Xplosiv, a budget UK publisher, has brought affordable games to PC for some time, and more recently to PS2 also. A subsidiary brand of Empire Interactive, their outstanding release for March 2005 is the old-school 2D shooter Gunbird Special Edition. The Gunbird series was originally an arcade franchise. Developed by Psikyo, a specialist 2D shooter house also known for their Zero Gunner series, Gunbird's first console outing was on the SEGA Saturn, published by Atlus. The second arcade game in the series was brought to the Dreamcast by Capcom, and in fact included Dark Stalkers' Morrigan as a playable character. With the arrival of Gunbird Special Edition on PS2, it's the first time that the series has made an appearance on this platform. The game is a compilation, including both games in the series. In the first, play as one of five adventurers and take to the skies to compete to the prize of the ATLERS, a legendary wish-granting mirror. More dream-fulfilling questing features in the second installment. This time you are after the Holy Elixir, whose three elements must be united, racing against the deadly Space Pirates who want it even more than you. Two players can play both games, and experience different storylines depending on their characters. The game also has all the features that twitch gameplay fans have come to expect from console shooters: default numbers of lives can be set, as well as difficulty and ammo; stages can be selected at will and practised individually. As well as that, the fast, demanding play features special attacks, charge moves and smart bombs, as well as bonus items to increase your score. Spoilt recently with Gradius V, Ikaruga and the like, 2D shooter fans can find their next fix here.