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One of the most hotly-anticipated iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (i.e. universal) games of the Summer is here — you’re an attack helicopter pilot tasked with a series of increasingly difficult missions, earning points, getting weapons and tech upgrades, and (this is the most important part) you’ll have the opportunity to kill hundreds of enemies and destroy their stuff. Come on inside for the scoop…

Majik Jungle Games Chopper 2 (iTunes, $2.99) is out and, if you’re into flight combat games, this is a must buy. The graphics are crisp and well rendered, while game play is immersive, progressively more engaging and the controls devilishly simple, which means you won’t be getting tired of this title any time soon.

We have the technology…

The killer feature of Chopper 2 applies specifically to the idevice addicted among us — you know who you are. That is, if you’ve got an iPad and iPhone/iPod touch, you can use the handheld as a controller (via Bluetooth) while using the tablet as a display.

The kicker here is that you can tether your iPad using Apple’s iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter (Apple Store, $29) to a TV and what a wickedly cool thing this is — if you’ve got the toys, it’s time to play.

That said, as is oft the case with Bluetooth, getting the devices to talk to each other takes a minute — no big deal — and you will get over it because this is how the Chopper 2′s meant to be played.

Additionally, Chopper 2 features OpenFeint integration, meaning your accomplishment get posted online and you can do other social stuff, like peruse the leader boards — a look at the people kicking butt — as well as take part in the forums/chat, join the fan club and see of who’s playing.

If you’re not already an OpenFeint member, signing up is easy and takes under a minute. In turn, this new account provides Facebook and Twitter integration.

Gameplay

In Chopper 2, you control your attack copter by tilting and turning your idevice and this game can take advantage of the iPhone 4′s gyroscope for an even higher level of control. Shooting your weapons is accomplished by tapping on an enemy or tapping and then dragging to lay out a strafing pattern.

Now, whereas the movement and fire controls are individually simple, there’re devilishly fun to master — I’m not there.

Chopper 2 starts you out performing simple missions — flying point-to-point, around flocks of birds, picking up people — and gets progressively more difficult as you learn to multitask the controls. To keep leveling up, you’ll need to perform multiple tasks at the same time as your enemies become more and more deadly — infantry, tanks, anti-aircraft, missiles and don’t forget those pesky flocks of birds.

Each mission starts with onscreen instructions (and hints) that you can scroll through one-by-one or dismiss with the tap of a button — a thoughtful design feature.

Although it’s orders of magnitude more advanced, Chopper 2 is the 21st Century equivalent of Armor Alley, one of the most popular games released for 68xxx Macs way, way back in 1990. ‘Twas super cool back in the day and so is this game.

Chopper 2 is currently available for $2.99, an introductory price that will go up to $7.99 at some as yet unannounced date. The game play is immersive and addictive, while the graphics and effects are excellent. Further, because this is a universal app that Majik Jungle really put time and thought into, it plays very, very well on both the iPhone/touch and iPad.

I’m giving this sidescrolling combat game two big thumbs up…

What’s your take?

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