Thunderchopper puts you in a Hughes 530 MG Defender helicopter, and offers several modes of play. First is training, intended to simulate the movement and physics of the real chopper. Next are rescue and combat missions, which test your perception, precision, and reflexes. For further challenges, there are finally sea rescue and armed escort missions. Each mode has three levels of difficulty. You have a limited selection of guns and missiles for combat, and an onboard computer guides you through missions.

If you get bored with the game scenery, you can load scenery disks from subLOGIC's Flight Simulator series.