Cannon Fodder is a real-time strategy/action game where you control a small detachment of soldiers assigned to carry out missions to eliminate troops or facilities in jungle, arctic, and other environs. Your forces grow in number and skill as you progress, so long as they finish the mission alive. Each mission must be successfully completed before you may move onto the next mission. You may save the progress of your unit so that you can reload if things go badly. Your troops start with basic automatic rifles but will acquire more effective weapons like grenades and rocket launching bazookas as you progress through the levels.