<s>
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
is	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
wargame	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
(	O
SSI	O
)	O
in	O
1980	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
,	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
version	O
was	O
also	O
created	O
two	O
months	O
into	O
the	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
meeting	O
with	O
other	O
wargame	B-Application
developers	O
,	O
Billings	O
decided	O
to	O
publish	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
commercially	O
published	O
computer	O
war	O
game	O
,	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
sold	O
well	O
and	O
contributed	O
to	O
SSI	O
's	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
is	O
a	O
turn-based	O
computer	B-Application
wargame	I-Application
in	O
which	O
players	O
control	O
British	O
forces	O
against	O
the	O
battleship	O
Bismarck	O
and	O
other	O
German	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
German	O
forces	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
by	O
either	O
a	O
computer	O
opponent	O
(	O
named	O
"	O
Otto	B-Application
von	I-Application
Computer	I-Application
"	O
)	O
or	O
a	O
second	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
includes	O
six	O
scenarios	O
:	O
two	O
for	O
a	O
single	O
player	O
and	O
four	O
competitive	O
scenarios	O
for	O
two	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
was	O
written	O
in	O
BASIC	O
and	O
compiled	B-Language
to	O
increase	O
its	O
processing	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Tandy	O
Corporation	O
's	O
TRS-80	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
was	O
finished	O
in	O
January	O
1980	O
,	O
he	O
searched	O
for	O
a	O
graphic	O
designer	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
packaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
creating	O
the	O
box	O
art	O
,	O
Saekow	O
used	O
a	O
stat	B-Algorithm
camera	I-Algorithm
;	O
his	O
roommate	O
worked	O
for	O
a	O
magazine	O
company	O
and	O
helped	O
him	O
sneak	O
in	O
to	O
use	O
its	O
camera	O
after	O
hours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SSI	O
purchased	O
a	O
full-page	O
advertisement	O
for	O
the	O
version	O
in	O
the	O
March	O
1980	O
issue	O
of	O
BYTE	B-Application
magazine	O
,	O
which	O
mentioned	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
save	O
a	O
game	O
in	O
progress	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
play	O
against	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
another	O
person	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advertisement	O
also	O
promised	O
future	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
and	O
other	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1980	O
,	O
Peter	O
Ansoff	O
of	O
BYTE	B-Application
magazine	O
called	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
a	O
"	O
milestone	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
commercial	O
war	O
games	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
approved	O
of	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
documentation	O
and	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
play	O
against	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
but	O
disapproved	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Acknowledging	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
is	O
perhaps	O
unfair	O
to	O
expect	O
the	O
first	O
published	O
[	O
computer	O
war	O
game ]	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
fully	O
developed	O
product	O
"	O
,	O
he	O
criticized	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
for	O
overly	O
faithfully	O
copying	O
the	O
mechanics	O
of	O
the	O
Bismarck	O
board	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
that	O
worked	O
efficiently	O
on	O
a	O
board	O
but	O
less	O
so	O
on	O
a	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ansoff	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
computer	O
game	O
"	O
perpetuates	O
the	O
[	O
board	O
game's ]	O
irritating	O
system	O
of	O
ship-movement	O
rates	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
failings	O
of	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
can	O
be	O
summarized	O
by	O
saying	O
that	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
possibilities	O
offered	O
by	O
the	O
computer	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
noting	O
the	O
excessive	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
required	O
to	O
play	O
a	O
single	O
game	O
,	O
Chadwick	O
noted	O
that	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
requires	O
patience	O
and	O
some	O
gameplay	O
changes	O
could	O
have	O
reduced	O
this	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Creative	B-General_Concept
Computing	I-General_Concept
,	O
Randy	O
Heuer	O
cautioned	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
is	O
probably	O
not	O
for	O
everyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
enthusiastically	O
recommend	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
in	O
The	O
Space	O
Gamer	O
magazine	O
,	O
Joseph	O
T	O
.	O
Suchar	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
superb	O
"	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
has	O
so	O
many	O
strategic	O
options	O
for	O
both	O
sides	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
unlikely	O
to	O
be	O
optimized.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
United	O
States	O
Navy	O
defense	O
researcher	O
Peter	O
Perla	O
in	O
1990	O
considered	O
war	O
games	O
like	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
a	O
step	O
above	O
earlier	O
war-themed	O
video	O
games	O
that	O
relied	O
on	O
arcade-style	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Perla	O
attributes	O
SSI	O
's	O
success	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
its	O
early	O
wargames	B-Application
,	O
specifically	O
citing	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
Bob	O
Proctor	O
in	O
1988	O
agreed	O
that	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
contributed	O
to	O
SSI	O
's	O
success	O
,	O
commenting	O
that	O
the	O
title	O
earned	O
the	O
company	O
a	O
good	O
profit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Describing	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
"	O
serious	O
wargame	B-Application
for	O
a	O
microcomputer	O
"	O
,	O
Proctor	O
credited	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
with	O
helping	O
to	O
legitimize	O
war	O
games	O
and	O
computer	O
games	O
in	O
general	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
professional	O
packaging	O
demonstrated	O
SSI	O
's	O
seriousness	O
to	O
produce	O
quality	O
products	O
;	O
prior	O
to	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
,	O
most	O
computer	O
games	O
were	O
packaged	O
in	O
zipper	O
storage	O
bags	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1983	O
,	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
took	O
legal	O
action	O
against	O
SSI	O
for	O
copying	O
game	O
mechanics	O
from	O
its	O
board	O
games	O
;	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
,	O
among	O
other	O
titles	O
,	O
was	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
SSI	O
's	O
later	O
games	O
,	O
Pursuit	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Graf	I-Application
Spee	I-Application
,	O
uses	O
an	O
altered	O
version	O
of	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarcks	I-Application
core	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2013	O
the	O
International	O
Center	O
for	O
the	O
History	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Games	O
received	O
a	O
software	O
donation	O
of	O
several	O
SSI	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Computer	B-Application
Bismarck	I-Application
with	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
for	O
preservation	O
.	O
</s>
