The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot

The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot is a one- or two-player wargame of World War II air-naval combat. The game recreates WWII action in the Central Pacific. A Japanese carrier task force is preparing a counter-attack against the U.S. invasion of Saipan and encounters a U.S. task force. The result was one of the largest carrier air battles in the history of warfare.

The game can be played solitaire from either the Japanese or American side, or two players can face off as opposing commanders. The game features strategic and tactical modes. In strategic mode the player gives orders to task forces and views the action on an overview of a large area of the Pacific. The game begins with the opposing fleets searching for each other, relying on submarines and scouting aircraft.

If opposing task forces meet, the perspective zooms in to a tactical battle screen where the individual ships maneuver and attack. In addition, the game features animated screens for aerial attacks by land-based and carrier aircraft. The players can launch fighters, torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and land-based bombers against opposing ships. The aircraft are all abstracted to these classes and are not referred to by historical model designations.

The game features dozens of historical warships. Damage is tracked for individual portions of the ships. At the end of the game, damage to the ships and casualties suffered may be reviewed and the game declares which side achieved victory.