688(I) Hunter/Killer

688(I) Hunter/Killer put players into a modern nuclear submarine of the Los Angeles class and offered a look at underwater warfare of the Cold War and hypothetical nineties conflicts — an era of guided missiles, advanced sonar, and self-guiding torpedoes instead of classic estimation of a target's angle and speed. The game belonged to the Jane's Combat Simulations label, known for its emphasis on authenticity, and the player had to learn to work with layers of sonar display, distinguish types of acoustic signatures, and decide when it was appropriate to launch a torpedo, an anti-air missile, or an anti-ship guided missile.

The simulation calmly and methodically built tension from the hunt for enemy vessels in the silence of the deep, where a single careless maneuver could give the submarine away before it detected its opponent. The graphical interface was fairly technical and resembled real onboard systems, which matched the overall spirit of a series focused on fidelity to real-world procedures, and the audio, with the quiet hum of the reactor and sharp active sonar pings, nicely conveyed the feeling of life inside a sealed steel hull deep beneath the surface. The campaign offered progressively more demanding missions, from patrols to direct confrontations with enemy submarines and surface ships.

688(I) Hunter/Killer is still highly regarded by fans of serious simulators as one of the most authentic depictions of modern underwater warfare of its time, and it inspired further entries in the Jane's Combat Simulations line focused on naval themes. Its legacy is also visible in later, more sophisticated simulators that adopted a similar emphasis on sonar detection and tactical decision-making in silence rather than straightforward action. The game thus helped establish the idea of what a believable simulator of a modern nuclear submarine should look like, and many of its principles still appear in the genre today.

Why play it: For fans of serious simulators of modern underwater warfare, this is a title with a legacy still visible today, thanks to its emphasis on sonar detection and tactical decision-making in silence rather than straightforward action.