COLECCION "CINCO ESTRELLAS" Nº 107

Read this when I was sick from school as a kid. The world was much scarier back them with nuclear war hanging over us. ( )

Love it - especially it is so retro about computers and computer technology these days. For a computer freak out of the late 80s like me it is such an enjoyful read. ( )

David Lightman es un estudiante secundario como tantos otros. Le apasionan los juegos electrónicos. Suele quedarse horas manipulando su computadora personal. Lo que David no sabe es que con sus juegos ha interferido en el sistema de defensa computarizado de los Estados Unidos y que pronto provocará un alerta rojo en el dispositivo de los misiles nucleares. Será el entretenimiento más peligroso que jamás haya emprendido.

David Bischoff's War Games interested me with its exciting plot that makes sure you don't put the book down.
The story is set in the 1900s. Long after WWII, but nearing the possibility of WWIII, but with nuclear technology. America's War Operation Plan Response (WOPR) System is designed to learn from its mistakes, playing WWIII over and over again until it gets the perfect formula for annihilating the Soviets. The American defense uses this program in case the Soviets launch a real attack.
Enter David Lightman, a teen with a passion for computers. He and his friend, Jennifer Mack, find a system with games that he'd love to play. Unfortunately, there is a password to get in, but it's no problem for David. He gets in, and the first game they try is Global Thermonuclear War. What he doesn't know is that it is basically the WOPR. When he starts playing, he plays the Soviets. Back at the defense line, they notice blips on a radar. The Soviets are attacking. Just as they are prepared to launch a counterattack, all Soviet attacks disappear from the radar. What happened? David Lightman turned off his computer to take out the trash. The system, known as Joshua, is still playing the game! David must now find the original creator of the program, Stephen Falken (rumoured to have died), to help save the world. They find him on Anderson Island, and rush to NORAD, the defense line. Joshua was sending another simulation by himself, and the US were planning to attack again. David has to stop them from attacking the Soviets or they will plunge into another World War. They convince them to stop the attack, but Joshua starts searching for the launch codes for the nuclear missiles. They manage to stop the system in a way that really surprised me.

The plot was very exciting and kept me reading for as long as I could with a shocking ending. It had some humorous moments, and a lot of dramatic, climatic moments.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrilling book of technology. There is so much interesting computer and war technology that I absolutely couldn't put it down. It was fast-paced, making you want to read as fast as you can so you can find out what happens on the next page. I enjoyed this book a lot. ( )