G-Police

Spanning 35 missions, G-Police is a fast, exciting flight simulator based in a highly populated true three-dimensional cityscape, and it's heavily biased towards shoot 'em up air/ground combat. "G-Police provides the player with a unique opportunity to become a G-Cop and patrol the streets of a virtual city in a heavily-armed Havoc close air support gunship."

So who are the G-Police exactly? "The year is 2097. Elected government has been deposed by the big corporations. These corporations reluctantly agree to fund an independent force to police their territories: the G-Police are just such a force."

This Havoc thing, tooled up is it? "Oh yes, indeed. The Havoc has a vast array of weaponry available to it ranging from the Vulcan cannon to a devastating plasma launcher, and then there's the 1000kg bomb for getting rid of a whole bunch of things that move and those things that don't, like buildings. As you progress through the game, more weapons become available. All the civilian traffic is vulnerable to your weaponry, so when firing unguided rockets at ground targets, for instance, be careful you don't trash that school bus! But don't worry, you won't be reprimanded too harshly. The G-Police are well aware of how tough it is out there! "Don't get too cocky, though - your enemies are furnished with military hardware that's far more powerful than your Havoc." Where is G-Police based?

"The game is based on Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons. Technology has advanced to the point where humans are able to colonise our solar system. Vast domed cities now litter the nearest planets and moons, protecting their occupants from the harsh conditions outside." There's a bit of an in-depth plot, isn't there?

"The storyline of G-Police was originally written by a professional script writer, but was adapted to suit the game structure. This meant that the script and missions were developed to complement one another - you won't find out how it ends until you reach the outro." G-Police has a very distinctive style. Where did this come from? "The style of the environment was influenced by films like Blade Runner, Outland and Aliens, incorporating dark visions of the future. The team studied these closely to get a feel for what the game required."

It looks like Blue Thunder to me, but budding Roy Schneiders can find out for themselves this Christmas.