Air Traffic Chaos nearing final approach to DS

Here's a game nervous flyers might want to avoid playing on their annual flight to Majorca. Not that we blame them. Frankly, we'd rather stick to our usual four stiff gin and tonics.

Still, for the foolishly brave, Majesco has announced Air Traffic Chaos for DS. And no, it doesn't take place at Heathrow's Terminal 5 but instead puts players in the hot seat of an air traffic controller at a range of busy airports around the world, managing take-offs and landings.

Using the DS touchscreen, you'll be assigning gates and safely managing incoming and outgoing air traffic for 14 different airlines in varying weather conditions. Outstanding performances will be rewarded with 16 different collectable merit badges. Rubbish controllers will presumably be rewarded with lots of pretty kerosine-based explosions in the sky.

Three difficulty levels to play through are promised, each with five stages. The game also supports the DS Rumble Pak and allows you to share scores with up to seven friends.

"The game's frantic pace set against the backdrop of an already high-stress job will challenge fast-fingered touchscreen gamers in an entirely new way," said Gui Karyo, Majesco's executive vice president of operations, while gently playing with a Newton's Cradle.

If you've ever spent 30 cold-sweat soaked minutes circling above Heathrow with 20 other planes in the equivalent of an aircraft tornado hoping the person coordinating below didn't go to the pub at lunchtime, this is perhaps not the game for you. Although it does sound like it could be good fun.

Majesco is planning to release Air Traffic Chaos in the US this summer. There's no release date for it in the UK yet but we'll let you know as soon as such news lands on our desks.