In Airstrike, the player flies through caverns while shooting and bombing targets, avoiding terrain, and managing fuel and ammunition.

Airstrike also restricts ammunition: the ship starts with 40 shots and 10 bombs and more are gained by destroying ammo dumps (marked with an "A").

In a 1982 review for Electronic Games, Bill Kunkel wrote, "The graphics are absolutely top-notch, perhaps the finest recreation of the sort of coin-op which inspired Airstrike in the first place."

"[8] Walter Salm wrote in Electronic Fun with Computers & Games: "If you're looking for a good home version of Scramble, this is one of the best I've seen yet" and "it's hard as the devil to play–even at the easiest skill level.

"[9] The Book of Atari Software 1983 called the game, "nearly impossible to play even on the easiest level," putting part of the blame on the sensitivity of the controls.