Thunderbirds

Thunderbirds is a vertical scrolling shooter released by Activision (in the US). It is based on a TV series of the same name.

Story
The diabolical Hood is threatening to destroy the Earth with meteors. The Thunderbirds have 60 days to stop him.

Gameplay
The game is a vertical scrolling shooter. Players control one of five pre-selected vehicles which differ slightly in primary weapon. Levels are somewhat nonlinear; there are three zones which may be played in any order. All three must be cleared to reach the final stage. Each zone contains several levels often starting with one level that unlocks the rest. Ships have three health units. Lives are measured in days remaining. Ships can pick up powerups that can increase weapon power, add helper units, restore health, or change the direction the helper units can fire in.