RAM !®

Ancient Greek Naval Warfare

*Meanwhile, unstirring and godlike athlete, son of Peleus, Prince Achilleus wailed by his racing ships.

He would not enter the assembly of emulous men, nor ever go to war, but felt his valor stalling in his breast with idleness, and missed the cries of battle.*- Iliad, book I

Chalcis. . .Naupactus. . .Erineus. . .These were grand naval battles, perhaps unknown to modern garners enamoured with panzers, battleships and machine pistols. But to the men who rowed the bronze-plated triremes across the blue Mediterranean, they were sites of hard-fought engagements during the bloody Peloponnesian War. Now, with RAM!, you can refight these ancient naval battles, possibly to a new conclusion.

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Strategic Map

CALCIS: the well-manned Athenian fleet attempts to stop the Corinthian fleet from breaking out and delivering troops to their Spartan allies. As the Athenian commander, Phormio, you must ram and sink the enemy vessels. Beware, however: entangling your ships with the Corinthians' will lead to ship-to-ship melee and probable disaster, as the Corinthian marines arc much to be feared.

NAUPACTUS: while outfitting your ships for battle, your fleet is caught unawares by the Corinthians. Can you maneuver out of the trap and escape slaughter . . . with the enemy on one side and the rocky shore on the other?

ERINEUS: the Corinthians force a battle on equal terms. This time you are better prepared, but you are soon to discover that the enemy has a surprise for you: they have reinforced the bows of their triremes, making their rams even more deadly. Is your noble fleet a match for them?

RAM! simulates ship-to-ship combat during the Peloponnesian War for one player. In addition, the accompanying instructions contain historical commentary on the ships, the battle, and the fighting men. The computer keeps track of everything: from the strength of your attack to the fatigue of your rowers. This is a 'real time' game: you must keep constant tabs on the situation, as indecision could mean quick defeat.

In addition to the above scenarios, RAM! also allows you to reenact your own historical engagement, or create a hypothetical one. You can even play the scenarios as a four battle campaign, refitting your ships and buying supplies between each encounter.

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Tactical Map

RAM! is ready to run on your IBM® PC or PC jr with a minimum of 128K memory, a color graphics board and one disk drive. RAM! can also he played on:

■ the Compaq® Computer with 128K RAM and one disk drive, or

■ the Chameleon Plus® by Seequa with 128K RAM and one disk drive.

**one player

complexity level:** 6

(on a scale of 1-introductory to 10-advanced)

playing time:'/² to 1 hour

Source:

Back of Box - DOS (US)