The game uses an overhead strategic presentation in which the player manages an anti-drug operation. Objectives involve identifying threats, choosing investigative or enforcement priorities, assigning available resources, and responding to developments on the campaign map.

Progress depends on making decisions over successive turns or planning stages. The player must weigh incomplete information, operational costs, and the likely effects of different actions. It is a management-focused experience rather than a reflex-based action game, with the scenario and its policy choices providing the main structure.

Begin by concentrating resources on the most significant or best-supported threats instead of spreading every unit evenly. Review available information before committing personnel, since poorly supported operations can waste limited resources.

Keep enough capacity in reserve for new developments. A balanced approach to investigation, enforcement, and funding is generally safer than repeatedly choosing the most aggressive option without checking its cost or consequences.