Conflict: Korea Download (1992 Strategy Game)

Assuming you're a glutton for punishment but a stalwart soul who can't stand to see a bully push people around, you've come to the right place when you boot up Conflict Korea. M.A.S.H it isn't but you can still get great satisfaction by turning the tide on the North Korean People's Army that swept so easily into South Korea in the 1950's "police action". Not only do you get the chance to rewrite history (from either side) but you're also offered a chance to do things your way (although somewhat hampered by some puzzling limitations) during a futuristic look at the Korean peninsula. The immediate thing you notice about Conflict Korea is it's simple user-friendly interface that allows easy maneuvering and lets you concentrate on the problem at hand. If you accept the role as leader of the amalgam of forces that make up the United Nation's peacekeeping army, the aforementioned problem becomes serious in a hurry. You're stuck with a smorgasbord of troops ranging from British Army regulars to U.S. Marines with various other nationalities thrown in the troop soup. Your job is to mold this not always in synch group of soldiers together, lay plans for driving the insurgent North Korean's back where they belong and then implementing those plans while juggling defensive holding actions to protect what's been reclaimed and offensive priorities to keep the heat on. Much of the action in the early stages of the game revolve around your ability to organize this conglomerate of soldiers into a meaningful force by using diplomacy, obtaining weapons and equipment, ensuring untrained troops get experience (usually under fire) and exhibiting a high degree of patience until it all comes together and the cavalry (i.e., the U. N. reinforcements and air strike capabilities) flies/sails/rides to the rescue.

Conflict Korea is a logistics test of your capability to balance a widely divergent military action ranging from delaying tactics to a full court press when the time is right. The designers are to be commended for the realistic feel of frustration you can get from controlling the action and the often non-existent ploy of the need for patience not seen in many war games. But the reward is sweet once your forces are buoyed by the (hopefully) timely arrival of carrier air strike capability, amphibious landings, air drops of elite fighting forces, recaptured train lines available for troop movement and reinforcements. The option to play the futuristic scenario, oddly enough, doesn't give you as much of an edge as you might think since the designers decided that air superiority wouldn't be available to the U.N. Too bad, since after working so hard at winning the "police action" the old fashioned way it would be nice to breeze in and mop up quickly. But, the scenarios patterned after the actual 50's conflict should be more than enough to satisfy the action-itch for most war gamers. Combining strategy, patience and battle execution skills, Conflict Korea is an unusual but gratifying war simulation.

Graphics: Normal turn-based, war game icon-intensive.

Sound: Not a big part of this war game.

Enjoyment: A little bit different than many of the war games due in part to the delaying tactics necessary and the slow build up to a superior force. Rather disappointing futuristic scenario but still an interesting option.

Replay Value: Always room for different strategies plus the multiple scenarios provide replay fodder.

Conflict: Korea is a detailed wargame/simulation which concentrates on the first year of the Korean war. Three historical scenarios let you become General MacArthur or the commander of the North Korean forces. A hypothetical 1995 scenario is also included. Game mechanics are similar to other games in this Strategic Simulations series of games, such as Conflict: Middle East, Second Front, and Western Front.

Based on the engine of Conflict: Middle East, this is, in M. Evan Brooks' words, "A simulation of the Korean War (1950-51) and a hypothetical invasion (1995). Detailed and accurate; but while the Korean War went from massive thrust and counterthrust and back again to a static attritional warfare without maneuver, the program only covered the initial year. Granted that the later years were totally different types of warfare, the lack of historical completeness was disappointing. The interface was noteworthy for its awkwardness."

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

People who downloaded Conflict: Korea have also downloaded:
Conflict: Middle East, Civil War Generals 2, Gary Grigsby's Pacific War (2000), Conflict: Vietnam, Divided Ground: Middle East Conflict 1948-1973, Conflict in Vietnam, East Front 2, Allied General