[citation needed] The game is a simulation that allows the player to strategically send emergency forces (rat exterminators, police men, fire men and eventually army troops) to areas where the rat threat has spread and provide them with equipment.

[3] In between the simulation gameplay, the game suddenly switches to the role of a playable character in a randomly chosen text adventure scenario.

The player has to select one or more verbal options to perform actions to allow the character to survive against the rat threat and avoid getting killed.

While it is not crucial to keep the characters alive, saving them grants the player additional reinforcements and research to aid against the rat threat.

[9] Crash awarded it 70% in its "Frontline" strategy section, giving the gameplay element 90% but marking the game down over issues to do with the loading sequence.