Decision in the Desert game banner

Decision in the Desert

$6.99
Release Date:
Developer:
Microprose
Publisher:
Atari
Platforms:
Windows
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Game Tags

About This Game

El Alamein, October 1944. You hear the rumble of three hundred enemy tanks advancing against your position in the North African desert. Deploy your tanks, artillery, air cover and ground troops in this historically accurate simulation. Victory or defeat. It is in your hands.

Decision in the Desert is a classic real-time simulation game from the 80s designed by Sid Meier and Ed Bever. The second title in the "Command Series" of tactical wargames from Microprose, the game features real-time battles that test your skills as a commander.

Five different scenarios from the North African Campaign (1940 to 1942), each with multiple variables, along with different levels of difficulty will have you playing again and again.

Accelerated real-time simulation
Historically accurate scenarios
Different skill levels
Single player campaign
Two-play head-to-head
Choose to lead either side
In-depth historical backgrounds and hints

The idea for the Command Series came from observation of actual tabletop military scenario exercises. The games challenge you to manage assets, strategically place and move them around the battlefield map, and try to outmaneuver the enemy. Sid Meier, one of the most well-known and prolific strategy game designer-producers, collaborated with historian Ed Bever to make the games historically accurate.

The Command Series, including Decision in the Desert, Crusade in Europe, and Conflict in Vietnam, has been brought back by Atari and the titles are now available on Steam.

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User Reviews

Mixed
4 user reviews
50%
Positive
10 min at review
Not Recommended

This 8-bit Atari game will load up on your PC with Steam, but it has NOT been converted to play with a mouse and/or keyboard, so you can't actually PLAY it on your PC. Save your time and money and skip this one.

4 helpful
1 hrs at review
Recommended

The game has a nasty game-breaking bug that locks up the simulation during the first attack in any scenario. Fortunately, there's an easy fix: 1. Navigate to the installation directory. 2. Open 'dosbox.conf' in any text editor. 3. Find the text string "cycles=4000" and change it to "cycles=auto". 4. Save the file, close it, and play the game as usual. Other than that, Decision in the Desert is pretty much the same as its predecessor, Crusade in Europe, with the twist of smaller—but more numerous—armies (lots of brigades with just a few divisions here and there). If you have played the previous game, you already know the drill. The game adds a new unit, mechanized infantry, so that's cool. New terrain types also make a first appearance here with airfields and escarpments. Airfields grant victory points when captured, while escarpment terrain simply slows units down. The micro can get a bit more time-consuming than in the prequel since you have to juggle around more units and ...

3 helpful
11 min at review
Not Recommended

Don't get this game unless its for sale or unless you're a WW2 Buff interested in the North Africa Campaign between the British Italians and Germans. Also this is only the dos version which is the worst version. You should get the one for atari home computer either that or c64 on an emulator. The game uses the same engine as Crusade in Europe, Conflict in Vietnam and NATO commander. But Crusade in Europe is much better. The game features only five scenarios with only a few features. There is very very little variety. Its about as repetitive as Ring around the rosey or the hokey pokey. The only manuals available are for atari or commodore. If you want to play as the AXIS you must push Q button. Just like With Crusand and nam. Unfortunately it just doesn't do justice to WW2 the way Crusade does. I remember when My father bought it 30 years ago. he was very disappointed. He mistakenly thought it was about Desert Storm or wars in Israel. Instead it was just some lousy North African w...

3 helpful
9 min at review
Recommended

Classic Sid Meier <3

System Requirements

Minimum

Minimum:
  • OS *: Windows 7 or higher
  • Processor: Pentium 4 or higher
  • Memory: 256 MB RAM
  • Graphics: DirectX 9 compatible card
  • Storage: 256 MB available space
  • Additional Notes: Runs on DOSBox;

FAQ

How much does Decision in the Desert cost?

Decision in the Desert costs $6.99.

What are the system requirements for Decision in the Desert?

Minimum: Minimum: OS *: Windows 7 or higher Processor: Pentium 4 or higher Memory: 256 MB RAM Graphics: DirectX 9 compatible card Storage: 256 MB available space Additional Notes: Runs on DOSBox;

What platforms is Decision in the Desert available on?

Decision in the Desert is available on Windows PC.

Is Decision in the Desert worth buying?

Decision in the Desert has 50% positive reviews from 4 players.

When was Decision in the Desert released?

Decision in the Desert was released on Nov 30, 2021.

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