Colonial Conquest

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs

GAME DESIGNER:Dan Cermak
GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI)
GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI)
Copyright 1987, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI)

One of the earliest accessible wargames, Colonial Conquest from Dan Cermak/SSI is a fun strategic simulation of 19th Century Europe attempting to dominate the globe. Released for most 8-bit computers at the time including Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari ST, the game unfortunately never came out for the PC.

In veteran reviewer M. E. Brook’s words, “…this was a very playable, albeit ahistorical, game. Supply and logistics are non-existent, and some strange results occurred (e.g., Japan invading Africa with 1,000,000 troops), but as a light diversion, it could be fun.” If youre looking for a realistic political simulation like Balance of Power, Colonial Conquest will surely disappoint. But if youre looking for a more involved and sophisticated version of Risk, then look no further than this fun underdog one of the first wargames I really liked on our old Apple II back in 1985. Two thumbs up!

Note: This download is version 1.1 for Atari ST – the final version of the game ever released (1987). The emulator takes some set-up to work, though, so you might want to check the excellent fansite below for other versions of the game instead.