Although it was in pretty poor taste and criticised by some for being similar to the Gulf conflict that was ongoing when it was released, Desert Strike is a fantastic and extremely unique Mega Drive game. In DS, you are the pilot of an Apache helicopter, tasked with rescuing hostages, defeating the bad guys and generally destroying most things in sight. The action all takes place from an isometric view outside of the helicopter and - despite sounding like a generic shoot-em-up - DS forces the player to employ a lot of strategy and careful planning to successfully complete missions. You even have to choose your weapons carefully. As the helicopter can only carry so much weight, you must decide exactly whether you want missiles, machine gun and more deadly Hellfire missiles before you go. You'll also have to take into consideration your fuel levels and regularly return to designated sections to refuel as you go along. The success of Desert Strike - naturally - spawned a number of sequels, including Jungle Strike, also for the Sega Mega Drive.
Dan Curtis is approximately one-half videogame knowledge, and the other half inexplicable Geordie accent. He's also one quarter of the Factory Sealed Retro Gaming podcast.
