color display covers the 31 x 32 hexgrid mapboard, showing your units, the complete road network, terrain, bridges, towns and cities.
• Units statistics for battalions.
• A four-color laminated mapboard showing the entire battlefield is provided to help you plot strategy.

• Battalion-level game on 32 x 31 hex grid map (each hex represents two miles); brigade/regimental buildups and breakdowns possible.
• Each unit rated for fire strength, efficiency, fortification level, stacking value, and type. Unites enter/leave travel mode and draw supplies on the detailed road network.
• Historical and free set-up scenarios with hidden movement option covering the battle from September 17 through 26 in ten turns.
• Game play covers air strikes, HQ command control, combat, cross-river assaults with airborne/engineer units, and bridge blowing/building. Weather affects availability of air strikes and reinforcement/supply drops.
• Allows you to decide order of battle, plot offensive/protective barrages.
• Two-player and computer-as-German scenarios. Includes Advanced Game and simpler Intermediate Game.

Operation Market Garden was designed by David Landry and Chuck Kroegel.

• Playing Time: 10 Hours
• Advanced game with Intermediate game included.

System Requirements

Atari 8-Bit
Required RAM	48K

Links

• Atarimania
• Mobygames