The action uses a top-down view of the islands and surrounding water. Fly between factories, enemy installations, and your aircraft carrier while firing missiles at moving targets and dropping bombs on industrial buildings. The carrier is your essential supply point, so reckless attacks can leave the helicopter exposed or unable to continue.

Destroying factories reduces the enemy's ability to deploy forces, but surviving long enough to reach them is the central challenge. Enemy activity increases as the raid progresses, and the carrier can also come under attack. The NES version is a single-player game with continuous combat on its map rather than a conventional menu of selectable stages.

Prioritize factories instead of spending the entire mission chasing individual vehicles. Use missiles against moving boats and aircraft, then line up bombing runs on factories while approaching from a safe direction.

Keep track of the carrier's position and return before the helicopter becomes vulnerable. Do not allow enemy forces to destroy the carrier; once it is lost, resupply and recovery become much harder. Short attacks followed by deliberate retreats are safer than remaining over one island while defenses accumulate.