As if anyone could keep a cool head and methodically move forward with any plans once DEFCON 1 rolls around, you see nothing but incoming chaos and nuclear devastation. Despite the fact that you undeniable know that you’re playing a game and have no real stains of guilt on your conscious for allowing your “people” to die – DEFCON manages to bring you immediately into the emotions of the situation and make you very aware of the ethical ramifications of nuclear war in the real-world.

Sure it’s fun to blow everyone up – but then you realize that you are part of that “everyone” should such a horrible thing ever come to pass. How often is it that a video game allows you to have both a visceral response of pleasure from playing it as well as the mental challenge of having to think things through on a broader level?

In the end, DEFCON is a game I would heartily recommend to anyone interested in a simple game of war. It may seem like a virtual game of Risk, in which there are no winners, but the fact that such entertainment can be found for such a reasonable price and come bundled with the added bonus of making its players think above and beyond their expectations – but, what’s wrong with that? All is fair in love and war, and you will love DEFCON.

Or else!

DEFCON gets high praise for online play and thought provoking content. More information and a game play trailer can be found on Ambrosia's website.

DEFCON is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Mild Violence. This game can also be found on: PC.