Cobra Strike is an arcade style action game for one to three players. As G.I. Joe, you need to defend the recruits at a training camp from the evil Cobra, who is attacking the camp in the form of a giant snake. You control a shield and a gun; as the recruits run along the bottom of the screen towards safety, you need to use the shield to block the deadly venom and laser beams coming from the snake. When you get a chance, you can use the gun to shoot the snake. Hit the snake with eight direct hits and it will be destroyed and you can move on to the next level. If the snake manages to kill four of your recruits, the game is over. In the two player version of the game, both players can play cooperatively and try to destroy the snake together, or one player can control the snake and one protect the recruits. In the three player version, two players protect the recruits while the third player controls the snake.