World War III: Black Gold

World War III: Black Gold is a real-time strategy video game by Reality Pump and JoWood Productions, published in 2001.

Gameplay
The player can play as Iraq, Russia, or the United States. The player starts out with a basic unit and buy shafts to pump oil which automatically turns into money which can be used to fund their war. The player then build a landing zone and airport to get more advanced units and a supply depot to give the units ammunition. There are many features like air strikes, bomber strikes, underground tunnels, and many missions.

Critical reception
Gamespot awarded Black Gold 8.4 out of 10, praising the AI (particularly in "skirmish" games), combination of grid-based and 3D level design and flexible camera controls. However, the game's manual was criticized for not including enough information about the different units and game interface. IGN rated Black Gold at 6.2 ("passable"). Mike Murphy commented on the "illogical" use of military units, with the game's armaments and strategies not matching their real-world counterparts for the sake of gameplay balance. He also criticized the AI's pathfinding, but found the game's graphics and sound to be "nice".