What is Stratego: The Computer Game?

Accolade’s Stratego: The Computer Game is not just another weak rendition of the best-selling board game. In fact, Accolade’s version improves significantly on the original board game in several ways. For one, although the Stratego computer opponent may seem a bit predictable compared with the human variety, at least it’s always ready and willing to play.

Just as in the classic Milton Bradley test of military cunning, Stratego’s objective is simple — capture the enemy’s flag before the enemy captures yours. Each side deploys an army of 32 officers (valued according to their rank), 1 spy, 6 bombs, and 1 flag. For quick setup, you can choose from a library of 13 preconfigured battlefield formations or create your own and save them to disk.

A typical game takes about ten minutes. You fight battles, defuse bombs, and try to protect your spy. Battles are sparked when two opposing pieces try to occupy the same square on the board. Victory goes to the higher-ranking piece, and ties end in mutual defeat. Because the enemy’s strength is hidden until revealed in battle, caution and concentration are rewarded.
The computer opponent has five levels of ability, but even the highest level is somewhat predictable. Stratego more than compensates for this in rule variations. There’s Silent Defense, in which only the attacker reveals rank. Playing under Aggressor Advantage rules, the attacker is always the winner in battles against equalranking defenders. And Rescue returns one captured piece to the field when a player reaches the enemy’s back row.

Besides opponent predictability, Stratego’s only other shortcoming is the copy protection code wheel you must consult each time you launch the application. But these are minor drawbacks of a well-designed game. Stratego offers three different game boards and piece sets as well as impressive digitized sound effects and music. Well tailored to the Mac, it’s MultiFinder-friendly and looks great in 8-bit color and monochrome modes.

Linzmayer, Owen W. (May 1991). Stratego: The Computer Game. MacUser. (pg. 88).

Download Stratego: The Computer Game for Mac

Architecture

Motorola 68K

System Requirements

From Mac OS 4.0 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II