5th Fleet

Moby ID: 1689
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Description official descriptions

The 5th Fleet is a hex-based strategical wargame based on the board game 5th Fleet. The game is designed for two players which both take the side of a war party - in matches of a larger scale one war party can include several different countries. The gameplay is strictly turn-based and every day is divided into six rounds (three for each player). Every turn is divided into three phases: submarines, ships and aircraft.

During the phases the players use two different map screens for their planning: the strategic map shows the whole operational zone divided into several areas and the tactical map offers a closer look over one area. The basic orders the players have to give are moving (marking a unit and choosing the goal hex) and attacking (choosing which weapon is used on what target). During longer matches it is also important to take care of replenishment. While naval units have to be moved on the tactical map the players can use the strategic map to plan aircraft movement. As usual for these kind of games everything is represented with abstract symbols on the map.

In single player the game features ten scenarios set in the Indian Ocean or the Persian Gulf with increasing difficulty. There the player takes the role of the American fleet and mostly fights against Russia.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (DOS version)

13 People

Executive Producer
Game Designer
Project Leader
Lead Programmer
Programmers
AI Design
AI Programming
Music
Music/FX Programming
Sound FX
Lead Artist
Artists
Cover Painting

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 66% (based on 11 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.5 out of 5 (based on 5 ratings with 1 reviews)

Another horrible War game with little tolerance for newb's

The Good
Concept was great, I always love the chance to control navy's.

The Bad
Everything else.....

First of all Avalon Hill is probably the worst game maker in the history of PC gaming. Directly converting a board game into PC is good for monopoly but not for war games. Gameplay was boring, totally unrealistic and generally hard to understand. Time and time again I would try to pick up where I had left off and find a way to master and enjoy my expensive purchase. I gave up after about 5 years of trying. (of course most of the time it sat collecting dust)

The Bottom Line
Trust me. If it says Avalon Hill or 5th Fleet on the box dont even look at it too long. You may just buy it.

DOS · by William Shawn McDonie (1131) · 2001

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Related Sites +

  • 5th Fleet Unofficial Support Page
    Contains a lot of information on the game (even music files) including how to install and get it to run. Separate pages on playing it on various Windows systems.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1689
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Bart Van Brabant.

Additional contributors: Jeanne.

Game added June 20, 2000. Last modified February 22, 2023.