<s>
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1994	O
computer	B-Application
wargame	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Atomic	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
titles	O
released	O
in	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
's	O
push	O
to	O
revive	O
its	O
computer	O
game	O
division	O
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
diversify	O
its	O
business	O
because	O
of	O
falling	O
board	O
wargame	B-Application
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
hired	O
Atomic	O
Games	O
as	O
a	O
key	O
to	O
this	O
initiative	O
,	O
and	O
Crusader	O
acted	O
as	O
the	O
spiritual	O
success	O
to	O
its	O
earlier	O
V	B-Application
for	I-Application
Victory	I-Application
wargame	B-Application
series	O
,	O
reusing	O
and	O
updating	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
design	O
and	O
code	O
from	O
those	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
World	O
at	O
War	O
series	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
World	B-Application
at	I-Application
War	I-Application
:	I-Application
Stalingrad	I-Application
and	O
D-Day	B-Application
:	I-Application
America	I-Application
Invades	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
the	O
hire	O
of	O
producer	O
Jim	O
Rose	O
in	O
December	O
1992	O
,	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
began	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
revive	O
its	O
computer	O
game	O
branch	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
flagging	O
board	O
wargame	B-Application
sales	O
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atomic	O
team	O
was	O
known	O
for	O
the	O
V	B-Application
for	I-Application
Victory	I-Application
series	O
with	O
Three-Sixty	O
Pacific	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
recently	O
left	O
that	O
publisher	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
financial	O
problems	O
that	O
culminated	O
in	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
for	O
unpaid	O
royalties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
speculated	O
that	O
this	O
was	O
"	O
what	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
next	O
V	B-Application
for	I-Application
Victory	I-Application
game	O
in	O
an	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
wrapper	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
January	O
1994	O
,	O
Atomic	O
Games	O
had	O
revealed	O
the	O
World	O
at	O
War	O
series	O
as	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
its	O
V	B-Application
for	I-Application
Victory	I-Application
line	O
under	O
Avalon	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
first	O
entry	O
was	O
entitled	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
Kingmaker	B-Application
,	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
titles	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
's	O
new	O
initiative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
,	O
Zabalaoui	O
noted	O
that	O
Avalon	O
Hill	O
's	O
president	O
had	O
informed	O
him	O
that	O
"	O
'	O
good	O
 '	O
is	O
n't	O
good	O
enough	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
's	O
Terry	O
Coleman	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
tensions	O
"	O
between	O
the	O
companies	O
 '	O
design	O
philosophies	O
"	O
worked	O
positively	O
"	O
on	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
between	O
April	O
and	O
June	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
sold	O
fewer	O
than	O
50,000	O
units	O
globally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
US	O
,	O
William	O
R	O
.	O
Trotter	O
called	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
"	O
a	O
thoroughbred	O
and	O
a	O
champion	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
awarded	O
it	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
94%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trotter	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
name	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
one	O
of	O
his	O
favorite	O
titles	O
of	O
1994	O
,	O
and	O
wrote	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
captured	O
all	O
the	O
sweep	O
,	O
fluidity	O
,	O
and	O
sudden	O
reversals-of-fortune	O
that	O
characterized	O
the	O
desert	O
war.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
1994	O
"	O
Wargame	B-Application
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
prize	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
Panzer	B-Application
General	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
remarked	O
that	O
Crusader	O
"	O
one-ups	O
Atomic	O
Games	O
 '	O
V	B-Application
for	I-Application
Victory	I-Application
series	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
both	O
graphics	O
and	O
gameplay.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
declared	O
Operation	B-Application
Crusader	I-Application
the	O
110th-best	O
computer	O
game	O
ever	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
's	O
wargame	B-Application
columnist	O
Terry	O
Coleman	O
named	O
it	O
his	O
pick	O
for	O
the	O
9th-best	O
computer	B-Application
wargame	I-Application
released	O
by	O
late	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
