We like the helicopters in Mercenaries. They're fun to fly, and a great way to see the scenery, and they're not even a main part of the game. So how can a dedicated helicopter combat game get it so wrong? It's an arcade-simulation, but somehow fails to cut the mustard as either genre.

The slow handling must have been spawned from the simulator side of the family and the little dot-like vehicles that shoot you, thus demanding hot leaden retribution, must come from the arcade side. But overall, the sim bit is thin on the techo-fiddly stuff and the action is a 'press fire and hope for the best' affair. Even at a cheapo fifteen quid, the most hardened helicopter fan will struggle to get a (cheap) thrill from this limp chopper.

Overall 30%
Despite the fairly exciting premise behind it, Operation Air Assault is a game that's remarkably devoid of any real excitement. Even at £15, it's still not worth a spin.