Operation Wolf
Operation Wolf — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Operation Wolf on?
- Operation Wolf was released on Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, DOS, FM Towns, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Sega Master System/Mark III, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC Engine, PC (Microsoft Windows).
- When did Operation Wolf release?
- Operation Wolf was first released on November 1, 1987.
About Operation Wolf
In the steamy jungles of South America, heavily armed extremists are holding innocent civilians prisoner. Little do these terrorists know that real terror is about to land on their front porch! The sound of rotor blades and staccato bursts of gunfire echo through the valleys. Terrorists be warned! Operation Wolf is going to teach you what terror is all about! Operation Wolf consists of six missions, which are displayed on the Operations Map Screen. A mission is completed when all enemy forces are reduced to zero. The current level is completed when you escape from the airport with the prisoners. Your injury level increases when the enemy hits you. The game automatically ends if the injury indicator on the right side of the screen becomes completely red. You can reduce your injury level by getting power drinks.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, DOS, FM Towns, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Sega Master System/Mark III, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC Engine, PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Developer
- Taito
- Publisher
- NEC Avenue, Ltd.
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Warfare
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master System | 1990 | $9 | $27 | $60 | 3 reviews | Low (look-alike) |
Also released on: Arcade · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Atari ST/STE · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · DOS · FM Towns · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · MSX · Sega Master System/Mark III · Nintendo Entertainment System · PC Engine · PC (Microsoft Windows). We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
What it needs to play
- OptionalLight Phaser — can be played with the Light Phaser or a control pad (game booklet / Sega catalogue).
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $14.98 in Apr 2011, $8.70 five years ago, and $9.37 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2012 | $2.26 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $30 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $7.00 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $7.00 | $29 |
| Jan 2016 | $15.00 | $29 |
| Jan 2017 | $30 | $29 |
| Jan 2018 | $8.62 | $11.89 |
| Jan 2019 | $8.94 | $11.52 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.07 | $10.04 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.51 | $10.04 |
| Jan 2022 | $11.06 | $13.75 |
| Jan 2023 | $10.82 | $17.99 |
| Jan 2024 | $8.11 | $15.00 |
| Jan 2025 | $7.99 | $15.37 |
| Jan 2026 | $6.44 | $13.62 |
| Oct 2026 | $9.37 | $27 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number |
|---|---|---|
| Europe / PAL | 1990 | 7039 |
| Brazil | 1991 | — |
- Region
- EU+BR
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
Taito's light-gun shooter on the Master System, playable with a Light Phaser or a pad, and an inexpensive cart.
Operation Wolf on the Master System is Taito's conversion of its arcade shooter, published by Sega in Europe in 1990 and by Tec Toy in Brazil in 1991. It can be played with the Light Phaser or a control pad.
The box for the Master System version features promotional art from Operation Thunderbolt.
How it was made
Developed by Taito, published by Sega in Europe and Tec Toy in Brazil.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | OVERALL 88% |
| The Games Machine | 90% | |
| S: The Sega Magazine | 91% |
“Take the role of a super-tough commando and blast your way across six horizontally scrolling enemy landscapes using your crosshair sights to aim your gun. Combining good graphics and solid, challeng¬ ing action, this is an arcade conversion that should be checked out by all Sega shoot 'em up addicts.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.
How the Sega Master System version differs
The box carries promotional art from Operation Thunderbolt.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · NES · ZX Spectrum · MSX · Commodore 64 · Amstrad CPC · Amiga · Atari ST · MS-DOS · FM Towns · PC Engine · Windows
| Arcade | Taito |
- ZX Spectrum. A special 1989 ZX Spectrum version with Magnum Light Phaser support came in Amstrad's ZX Spectrum +2 and +3 Action Pack bundles.
- NES. The NES version was released on the North American Wii Virtual Console in February 2008 without light gun support.
How the other versions reviewed
| Commodore 64 | ACE | 894 |
| Windows | ACE | 894 (CPC) |
| ZX Spectrum | ACE | 887 |
| Arcade | AllGame | 4.5/5 |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 91% |
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | Positive |
| Atari ST | Computer and Video Games | 91% |
| Commodore 64 | Computer and Video Games | 92% |
| ZX Spectrum | Computer and Video Games | 91% |
| NES | Electronic Gaming Monthly | 25/40 |
| Commodore 64 | The Games Machine | 79% |
| Windows | The Games Machine | 89% (CPC) |
| ZX Spectrum | The Games Machine | 87% |
| Amiga | Génération 4 | 93% |
| Atari ST | Génération 4 | 93% |
| NES | Mean Machines Sega | 53% |
| NES | Player One | 70% |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 90% |
| Arcade | Your Sinclair | Positive |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 9/10 |
| TurboGrafx-16 | Zero | 86% |
| Commodore 64 | Zzap!64 | 91% |
| Arcade | Commodore User | 9/10 |
| NES | Computer Entertainer | 7.5/8 |
| Amiga | The One | 89% |
| Atari ST | The One | 89% |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Two releases exist: the European cart and the Brazilian Tec Toy cart. The European cart is inexpensive loose, below the middle for a European-only game. The Light Phaser is optional, so you only need it if you want the gun. The look-alike risk is low. For a complete copy, check for the manual.
Operation Wolf screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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