Harpoon

Computer Game Review

reviewed by Richard Goyder

The computer version of 'Harpoon', the boardgame by Larry Bond, must be the ultimate in modern naval warfare games. It contains the vast range of technical detail for which the boardgame was renowned, but the computer handles it all, allowing you to concentrate on your strategy, tactics and desperate bids to stay afloat. It also has the merit of being a purely solo game, with a fairly sophisticated and tough computerized opponent.

Battlesets and Scenarios

The first screen when you load the game asks you to select a battleset. There are four of these covering the GIUK (Greenland - Iceland - United Kingdom) Gap, the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean respectively. Each one comes with between a dozen and sixteen scenarios, as well as the necessary data on maps, bases and platforms. There is also an upgrade package, the 'Designers' Series', which brings all four battlesets into the mid-nineties with post Cold War scenarios and updated weapons systems.

The scenarios in each battleset very much reflect the geopolitics of that area of the globe. The GIUK Gap scenarios are chiefly concerned with the defence of Norway and Iceland by NATO and Soviet attempts to breakout with submarines and surface action groups. Even the post-Cold War scenarios are along similar lines, although there are some neat Baltic scenarios around the defence of Poland against Russian attacks, which are mainly an excuse to try out some of those unusual Swedish and German units.

The North Atlantic battleset is primarily about anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and convoy protection. This is my least favourite battleset for the highly realistic reasons that ASW is difficult and dangerous, and convoy protection is boring and dangerous. Mediterranean scenarios cover Arab-Israeli conflicts and Western actions against Lebanon and Libya as well as straightforward NATO vs. Warsaw Pact games.

Undoubtedly the best battleset is that covering the Indian Ocean. Partly this is a function of sheer variety. Along with all the major NATO and Soviet units, you can also fight, or be, the Iraqis, Iranians, Saudis, Chinese, Indians and various others I have yet to discover. The range of units available is incredible: Nimitz class carriers to tiny missile boats, Hawk trainers to B52's, and even F117 stealth fighters. The other big advantage is the massive geographical area covered. Along with Third World War type scenarios you can re-fight the air and naval aspects of the Gulf War, and the Iran-Iraq war, defend tankers in the Gulf or play-out the power struggle between India and China.

There is also a Scenario Editor program, which allows you to alter the pre-programmed scenarios, or write your own. I have to admit that I am still playing my way through the hundred or so scenarios you get with the four battlesets and their upgrades, so I have made little use of the Scenario Editor. I have tried designing a scenario to simulate the enforcement of the no-fly zone in Yugoslavia, but I am having trouble with the innate aggression of the computerised opponent (things turn violent too easily) and with linking victory conditions to the landing of transport aircraft with supplies.

The Game

After choosing your battleset, the program offers you a selection of game options. These include which side to play, whether your ships start with a full load of ammunition or not, whether there is a possibility of nuclear release being granted (a bad idea when playing against the Iraqis) and whether to entrust your air cover to computer control (a bad idea for reasons I'll explain later).

Then, having chosen the scenario you wish to play, you can read your orders. These outline the general situation, your specific tasks and intelligence estimates of enemy forces and activity. Having read this you are ready to go to the game screen itself. This is divided into four main sections. The top left has a small map showing the area covered by the battleset, with an outline indicating which portion is displayed on the main map.

The main map shows all your units and bases, and those of the enemy which you have detected. It can also display various range circles such as the best active surface radar in each unit or the best anti-aircraft missile in each unit. The map can be viewed at four levels of magnification, so that when things get a bit crowded in one area you can zoom in to sort things out.

When a unit is selected on this map, information about it appears on the lower right-hand corner. This includes the number of ships, submarines and/or aircraft in the unit, their speed and heading and unit designation. More data, such as remaining ammunition can be obtained by selecting 'Full Report', while 'Display' reveals the wealth of information which supports 'Harpoon'. For every single type of platform in the game there is a record of technical data ranging from top speed to arc of fire of individual weapons and range and effectiveness of sensors. For each platform engaged in a game, this record will be updated to include damage suffered, ammunition expended and the readiness of any aircraft on-board.

The final quarter of the screen contains the unit map, which allows you to view the individual platforms which make up a unit, again at four levels of magnification. Just above this is the time control which enables you to control the speed at which the game progresses, from increments of one second (real time) to increments of 30 minutes.

A menu bar across the top of the screen provides you with the various controls and orders. The most frequently used part of this is the unit orders menu. If you select 'Attack', the computer will offer you a list of targets, tell you whether you are in range or not, ask you which weapons system you want to use and allow you to select how many rounds you wish to fire. At each stage it will pre-select a choice for you to save time. Other commands include 'Set Formation' which allows you to alter the way a unit is deployed, and is most useful for setting up helicopter ASW patrols to protect your surface units, and 'Ready Aircraft' which allows you to alter the weapons load of an aircraft to any of the combinations stored in the 'Harpoon' database.

Other options include 'Air Intercept', a favourite of mine, which means that each time a new enemy contact is made, the computer offers you a list of all your air units in range of the contact, and you can then select any number of them to intercept the enemy. Another useful one, especially when you start playing a scenario, is the order of battle. This will list all the units under your command and their make-up. You can then access the data on each platform type, and this includes a paragraph describing its capabilities, very useful for those of us who cannot remember the difference between a Kashin and a Krivak, or whether a Spruance is best used against submarines or aircraft.

The Verdict By now you will have realized that I think 'Harpoon' is superb. It is immensely detailed, without being over-complicated. It provides you with endless variety (I play most scenarios three or four times at least, as unit numbers and positions vary each time I play both sides) and is, I believe, a highly accurate simulation.

The best indicator of this is that the ways I have learnt to beat the computerized opponent are valid military tactics. The combination of aircraft and stand-off weapons is fatal for all but the best defended surface group, ASW is fiendishly difficult but best conducted with as many helicopters as you can find and any kind of Airborne Early Warning aircraft is invaluable. The most important rule though is that air superiority is vital. This is why I will not let the computer run my air patrols as it is a bit conservative in its behaviour. The way to win is to fill the air with fighters, and then use the 'Intercept' option to sweep the enemy from the skies. Then you can get down to the serious business of sinking its ships with impunity.

The Bottom Line 'Harpoon' is by Three-Sixty Pacific (2105 S Bascom Ave, Suite 380, Campbell, CA 95008. Tel: (408) 879 9144), and is available in both Mac and PC versions. I have the Mac 'Signature Edition' which includes colour and black-and-white versions of 'Harpoon 1.2', as well as all four battlesets and the Scenario Editor, and the 'Designers' Series' which has upgrades for all four battlesets. I bought them both on trips to Canada, and in general I would recommend buying computer software in North America, if at all possible, as it is much cheaper than in Europe. These two purchases set me back about £60 and £35 respectively, with the former costing less than half the price it would if I had bought the game and battlesets as separate items.

It will take me years to exhaust all the possibilities of this game, and with a lap-top computer, I can, and do, play it virtually anywhere. (If you're planning to try this, a word of advice about playing it on aeroplanes: don't forget to switch-off the sound options, flight attendants really don't appreciate the noise of a full-scale naval battle in mid-flight). I would strongly recommend 'Harpoon' to all those with an interest in modern naval warfare, but be warned, you may never play the board version again.

[Postcard update from Richard in France informs us that Harpoon II is now out in the US and the UK]

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