Operation: Tiger
Release type: Shareware
Release date: 1992
Levels: 5
Author: Sherwood Forest Software
Registration bonus: Bonus game + current catalog
Registration price: $15
Related games: N/A
Not to be mistaken for Don'Pan Software's Operation Killbot.
It's surprising there aren't more top-down arcade action games on RSD's engine. Operation: Tiger is a shooter in the Iron Tank mold; unlike Panzer 1945 it has a single fire button instead of the four-way Robotron scheme that speeds up the best roaming shooters. Nevertheless, the game controls pretty well and the threats are pretty sensible.
Furthermore, the game is couched in a historical setting that threatens to become educational in the manner of the best Apple ][ games from the 1980s. Think Ikari Warriors crossed with Oregon Trail.
It's frustrating, as Operation: Tiger could easily be a focused and satisfying game. You've got a tank, and can shoot a shell. Stay on the path and you'll probably be safe. Stray from the path at your peril. There are mines and shells and enemy tanks all over the place. Try to push toward the next base with as little damage as possible. All of the right elements are there, and for a few minutes the game feels pretty satisfying. The problem is in the execution; it just doesn't go far enough.
All of the game's five levels are geometrically identical; the only difference is in the placement of monsters and obstacles. It's rarely clear where to go, except perhaps to follow the road. With a little more attention to the substance of the design, we might be onto something neat.
Unlike Tiger's companion game Air-Strike 42, at least here the level goals are clearly marked. With perseverance and caution, the player can progress in a rational and deliberate way. So the game is playable and complete. It just could have used a little more love before getting shoved out the door to make room for the next idea.
Story[edit]
Welcome to the 7th army. Your commanding officer is General George Patton. You are in command of an army tank and its crew. Your rank is Captain. You have been sent to northern Italy and the southern part of Germany. You have command of the latest in armored vehicles the allies have to offer, the Sherman tank. The mission we are sending you on is code named Operation Tiger. It is a mission to destroy the Tiger tanks of the Germans, as you travel from headquarters to headquarters in the European theatre of operation. Good luck, Captain. Good hunting, and let's bring home a victory.
Instructions[edit]
In Operation Tiger, you must go from the Allied bases (they are the ones with the red flags), to the Axis bases (blue flags) as you blow up the enemy tanks.
You control the direction of your tank using the four main arrow keys or the joystick.
To fire a shell press the spacebar or the fire button.
In the beginning it is not too hard. The tanks are slow, and there are not a lot of mines. As you progress in battle, the tanks get faster and more mines are hidden in the ground. In the first two fields the road is not mined, so it is fairly safe to travel the road. After the second field, even the roads are mined.
Watch out for bomb craters. Your tank can pass over some with no effort; others will ruin your steering, and some will even destroy your tank.
In the fifth battlefield you have a new nemesis: anti-tank jeeps that are fast, and they are indestructable. The only defense to them is to avoid them.
You have three tanks and five battlefields, so be careful and you may bring back a victory for the U.S.A. yet.
Credits[edit]
Operation Tiger is another product from Sherwood Forest Software. Sherwood Forest Software is made up of Rob Sherwood, President, and Dan Whalen, Art Director. Any resemblance to any person or persons either living or dead and any person in this game is not intentional, and purely coincidental.
Availability[edit]
This game seems to have been made available on several shareware compilation CD-ROMs. More precise details TBD.
Archive History[edit]
On February 24, 2011, Gary Acord, offered access to several games by other authors that were not otherwise available at that time. Amongst those titles was Operation: Tiger.
Links[edit]
Downloads[edit]
- Operation: Tiger (125.9 kB)
- Level 1 map (131.9 kB)
- Level 2 map (135.3 kB)
- Level 3 map (139.3 kB)
- Level 4 map (139.4 kB)
- Level 5 map (143.4 kB)
