"Abrams" as it was called in your dos prompt was THE very first computer game I ever played at the age of 9, and on a Hercules monochrome to boot (anybody remember the greenish black screens?) and to this day I still believe it surpassed many a tank simulator that came out on the market not just for other computers but for nintendo and even the battle tank that came out for super nintendo.
Abrams gave you many features you just didn't see back then such as: tank damage that affected performance, ordinance that would not work on certain targets in real life were reflected in game (like taking out a T-72 with your coaxial machine gun, or firing a heat round at a soft bmp, just passes through it because of lighter armor), smoke charges, thermal imaging, 3-d terrain, and even an encounter with an MI-28 Hind.
"Abrams" as it was called in your dos prompt was THE very first computer game I ever played at the age of 9, and on a Hercules monochrome to boot (anybody remember the greenish black screens?) and to this day I still believe it surpassed many a tank simulator that came out on the market not just for other computers but for nintendo and even the battle tank that came out for super nintendo.
Abrams gave you many features you just didn't see back then such as: tank damage that affected performance, ordinance that would not work on certain targets in real life were reflected in game (like taking out a T-72 with your coaxial machine gun, or firing a heat round at a soft bmp, just
passes through it because of lighter armor), smoke charges, thermal imaging, 3-d terrain, and even an encounter with an MI-28 Hind. Abrams is placed in eastern Europe in the scenario of the Warsaw pact failing and the U.S. and Soviet Union engaging in direct hostilities against each other. It was never an easy game for me, even playing it after so many years (I assumed age would help) but the game maintains its challenge for any user in any age range. Best of all is you can actually play the game with sound unlike the flight simulators of the time.
Gameplay was, while not extremely fluid, not nearly as rocky as the original prince of Persia either and played quite simply and well with the keypad for throttle control and turret rotation on the fly and the keyboard for miscellaneous defense measures and combat control. For starting the game however you will need the manual and tank schematics card (it uses TANK ID questions for copyright control) which should be bundled with the game or else.....well you will just need to know your armor and its weight and dimensions and names.
There is a reward section to the game where you will be able to receive commendations or some pretty harsh words from your commander should you fail in your mission which is not a good option to explore as it will permanently end your game career should you not have a penchant for frequent saving. But it is just there to augment the game play and to use as a gauge for your playing abilities.
I really can't say enough in favor of this game, I think anybody that is in to blowing stuff up especially in war sims should try it out as this game has not been redone well at all since it's release and best of all I never once encountered a bug while playing it. So you should try it too! Also try B-17 by microprose if you like this you won’t be disappointed.
