7th Level's new first-person helicopter flight game, HeliCops, may not be the greatest game ever, but it's definitely cool. The whole Akira-esque "NeoTokyo" theme that the game revolves around is fascinating, and even the artwork and introductory FMV sequence have a distinctive Japanese animŽ style.

As you learn from the intro, an earthquake hit Tokyo in 1998, completely wrecking the city. NeoTokyo emerged from the rubble as a hot bed for technology. All was well until the year 2015, when Giger and his international crime syndicate, the Nemesys, arrived on the scene with plans for total domination. Control of NeoTokyo is up for grabs, and Giger has placed the highest bid. But all is not over yet. With the help of the governor, Commander Iemitsu Kabutogani has assembled a secret airborne strike force called the HeliCops.

You take on the role of one of the pilots assigned to the strike force. Your job is far from simple: To finish the game, you'll need to complete 20 increasingly difficult missions. Luckily, the gameplay is smooth and the action is intense. Keyboard control, however, can be hideously frustrating, and a joystick is certainly necessary for an enjoyable gaming experience. But then again, what flight game doesn't improve with the addition of a joystick?

Kick things off by choosing one of five characters--each supplied with a unique background--and then selecting one of five helicopters. Each of the choppers varies in size, speed, strength, and firepower. The levels are vast and the environments range from completely open areas to enclosed caves and corridors to building-congested cities, where you'll navigate through the streets and in between skyscrapers. Even the powerups are cool: standards like full ammo are joined by nifties like Conflict (makes enemy copters attack each other) and Scrambler (makes enemy missiles target enemies).

HeliCops also has the option of multiplayer games over local IPX, modem, and global TCP/IP, for up to eight players via a network. Players can choose any of the aircraft available in the regular game, making for some variety as you battle it out in the blazing skies. Meanwhile, of course, the game's host can choose the arena in which to host the game.

Overall, HeliCops is really enjoyable. Check it out.