Ultimatum: A Game of Nuclear Confrontation takes us back to 1979, plunging into the tension of the Cold War with a strategic wargame for two players. Here, one assumes the role of the Soviet Union and the other, the United States, in a clash where nuclear annihilation is a constant possibility. The game's dynamic revolves around strategic investments in nuclear weapons technology, control of global crisis regions, and the development of offensive and defensive armaments, such as missiles, bombers, nuclear submarines, interceptors, and anti-ballistic missile systems (ABMs).

Units are positioned on a hexagonal grid board, and the intelligent allocation of these forces is crucial, as some may be vulnerable to a 'first strike' nuclear attack. Crisis areas are contested through the distribution of factors and the choice of warfare types – which can range from tactical nuclear and conventional conflicts to guerrilla warfare, political-social disputes, or economic struggles. The game's climax can be reached when a player decides to launch a direct nuclear attack, aiming to destroy enemy cities while trying to protect their own with anti-missile defenses.

Victory is not just about who attacks more, but about who manages to keep their population most intact after the nuclear chaos, in addition to accounting for destroyed enemy population and conquered crisis regions. It's an intense and chilling simulation of a scenario that, fortunately, never became a reality.