A super blast from the past

Arcade-type games are all the rage this season and leading the way is Jakks Pacific, Malibu, Calif. Adding to their tremendously popular line of TV Games, new titles for this season include Ms. Pac-Man, Spider-Man, Atari Paddle Games, and Disney TV Games. These are complete games contained in one controller that plugs into the A/V jacks of your TV or VCR and do not require any gaming software or videogame consoles. What's more, they're battery operated, making them portable and extremely simple for the youngest of players to switch from one title to another.

Designed to appeal to a new generation of arcade gamers, the Disney TV Games unit features a joystick that's easy for little hands to maneuver and five all-new games: Aladdin & The Five Gems of Agrabah, Lilo and Stitch: Stitch's Search for Paradise, The Lion King: Timon to the Rescue and Simba & the Tree of Trials, and Donald's Golf Tournament.

Similarly, Spider-Man contains five games in its red- and blue-webbed controller, and gives kids (and adults) a chance to take on seven infamous villains, including Venom and the Green Goblin.

Of course, the games that speak to us most--Ms. Pac-Man and Atari--are the staples of our "youth" The Ms. Pac-Man controller contains four additional games: Mappy, Pole Position, Xevious, and Galaga (to which we're definitely addicted). These games were incredibly popular in the 1980s and their appeal remains apparent.

And what can we say about Atari? It was the first video system we owned--we spent countless hours playing Pong--and this version comes with 13 paddle games including Warlords, Super Breakout, Casino, and Night Driver. The controller actually looks like the retro Atari paddle. Get the Deluxe 2 Player Set, so you can go head to head in competition.

What's amazing is the kids love these games--that is, after they're done making fun of the low-tech graphics we were so enthralled with way back when. It just goes to show, no matter how amazing the screens have become, there still is a huge draw in playing the simple games where your fingers have to be faster than the computer, and all you have to do is beat this level, and the next level, and the one after that....

These TV Games titles are priced under $20 and are available wherever toys and games are sold. For more information, go to www.jakks-pacific.com.

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