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This is a conversion of a very successful arcade game but may not be an automatic hit unless there are sufficient shoot-'em-up fans out there who prefer to do their blasting at home.

You take off in your fighter from the deck of a carrier and proceed across land and sea confronting waves of enemy planes. There are four phases on each level before you can land safely back on the carrier which really means just different permutations of planes coming at you. One phase has a huge bomber and bringing this down will bring you big bonus points but it's not necessary to destroy it to get onto the next phase.

Destroying certain planes will give you extra firepower or clear the screen of attacking planes for a moment. Apart from that, there is little to divert you from the business of shooting the enemy out of the sky and amassing vast numbers of points. You are allowed a certain number of aerobatic rolls to get you out of trouble on each level and you have five lives in order to get as far as you can.

Landing back on the carrier gives you a thoroughly deserved 5000 point bonus before you take off again. Once back in the air it's the same old thing with just a few more planes and marginally more flak flying. Ominously the level gauge slips back from 32 to 31 presumably meaning there are 32 flights left to complete. Personally I packed my goggles after three levels and had to put my trigger finger into traction. As an out and out shoot-'em-up 1942 certainly succeeds but if you are looking for something more than a musclebound joystick hand and zillions of ponds give this one the flypast.