Scorched Earth

Scorched Earth for DOS is a 1991 shareware artillery game written by Wendell Hicken. Often known by its “Mother of All Games” subtitle, it turns a simple tank duel into a highly configurable contest of judgement, timing, and spectacularly oversized ammunition. One to ten human and computer-controlled tanks can occupy the same two-dimensional battlefield, making the game equally suited to a solitary match against the computer or a shared-keyboard session where a group takes turns at one PC.

Each round begins with preparation. Players use their available money to stock weapons and protective equipment, then position their attention on the essentials of an artillery shot: turret angle, firing power, direction, and the current wind. The object is to outlast the opposing tanks, but an apparently clean firing line is only a starting point. Arcing projectiles can drift, fall short, strike terrain, or cause a chain of changes that leaves every player reassessing the battlefield.

The arenas are rolling landscapes that can be damaged and reshaped by explosions. That destructible ground is central to Scorched Earth’s tactics: a blast may open a route to an opponent, remove the support beneath a tank, or leave dangerous terrain for the next turn. Falling can be as important as direct damage, so defensive purchases such as parachutes and shields have a practical role alongside the more obvious firepower.

Its armoury gives the basic angle-and-power formula a broad range of outcomes. Conventional missiles sit beside nuclear weapons, cluster-style attacks, napalm, bouncing explosives, and earth-moving ammunition. Dirt weapons can alter cover or bury a tank, while tracer upgrades help players read a shot’s path and make a more informed adjustment next turn. Choosing what to buy is therefore part of the strategy rather than a mere pre-game formality.

Scorched Earth also lets players tune the rules around the duel. Options can affect factors such as gravity, air resistance, wind, starting resources, and the way shots interact with the boundaries of the screen. Those settings can create a relatively familiar tank battle or a much stranger contest where physics and the battlefield behave differently from one round to the next. Computer opponents provide selectable skill levels, and their on-screen remarks add a small theatrical touch to the exchanges.

The DOS game developed through several releases during the 1990s; version 1.5 is the final major version associated with the original game. Its enduring identity comes from combining accessible turn-based aiming with unusually flexible rules, a large selection of tools, and communal hot-seat play. For players exploring classic DOS strategy games, Scorched Earth remains a defining example of the artillery-game format: every turn asks for a calculation, but the changing terrain and unpredictable weapons keep the result from feeling routine.