Border zones are areas near borders that have special restrictions to movement. Governments may forbid unauthorized entry to border zones and restrict property ownership in the area. The zones function as buffer zones specifically monitored by border patrols in order to prevent illegal entry. Restricting entry aids in pinpointing illegal intruders. Between hostile states, the border zone can be heavily militarized with mine fields, barbed wire and watchtowers. Some border zones are designed to prevent illegal immigration, and do not have many restrictions but may operate checkpoints within the border zone to check immigration status. In most places, a border vista is usually included and/or required.
United States Border Patrol has rights to stop anyone with a probable cause at interior checkpoints. However, the United States does not have border zones, because free movement is legal up to the actual border and there are no laws to limit property ownership. Whereas, movement inside a border zone without a license is an offense and results in an arrest. No probable cause is required as the mere presence inside the zone is an offense, if it is intentional. In East German and Soviet practice, inside the border zone there was a death strip. Border guards were required to shoot anyone trying to escape over it.
Border Zone is an interactive fiction video game written by Marc Blank and published by Infocom in 1987. It was released for most popular personal computers of the day, such as the IBM PC, Apple II, and Commodore 64. Unlike most other purely text-based games, however, Border Zone incorporated real-time aspects of gameplay. It is also Infocom's thirtieth game. Its tagline is Action and international intrigue behind the iron curtain.
Mirroring the real-world tension of the Cold War in the 1980s, Border Zone is set in and around Ostnitz, located on the border between the Eastern Bloc nation of Frobnia and neutral Litzenburg. The celebration of "Constitution Day" in Ostnitz will include a speech by Litzenburg's American ambassador; there is a plot in motion, however, to assassinate the ambassador in an effort to provoke hostilities between the superpowers. Border Zone consists of three chapters, each of which places the player in the role of a different character. An American businessman, a KGB agent, and an American spy become entangled in the assassination plot and efforts to either stop it or ensure its success.