In Phantom Air Mission the player mans a F-14 combat fighter and has to solve various missions, e.g. destroying an enemy base or destroying all enemy aircraft in the area. However, despite the name this is more an action game than a simulation. So the player flies through the area and uses the weapon systems - cannons, missiles and ECM (electronic countermeasure to deflect enemy missiles) - to kill opposing forces. The game is played from a first-person view and the cockpit offers information like a radar and the fuel, which has to refilled when running out. This is handled in-flight. The missions, which begin with a starting and end with a landing sequence, are stringed together without plot.