Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1992 for the Sega Genesis.

The game was released on several other formats such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, including a much upgraded 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.

Desert Strike was a commercial success: it was a chart-topping best seller and at the time Electronics Arts' highest selling game.

There was controversy regarding the game's subject matter, with commentators criticising it as in poor taste due to the proximity of its release to the recently ended Gulf War.

Desert Strike is a shoot 'em up game in which the player pilots an AH-64 Apache helicopter (albeit modified with a Fenestron rotor).

The player must outmanoeuvre enemies to avoid damage, but can replenish armour by means of power-ups or by airlifting rescued friendlies or captives to a landing zone.

The craft can refuel by collecting fuel barrels: the player must therefore plan mission routes carefully in order to maximise efficiency.

[5] The game opens with a self-proclaimed general named Kilbaba invading one of his neighbors, a small but wealthy emirate in the Persian Gulf.

The United States decides to send in a single helicopter, piloted by the player's unnamed character and aided by a co-pilot, to infiltrate and destroy Kilbaba's forces in a series of swift strikes.

The success of the software spurred Posehn to branch out and experiment with a flight simulator titled Fly for the IBM Personal Computer; however, International Business Machines cancelled the project.

[13] The game began development some time before any discussion of an American invasion of Iraq,[14] originally based on the Lebanese Civil War and titled Beirut Breakout; this was later changed to the Persian Gulf region.

The control scheme was not well received at internal reviews of the game's early versions, and Posehn had to alter his original design to obtain approval for further development.

Calvin eventually felt the rendering process was a waste of resources and attempted to create sprites on the pixel level himself without 3D models.

The magazine felt some of the graphics, particularly the explosions, were a little weak and complained that the fact that the helicopter is not fully rearmed and refuelled after the loss of a life was unduly frustrating.

[23] Retro Gamer included this "thinking man's shoot-'em-up" among top ten Mega Drive games.

[24] Amiga Computing noted the improved graphics and sound over the Mega Drive version and praised the game as "EA's finest moment since Populous".

The magazine however said that "All things considered, Desert Strike couldn't be a better game", praising the "fast and frantic" action and "just-one-more-go appeal".

[6] The One praised the mix of action and strategy as well as opining that the Amiga version was a strong improvement over the Mega Drive game.

[5] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave varying praise to the Lynx version's controls and graphics, but concurred that on the smaller portable screen Desert Strike loses much of its impact and playability, as it is difficult to identify enemies or even see the bullets the player character fires.

They particularly praised the graphics and extensive, realistic sound effects, remarking that they were very impressive given the limitations of Game Boy cartridges.

[32] Mike Weigand of Electronic Gaming Monthly likewise deemed it "A fairly faithful portable version of the 16-Bit military classic.