Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf, commonly known as Desert Strike, is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in February 1992 for Sega's Mega Drive. The game was later released for other formats such as the SNES, including a greatly improved version for the Amiga home computer. The game was inspired by the Gulf War and depicts a conflict between an insane Middle Eastern dictator, General Kilbaba, and the United States. The player controls a lone Apache helicopter and tries to destroy enemy weapons and facilities, free hostages and capture enemy personnel, while managing supplies of fuel and ammunition.
Story
After terrorist leader General Kilbaba seizes control of an unnamed "small but wealthy" Gulf emirate, overthrowing the monarchy and appointing himself dictator, the United States sends a lone helicopter to destroy his army in a series of swift attacks. Commentators saw a hidden allusion to the Gulf War in the game's plot, drawing comparisons between Kilbaba and Saddam Hussein, and between the game's unnamed desert setting and Iraq.