Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition

The Good
Lots of data to ponder. Tends to show that George Washington was far wiser than us pea-brainers today when he counseled against foreign entanglements.

The Bad
There have been others like it: Shadow President and its sequel, CyberJudas, come to mind, as well as a couple of more regional ones. In any case, the main knock against BOP has always been its moral posturing, and the detrimental effect this has on gameplay. In BOP, if you or your opponents--the Russkies--initiate a nuclear war, the game is over and you lose. However great that sounds to politically-correct ears, in practice it makes the game suck. That is to say, the game is reasonably fun up until that one out-of-the-blue escalation that renders all your previous hard work and diplomacy moot. Then you're nothing so much as pissed off.

The Bottom Line
Russian roulette. In the world of BOP, countries are dice-rolling machines that respond instantaneously to your moves, with little to no room whatsoever for maneuver. Make the wrong decision, have the computer roll the wrong number, and KABOOM! Game over.