Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon simulates a fictional mission to the Moon in the early 1980's, following on from the last real flight (Apollo 17) before NASA cancelled the program. One of the game's key features is digitized speech, which sounds crackly like a real mission controller would. Telemetry screens provide realism, with the player having to set items and computer programs to get the crucial GO signal. The game is split into several sequences. First is launch, where pressing the button to stop a moving bar at the right point determines success. Course corrections and an orbital rendezvous (to undock the lunar module) are next. The player has to land the module safely on one of three possible landing sites before running out of fuel. The moonwalk is next, and must be completed in a set time before returning to orbit. On the way home the astronaut performs a spacewalk to capture and repair a satellite. Finally there is the re-entry sequence and splashdown.