Pimp your jet in Sega's After Burner on PSP

At some point in the late-1980s, every arcade in town had an After Burner cabinet at the door. Bringing the day job of a Top Gun jet pilot to suburbia, After Burner had a hydraulic system that threw you hither and thither, as you took on waves of enemy planes whilst trying to look impressive should some girl from school walk past disinterestedly.

The PSP version that Sega has just announced is 100 per cent unlikely to include backbreaking force feedback. On the other hand, according to its entry at Arcade-History.com, the original deluxe cabinet weighed some 800lbs. The only way that baby could be played on the go was on the back of a delivery van.

After Burner: Black Falcon for the PSP sees Sega delivering on its recent commitment to bring such classic old franchises back to life on PSP.

Billed as the first arcade-style flight combat title for the PSP (a position actually held by Namco's Ace Combat), there's no screens as yet – we're assured the updated After Burner: Black Falcon will remain true to spirit of the arcade original.

You'll fly an assortment of licensed planes and fire a wide range of exotically-priced weaponry in an effort to recover 13 stolen top-secret fighter jets.

You'll also be given the ability to customise the game's 19 officially licensed military planes. As well as arming each military jet with your own choice of weapons, you'll be able to pimp your ride by installing new engine components for faster, more manoeuvrable fighter planes.

Bringing After Burner fully up-to-2007 will be a range of multiplayer modes, including both competitive and co-op options.

"As huge fans of the original After Burner, we're delighted to re-imagine this classic arcade franchise," said Bob Stevenson of Planet Moon Studios, who'd better stop dreaming and start programming if his game is going to arrive in spring 2007 as scheduled. "Building After Burner: Black Falcon from the ground-up enables us to craft the game with PSP features in mind, with all-new multiplayer modes, customisable jets and over-the-top gameplay."

"Most importantly, it's approximately 9,000 per cent more portable than the original arcade cabinet," he added, wittily doing the maths that we didn't earlier.

Happily, this new After Burner sounds anything but lightweight. Click 'Track It!' to secure a lock-on.