Theatre Europe is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Personal Software Services. It was first released in the United Kingdom for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit home computers in 1985. It was later released in France by ERE Informatique in 1986, and was released in the United States by Datasoft later that year. It was also ported to the Tatung Einstein home computer in 1989, exclusively in the United Kingdom. It is the fifth instalment of the Strategic Wargames series.
The game is set during a fictional war in Europe between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, in which both sides use nuclear and chemical weapons against each other. The main objective of the game is to fight conventional battles in continental Europe, whilst trying to avoid a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Throughout the game, various capital cities and their civilian populations will be destroyed by nuclear weapons; the game will only end once either side is forced to surrender or if the entire population of Europe perishes. In order to request a nuclear strike, the player was required to call a dedicated telephone number, which led to an automated message announcing the authorisation code.
During development, the developers obtained extensive information and statistics of military strength from the Ministry of Defence and the Soviet embassy in London. Theatre Europe gained national controversy upon release, receiving criticism from both the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and The Sun newspaper. Some high street retail chains refused to sell the game upon release. Despite the controversy, the game received critical acclaim from reviewers. Praise was directed at its accuracy, playability and value for money. It won the “Best Strategy Game” award at the 1985 Golden Joystick Awards and was nominated for the “Game of the Year” title.
