AirStrike 2 is finally here. Get ready for brand new land, air and water units –armored vehicles, heavy helicopters, submarines, destroyers, carriers, speedboats. Missions take place over water, desert, high in the mountains and over densely populated areas. While the enemies have become tougher and more deadly, players can now upgrade and modify weapons themselves to meet the challenge. The level of details for 3D objects is incredibly high, so when you clinch the trigger to blow things up, they fly apart into hundreds of small pieces. Now the iron birdies with deadly “claws” and “beaks” each have a set of unique characteristics. These Death Machines are armed with lethal weapons that the UN has outlawed long ago. One flying monster could probably carry out genocide in a few small countries with hard-to-pronounce names. Most importantly, now you can participate in air battles to test your pilot skills against your enemies’. Helicopter duels are both incredibly challenging and engaging, making your palms sweat and your hurt pump the blood-adrenaline mixture all over the body to give you the energy for survival. But when you see all other birdies lose their wings and crash down, that’s how nirvana feels like. "This application's excellent graphics help turn a relatively standard shooting game into an impressive, action-packed option." (Download.com) In addition to new terrain types and environments, AirStrike 2 features terramorphing, which changes the landscape as a direct result of your actions. Plus, after passing a level and killing its boss, you can fly through bonus levels to empty your adrenaline tanks and release the unused rage. Simply fly and kill for fun and pleasure, while getting ready for the next missions. Each mission in AirStrike 2 is preceded by a small briefing, and radio communications with the command center are carried out on a regular basis to keep you engaged. "For addicting and riveting combat action, you cannot beat AirStrike II, the sequel to AirStrike 3D...." (The Adrenaline Vault, Top Shareware Games of 2004, 12/2004) Last year Game Tunnel nominated AirStrike 3D for Best Action Game, Best Sound, Best Graphics and Best Non-Network Multiplayer. They’ll have to come up with new categories this year for AirStrike 2. AirStrike II: Gulf Thunder is a fresh sequel to AirStrike II, arguably the most exciting 3D indie helicopter combat action game ever released. The new sequel follows in the footsteps of its ‘parent’ and takes it to the limit. The centerpiece of AirStrike II: Gulf Thunder is a new terrorist base, well defended and cleverly designed to make any head-on attack pointless. This time around, the terrorists created a new monstrous weapon and a new type of explosives. Naturally, the only way to stop the destruction is to annihilate the opponents while they are on the move. After this is done, the player has to carefully plan the assault on the core base, which is defended by the towers and is fortified with a new type of metal alloy. AirStrike II: Gulf Thunder has 15 new levels. There is a whole lot of ‘desert flying’ to do because this add-on is Iraq-based. The battle scene is littered with burning oil barrels and is packed with industrial objects where sneaky terrorist land units can hide to give them unfair advantage. All 3D objects are remarkably well designed and bear a distinct AirStrike II style touch. AirStrike II: Gulf Thunder has 15 new levels. There is a whole lot of ‘desert flying’ to do because this add-on is Iraq-based. The battle scene is littered with burning oil barrels and is packed with industrial objects where sneaky terrorist land units can hide to give them unfair advantage. All 3D objects are remarkably well designed and bear a distinct AirStrike II style touch. The choice of helicopters in Airstrike II: Gulf Thunder is limited to 3 iron birdies, but all of the machines are pure joy to pilot and attack with. The difficulty level has been increased a couple of notches, so the game should please the most demanding hard-core gamers. Even diehard helicopter simulator fans are likely to get hooked on the game instantly. AirStrike II: Gulf Thunder is 100% free to download and try.