The game was developed by Origin Systems with executive producer Andy Hollis on board, and released by Electronic Arts on November 13, 1997.

The game's primary campaign features a fictional war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran in which Iranian forces invade nearby Azerbaijan in early to mid 1990s.

[5] Robin G. Kim of Computer Gaming World summarized: "[...] the designers have created a benchmark sim far beyond its award-winning predecessor.

[11] The editors of Computer Gaming World wrote: "Authentic, exciting, immersive, and graphically dazzling, this is a sim that transcends its genre".

[12] In 1998, PC Gamer declared it the 12th-best computer game ever released, noting its balance between realism and fun, and its campaign model and multi-player support.