Fly and Shoot Games

In fly and shoot games you move through the air or space firing at whatever crosses your path. You might be a spaceship, a paper plane or someone with a jetpack. There are about 75 on the site.

What they share and how they differ

Most start from the same idea: your character flies, the scenery scrolls and enemies arrive from the front or from above. You move around the screen, dodge what's coming and shoot. It's an old arcade format, the shoot 'em up, and it still works because you can grasp it in five seconds. What differs is the hero and the tone.

For textbook space combat, check out Space Attack, Spaceship Destruction, Starship Defender and Rocket Fighter. For planes, Airplane Battle and Paper Airplane, plus AirWings.io, which, going by the .io in the name, puts several players in the same match. Jetpack Blast swaps the ship for a character with a rocket pack, and Super Flappy Mario and River Raider break the mold with ideas of their own. Kirby Star Scramble and Matrix Fighter are there for the familiar characters.

Worth knowing before you play

Scrolling games often have power-ups that improve your weapon or give extra lives, and it's common for a bigger enemy to show up at the end of a stage. It isn't always worth going after every pickup: if grabbing one drags you into a stream of bullets, sometimes it's better to skip it.

Nearly all use the arrow keys and a fire key, or the mouse. Keep your ship moving and fire in short bursts. It's safer than sitting still and aiming. If the game lets you pick between several craft, the fastest one forgives mistakes best, even if it has less firepower.

And for younger players, some games are very simple, with cartoon art that needs no tutorial, while others demand quicker reflexes. Try them first.