Historical Context & Trivia

Silent Service II (1990) is a World War II submarine simulator set in the Pacific theater, and it follows the original Silent Service as an expanded sequel built around American submarine warfare against Japanese shipping and warships.

The game was developed by MPS Labs, MicroProse’s in-house studio, and contemporary coverage describes it as a project led by Arnold Hendrick with programming by Roy B. Gibson, positioning it as a larger and more technically ambitious continuation of MicroProse’s simulation-focused design tradition.

Gameplay & Technical Features

As an Action / Simulation title, Silent Service II places the player in command of a U.S. submarine, mixing navigation, targeting, torpedo attacks, and mission-based patrols across the Pacific war zone.

The DOS version was presented as a more advanced computer simulation than its predecessor, with reviewers noting improved VGA graphics, digitized ship imagery, and better use of contemporary sound hardware and faster CPUs to support a more detailed submarine-command experience.

Collector’s Value & Rarity

From a preservation standpoint, Silent Service II is a reasonably documented early-1990s PC release rather than an ultra-rare title, with broad availability through later digital re-releases and archival references reducing its scarcity as software.

Physical editions are the main collector focus, especially boxed DOS copies with manuals, maps, command cards, and multi-floppy disk sets; regional and reissue variants exist, but the strongest collectible appeal lies in complete original packaging rather than the game’s software image alone.