Harpoon is a game in which the player is the commander of either NATO or Soviet forces, making judgment calls and sending orders to ships and aircraft, armed with weapon systems selected from more than 100 available options.

Harpoon is a naval simulator that uses data regarding real military equipment and weaponry, based on a miniatures wargame.

[2] In the late 1970s, a manual wargame called SEATAG was introduced by the United States Navy for exploring tactical options.

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.

[6][8][9] In the April 1990 edition of Dragon (Issue 156), Patricia, Kirk and Hartley Lesser called this "is a true simulation with data reflecting real-world equipment and weaponry."

He concluded by giving both the game and the graphics an above-average rating of 8 out of 10, saying, "If tactical modern naval is your field, this is the program you've been waiting for.

"[10] In the December 1990–January 1991 edition of Info, Judith Kilbury-Cobb wrote that a preview copy of the Amiga version of Harpoon "looks killer", saying it had "more technical detail than any game has a right to.

While she acknowledged that "the wealth of tactical and strategic data on weapons, ships, subs, etc., is overwhelming", she found performance on a basic Amiga was "unbearably sluggish".

"[12] The One reviewed Harpoon in 1991, calling it a "combat simulation for purists", due to the lack of "flashy action scenes" or joystick controls.

The One furthermore states that the game requires "careful" and "arduous" strategic planning, and express that "It's hard to fault the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the military hardware database which supports Harpoon, and it would be unfair to criticise the lack of more usual arcade-style sequences.