Harpoon (computer game)
| Harpoon | |
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| Developer(s) |
Three-Sixty Pacific Applied Computing Services |
| Publisher(s) | Three-Sixty Pacific, PSS |
| Series | Harpoon series |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, MS-DOS, Macintosh |
| Release | 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time tactics, Wargame |
Harpoon is a computer game published by Three-Sixty Pacific in 1989 for MS-DOS. This was the first game in the Harpoon series. It was ported to the Amiga and Macintosh.
In the late 1970s, a manual wargame called SEATAG was introduced by the USN for exploring tactical options. It was available in both classified and unclassified versions. SEATAG was developed into a true tactical training game called NAVTAG that ran on three networked microcomputers for the Red Side, Blue Side, and Game Control.
Former Naval officer and future author Larry Bond's exposure to this system in 1980 while on active duty led to the eventual development of Harpoon.
The player is the commander of either NATO or Soviet forces, commanding ships and aircraft, selecting from over 100 different weapon systems, and taking responsibility for judgment calls. The game mainly focuses on combat in the GIUK Gap.
Harpoon is a naval simulator that uses data reflecting real-world equipment and weaponry, based on a miniatures wargame. There are no preset battle algorithms that dictate combat outcomes, and no play balance between sides. The game includes a user's guide with an appendix on superpower politics and maritime strategies in modern warfare, a Harpoon Tactical Guide by Larry Bond, and a booklet by author Tom Clancy that deals with Russian destroyers. Clancy used the simulation to test the naval battles for Red Storm Rising, which he co-authored with Bond.
Computer Gaming World's reviewer, a United States military officer, gave the game five stars out of five. He stated that "there is no question that Harpoon is the most detailed simulation to appear in the civilian marketplace ... a must-have for the serious naval gamer", and that he had learned more from six hours with the game than one year at the Naval War College.
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