Can someone explain to me what the heck the difference between the Commanders Edition and Advanced Naval Warfare? I know there are another 5-10 different versions of Harpoon out there (ranging from the original Harpoon to the latest), but I'm stumped on which one of these two I want to get. I'd prefer a cleaner interface/better usability over some esoteric functionality (VBSS ops for instance). However if I can get both I'd love too. Thanks in advance to any advice anyone can offer.

-Jenrick

The short answer is: You cannot purchase them individually any longer. They are only offered as a bundle of both games.
http://matrixgames.com/products/392/details/Larry.Bond%27s.Harpoon.-.Ultimate.Edition

Demos of each version are available.
http://www.computerharpoon.com/demos.html

You can also take a look at this video:
Harpoon Classic and Harpoon3 Comparison

Here is the current bug situation for both versions:
http://www.harplonkhq.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18
http://www.harplonkhq.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16

You will have to decide for yourself if the game works well enough for your hard-earned money.

Lovely. Is it worth trying to find an older version that is relatively bug free? (H3, heck H2 for that matter)?

-Jenrick

You can get H2 on eBay for a couple of bucks, but H3 is better. There is no place to purchase H3 separately.

H3 is part of the HUE bundle which includes HCE, H3 (v3.6.3), ANW (3.9.4), and HUE (v3.10.0). ANW and HUE are hopelessly buggy. So, you have to decide if HCE and H3 are sufficient for the price.