World War III- Black Gold is a real time strategy game for the PC from the developers of the hugely successful Earth 2150 and The Moon Project. Originally released in October 2001, it allows players to take command in a realistic global conflict for control of the world’s rapidly depleting oil reserves. Gamers in the UK can now plot to save the World.

World War III – Black Gold is the first real-time strategy game for the PC with a realistic, contemporary setting and fully 3D environments. World War III – Black Gold eschews gargoyles and blasters in favour of real-world weapons from the present day in a frighteningly realistic political scenario.

In a secret session of the Central Geological UN Commission it is revealed that worldwide oil stocks have plummeted to dangerously low levels. If consumption remains at current levels, oil reserves will be depleted in two to three years. A new age of anarchy and chaos ensues.

The United Nations General Assembly drafts a resolution that places all the world’s remaining oil reserves under UN control. OPEC countries unite in defiance of the UN. Placed in an intractable position, the UN passes a new resolution, calling for the forcible capture of all oil reserves.

World War III – Black Gold puts players in control of a huge range of weapons, vehicles and military equipment, all based upon those really used by the respective forces in the game. The game features a cutting-edge terrain system that generates realistic 3D environments over which the player can zoom, rotate and pan the camera at will. Dynamic lighting effects, day and night cycles and weather conditions like fog, rain, snow and wind add realism and strategic depth to the gameplay.

Each of the three warring sides the player controls in World War III – Black Gold, USA, Russia and Iraq offers two full campaigns to play, comprising missions with varied objectives and challenges. Battles are fought out all over the world, from the frozen wastes of the Siberian Taiga to the shimmering, all-consuming heat of the Arizona deserts; there are five regions, which differ totally from one another in architecture, weather conditions, vegetation and strategic possibilities. Weather and terrain affect the performance of weapons and vehicles in a realistic manner.

Units gain experience with each new battle and can be transported from one mission to another. Scientific research enables the player to develop new weapon types and enhance older equipment by adding new armour, chemical protection or more advanced platforms. Armour-piercing and high-explosive ammunition, jammers, stealth technology, chaff and flares offer players more strategic possibilities but ammo is limited and gamers have to pay for the energy used by drilling for oil.

World War III – Black Gold features two modes of play: beginner and advanced. In beginner mode, the interface, command structure, mission goals and even the maps are different and designed to make play more accessible for the novice gamer. Furthermore, there are three selectable levels of difficulty that determine the pace of the computer-controlled enemies. World War III – Black Gold offers a realistic, contemporary setting and endless strategic challenges making this the most enjoyable test yet for armchair generals of all persuasions.

JoWooD Productions UK Ltd. of Harrow, Middlesex, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Austria-based JoWooD Productions Software AG, a publicly traded company on the Vienna Stock Exchange, which is rapidly establishing itself as a leading force in the video games industry. Its strategy is to identify, develop and publish internationally competitive, high-quality entertainment software for all existing next-generation gaming platforms. JoWooD Productions has in-house development facilities in Vienna and Ebensee, Austria and a fast growing roster of exceptional subsidiary studios, including Wings Simulations and Massive Development in Germany.