Syndicate Plus

Syndicate Plus for DOS is Bullfrog Productions' early-1990s real-time tactical strategy compilation, published by Electronic Arts. It brings together the original Syndicate and its American Revolt expansion on PC, placing the player in charge of a ruthless corporate organization in a bleak future where commercial powers have eclipsed governments. Rather than commanding an army from afar, the player directs a small team of cybernetically altered agents through dangerous isometric cityscapes while pursuing worldwide corporate control.

The original campaign combines an action-focused mission layer with management between operations. From a strategic world map, the player chooses territories and missions, then equips and deploys a squad of up to four agents. Mouse-led commands direct the group through streets, buildings, and vehicles in real time. Objectives vary: an executive may need to be eliminated, a person extracted, a target captured, or hostile agents and resistance removed. Careful positioning matters because police, civilians, armed rivals, and the environment can all turn an operation unpredictable.

Agent preparation is central to Syndicate Plus. Agents can receive cybernetic upgrades and carry an expanding selection of weapons and devices as the campaign advances. The player also manages research, equipment purchases, and the funds generated by controlled territories. Taxation supports further development, but demanding too much from a territory can provoke a revolt and force the syndicate to reclaim it. This mix of tactical combat, personnel development, research, and territory management gives each mission consequences beyond its immediate objective.

The American Revolt portion extends the package with a separate, tougher campaign in the Americas. It adds 21 single-player missions, further equipment, and a scenario built around restoring control over rebelling territories. Its design assumes familiarity with the original game's systems, challenging players to make full use of upgraded agents and the available tactical tools. The DOS release also preserves the expansion's network option: up to eight players can compete through NetBIOS across ten multiplayer missions, each centered on surviving rival syndicates.

Syndicate Plus is the PC edition to seek out for the complete early Syndicate experience, not a remake or a new sequel. Its fixed isometric view, dark corporate science-fiction setting, and direct control of a compact cyborg squad distinguish it from conventional turn-based strategy games of its era. The compilation also captures an important stage in Bullfrog's series before the later follow-up Syndicate Wars, pairing the original globe-spanning conquest with American Revolt's additional missions and multiplayer competition.