Theatre Europe
Encyclopedia
Theatre Europe is a game for the Amstrad CPC
, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64
, MSX
and ZX Spectrum
home computers. It casts the player as either NATO or the countries of the Warsaw Pact
. The goal is to eliminate the other faction without destroying the world in nuclear war
.
Apart from the possibility of using nuclear weapons, the game also includes chemical and conventional weapons.
One unusual aspect of the game is that in order to initiate a nuclear attack, the player had to call a special United Kingdom telephone number to hear the launch code. (Versions of the game localized for the United States directed the player to a U.S. telephone number.) The telephone number connected the player to a recorded message, which started with the sound of air raid sirens and dramatically built up through various sounds of war to a huge explosion, followed by the sound of a crying baby. As this faded out, a voice stated, "If this is really what you want... the code is 'Midnight Sun'".
In contrast to the game's subject matter of war, a portion of the title music is an homage to John Lennon
's 1969 song, "Give Peace a Chance
."
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
home computers. It casts the player as either NATO or the countries of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. The goal is to eliminate the other faction without destroying the world in nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
.
Apart from the possibility of using nuclear weapons, the game also includes chemical and conventional weapons.
One unusual aspect of the game is that in order to initiate a nuclear attack, the player had to call a special United Kingdom telephone number to hear the launch code. (Versions of the game localized for the United States directed the player to a U.S. telephone number.) The telephone number connected the player to a recorded message, which started with the sound of air raid sirens and dramatically built up through various sounds of war to a huge explosion, followed by the sound of a crying baby. As this faded out, a voice stated, "If this is really what you want... the code is 'Midnight Sun'".
In contrast to the game's subject matter of war, a portion of the title music is an homage to John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's 1969 song, "Give Peace a Chance
Give Peace a Chance
"Give Peace a Chance" is a song written by John Lennon, originally under the moniker Lennon–McCartney, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 13 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1809 in the United States. It is the first solo single issued by Lennon, and...
."