<s>
Damocles	B-Application
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Novagen	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Mercenary	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
scope	O
of	O
Damocles	B-Application
is	O
considerably	O
widened	O
,	O
offering	O
the	O
player	O
an	O
entire	O
solar	O
system	O
to	O
explore	O
(	O
the	O
Gamma	O
System	O
;	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
original	O
destination	O
before	O
the	O
Interlude	O
on	O
Targ	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
race-against-time	O
element	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
comet	B-Language
,	O
the	O
eponymous	O
Damocles	B-Application
(	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Damocles	I-Application
)	O
,	O
is	O
hurtling	O
towards	O
Eris	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
is	O
encouraged	O
to	O
both	O
escape	O
Eris	O
and	O
find	O
a	O
means	O
to	O
prevent	O
Damocles	B-Application
from	O
destroying	O
the	O
planet	O
,	O
if	O
possible	O
without	O
destroying	O
the	O
comet	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
an	O
obvious	O
,	O
but	O
destructive	O
,	O
solution	O
exists	O
,	O
Damocles	B-Application
has	O
no	O
fewer	O
than	O
five	O
distinct	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Damocles	B-Application
includes	O
orbital	O
mechanics	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
physics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
teleportation	O
)	O
,	O
it	O
includes	O
a	O
detailed	O
representation	O
of	O
the	O
dynamics	B-Application
of	O
the	O
Gamma	O
System	O
and	O
even	O
includes	O
a	O
simplified	O
form	O
of	O
special	O
relativity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
many	O
solutions	O
even	O
involves	O
manipulating	O
various	O
planetary	O
bodies	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
changes	O
in	O
gravitational	O
pulls	O
to	O
divert	O
the	O
Damocles	B-Application
comet	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
an	O
aesthetic	O
point	O
of	O
view	O
,	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
celestial	O
physics	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
experience	O
attractively-rendered	O
sunrises	B-Application
and	O
sunsets	B-Application
while	O
on	O
planet	O
surfaces	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
various	O
satellite	O
occultations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Damocles	B-Application
contains	O
many	O
real-world	O
references	O
,	O
particularly	O
drawn	O
from	O
the	O
UK	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
president	O
of	O
the	O
planet	O
Eris	O
is	O
named	O
Margaret	O
,	O
after	O
Margaret	O
Thatcher	O
(	O
British	O
Prime	O
Minister	O
from	O
1979	O
to	O
1990	O
)	O
;	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
bank	O
called	O
Lawson	O
Bank	O
,	O
after	O
Nigel	O
Lawson	O
(	O
British	O
chancellor	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
exchequer	I-Application
from	O
1983	O
to	O
1989	O
,	O
though	O
a	O
real	O
Lawson	O
Bank	O
does	O
exist	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
references	O
are	O
more	O
elusive	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
several	O
stores	O
are	O
called	O
"	O
GUM	O
Stores	O
"	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
real	O
Russian	O
Gosudarstvennyj	O
Universalnyj	O
Magazin	O
department	O
stores	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
fictional	O
planet	O
of	O
Eris	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
real-life	O
dwarf	O
planet	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
latter	O
was	O
only	O
discovered	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
some	O
15	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Damocles	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
poster	O
that	O
accompanied	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Damocles	B-Application
take	O
place	O
on	O
27	O
April	O
2099	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Damocles	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
platforms	I-Device
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Mercenary	B-Application
,	O
Damocles	B-Application
represented	O
the	O
game	O
environment	O
using	O
filled	O
polygon	O
graphics	O
,	O
allowing	O
a	O
both	O
more	O
realistic	O
and	O
colourful	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
S	O
Davison	O
for	O
Page	O
6	O
said	O
:	O
"	O
For	O
me	O
Damocles	B-Application
has	O
everything	O
–	O
top	O
notch	O
presentation	O
,	O
excitement	O
,	O
depth	O
,	O
lots	O
of	O
humor	O
,	O
addictiveness	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
Eugene	O
Lacey	O
for	O
Commodore	O
User	O
described	O
"	O
Amiga	B-Device
gaming	O
at	O
its	O
very	O
best.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Eugene	O
Lacey	O
for	O
ACE	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
Damocles	B-Application
has	O
everything	O
–	O
the	O
thrill	O
of	O
discovery	O
,	O
the	O
fun	O
of	O
exploration	O
,	O
a	O
totally	O
believable	O
world	O
,	O
a	O
tough	O
challenge	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
the	O
odd	O
bit	O
of	O
blasting	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amiga	B-Device
Format	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
Whether	O
or	O
not	O
you	O
like	O
3D	O
space	O
adventures	O
,	O
Damocles	B-Application
is	O
an	O
experience	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
missed	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robin	O
Hogg	O
for	O
The	O
Games	O
Machine	O
said	O
"	O
Welcome	O
back	O
Mercenary	B-Application
,	O
you	O
've	O
been	O
away	O
for	O
far	O
too	O
long	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neil	O
Jackson	O
for	O
ST	O
Format	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Damocles	B-Application
keeps	O
pulling	O
you	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
no	O
matter	O
how	O
much	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
bed	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
