Helicopter simulations began in 1986 with the title "Gunship" by MicroProse. Nine years later, in 1995, Digital Integration released "Apache Longbow," the most sophisticated helicopter simulation of the time. In 1996 it was exceeded by "Jane's AH-64D Longbow," a game created by Origin Systems and released by Electronic Arts as part of the Jane's Combat Simulator series. The sequel, "Jane's Longbow 2" (1997), was one of the earliest simulations to take advantage of hardware accelerated graphics, including advanced lighting. 1998 saw the release of by Empire Interactive, which allowed players to choose to fly for either the US or Russia.