Chopper time!
Slightly bizarrely, this is the sequel to the vertically scrolling shooter AirStrike 2 (which is itself the sequel to AirStrike 3D) so you have to wonder what was going on with the naming conventions of the series. Whatever weirdness is going on though, it's a similar game to its predecessors, being an old-school shooter with modern graphics and which provides some reasonable blasting thrills. The storyline follows on from the previous title but it's not overly important as this is a shooter, but if you are interested, it's all about terrorists trying to take over the world and who need stopping. This is where you come in so you jump into your dinky little helicopter and start blasting away at everything you see. You've got three choppers to choose from, 24 levels to fly through, over 100 enemy types to destroy, and of course lots of power ups. To mix things up a little, you can choose to play in traditional 2D mode or a forced 3D perspective which does admittedly look quite spanking. AirStrike II is certainly not a game which is going to set the world on fire but as far as straightforward shooter go, it just about delivers the goods. The visuals are quite nice, with lots of massive explosions and some lush environments to enjoy while the action comes at you fast and furious right from the start. The weapons too are varied and suitably over-the-top and the challenge level is pitched about right, making this entertaining for veterans and newcomers alike. It might not be in the same class as Raiden but for a cheap and cheerful alternative, you could do worse than this.
