Top Gun: Hornet's Nest is a 1998 combat flight simulation game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by MicroProse for Microsoft Windows. It is loosely based on the 1986 film Top Gun, and is a sequel to the 1996 game Top Gun: Fire at Will. The game was criticized for its lack of realism and its flight physics. Gameplay Top Gun: Hornet's Nest is a combat flight simulation game. Playing as "Maverick" from the film Top Gun, the player takes control of an F/A-18 Hornet combat jet. The game features three campaign modes, each with 10 missions. Each campaign mode and their missions must be played in order before proceeding. The first mode takes place in Siberia, where the player must stop Russian general Martikov, who has seized nuclear weapons. After stopping Martikov, the second campaign takes place in Iraq, which had purchased nuclear weapons from Martikov. In the final campaign, terrorists have attacked the Panama Canal, requiring the player to travel to Colombia to prevent any further destruction. The player has a wingman throughout the missions. The player's weapons include missiles and several fictional armaments, such as an aerial cluster bomb capable of destroying a group of close-flying targets. The game offers several perspectives, including a cockpit view with the instrument panel visible, and an external view set from behind the plane. During missions, the player can land the plane to rearm and refuel. Some missions have puzzle-solving elements. In one mission, the player must slowly sneak through an underground maze while piloting the plane, peeking around corners before proceeding. The game includes the Instant Action mode, in which the player can play a customized round of air combat without a storyline. Instant Action has the player destroy enemy planes and installations for as long as possible before dying. In Instant Action, the player can select any of the three locations, and the number and type of enemies. In addition, the game includes modem and network multiplayer, and also offered online multiplayer through MSN Gaming Zone. Development and release Top Gun: Hornet's Nest was developed by American company Zipper Interactive and published by MicroProse as a sequel to Top Gun: Fire at Will (1996). The game was announced in April 1998, and was developed with a new graphics engine over its predecessor. MicroProse intended the game to have an emphasis on action rather than simulation. Jim Bosler of Zipper