Rule the skies and take the enemy Downtown.

Heatseeker is pure arcade action, by which I mean it in no way attempts to simulate actual jetfighter combat.  Your plane has unlimited ammo and fuel, and it is virtually indestructible, and is able to survive a mid-air collision with hardly a scratch (ground or sea impact, not so much).  Handling is extremely responsive, and aim is forgiving enough that you can pick off enemy fighters with the cannon relatively easily.

As you might expect, the plot is equally easy on the brain.  You're a fresh new recruit (codename "Downtown", helping stop an evil dictator with weapons of mass destruction, or some such cliched garbage.  Thankfully the plot delivery is limited to brief non-interactive sequences at the beginning of each mission, and radio chatter throughout.  There are no CG cutscenes or bad acting to be seen here, which allows IRgurus and Codemasters to pass the savings on to you.

A similarly lazy approach was applied to visuals.  In general it's a pretty bland and ugly game, thanks to a combination of jaggies everywhere and combat zones consisting mostly of similarly coloured sky and water.  On the bright side you won't notice it when you're concentrating on locking onto enemy aircraft and dodging the bullets whizzing past you.  There's a pretty nifty blur effect when you engage afterburners (which is often), and the much vaunted Impact Cam, while lacking in visual polish, continues to pack a visceral punch even after dozens of viewings.  The sound department is where Heatseeker starts to shine; bullets whiz past convincingly, radio chatter is clear, and the enemy missile lock warning is suitably panic-inducing.

You begin with access to two planes, with more becoming unlocked as you progress through the missions, and bonus planes which reward accurate shooting.  Enemy planes seem to be unlockable as well, bringing the total available to 36, including alternate versions.  Each plane has supposed different abilities, but the most important is the unique set of payloads available to each.  You will want to select the correct mixture of air-air, air-ground and multi-purpose armaments for each mission.  Details are scarce, however, so you may sometimes find yourself quitting and restarting a mission to select a plane/payload better suited to the required tasks.