Make no mistake, though: this is no Gradius or any of the classics you know. It's still a fun game that's more difficult than your average shooter. Fortunately, you can select from four difficulty levels, and choose your ship from three available (with the usual tradeoffs, e.g. one ship is fast but weak, another tough but slow, etc.) Most levels are set in space, although there are some surprises and good diversity: in the first level, for example, you face no enemies but must navigate through the asteroid field. There are few bonus items to collect, but there is a good range of weapons you can "buy" at the end of each level with points, which you gain by destroying enemy ships. There is also a 2-player mode, although both players must take turns instead of flying ships simultaneously. Strangely enough, the game offers no joystick support. All in all, a fun game that will please all SHMUP fans, even though it sets no new standards for the genre.