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Choplifter! is a side-scrolling action/arcade game that puts the player in command of an attack chopper. The mission: Go behind enemy lines and rescue up to 64 hostages. However, the chopper can only carry 16 passengers at a time, so several rescue attempts must be made to rescue everyone. Be careful, though, because tanks and enemy aircraft will try to stop you - and they won't stop shooting while the rescuing of hostages is going on.

Originally released for Apple II home computers, Choplifter! was later ported to the arcades in a rare instance of a home version receiving a later arcade release.

However while the basic gameplay stayed the same, alterations to the original version were made.

• The game now consists of four different levels. The original's desert level has been redesigned, and three new settings (sea, caves and city rooftops) have been added.
• Each level contains only a total of 24 hostages to rescue. The player has to rescue at least 20 hostages to complete a level. Also, the chopper can now only carry 8 passengers at a time.
• A fuel system was added. A unit of fuel gets refilled for each hostage returned safely.
• A scoring system was added.
• New stationary ground-to-air missiles enemy units have been added.

The Famicom and Sega Master System versions are based on this Arcade version. The Sega Master System has six levels (three of the levels repeating just with different backgrounds; no city rooftops level), gets rid of the fuel system, and requires 40 out of the 48 hostages to be rescued to complete a level (the chopper can now carry 16 passengers just like in the original version).