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This is a somewhat difficult cartridge to review, because reactions to it will vary so widely. If you're young enough that none of the titles I'll mention ring a bell, consider this a three star cartridge that should be your first choice if you ever want to try a retro compilation. For anyone who grew up with an Atari 2600 in the early to mid 80's, however, this is a five star cartridge that should be among the first 10 that you get for your Game Boy. What you have, basically, is a handheld Atari system with 34 of it's best known games, plus extras, on one cartridge. Simply astonishing.

The four games featured on the front packaging are among those you'll probably be playing most often. In Freeway you help a chicken cross a highway. In Chopper Command you pilot a Chopper and, well, shoot the heck out of anything airborne that moves while avoiding crashes and return fire. In River Raid, you make your way down a river blasting enemies while avoiding shooting refueling tanks that you need to use.

There are other games you'll like too, but one rules above all the others. Mario. Samus. Alucard and the Belmonts. Before them all, there was Pitfall Harry - and countless of us grew up trying to get our Indiana Jones like hero through a jungle alive, those triple-crocodile jumps the bane of our young gaming existence.

There are some extra pluses and minuses. Those used only to games like the colorful Mario ports will find the screen a bit dull, but that was the Atari coloring of the time. Return fire bullets were small, which means that on the Game Boy they're Really, Really Small. Again, that's the system and the games. Finally, fans of the popular Kaboom!, the game featuring the dreaded Mad Bomber, should be aware that the controls don't lend themselves to the game very well - perhaps the only instance in the cartridge.

Now, however, for the pluses. You get a menu screen resembling an Atari cartridge deck, and can view the original box art and instructions - enough to give you a smile in itself. And - here's the big one - the cartridge retains records of high scores, which was the whole point of the Atari era. If you get a high enough score, you can even get a virtual patch resembling the ones you could send away for in the 80's if you provided Activision with a snapshot of your TV screen with a score of a certain level.

If you want to relive those days on handheld, then this cartridge is a must for you.

This is a great collection for those who can remember the old 2600 games. Keeping the high scores and including graphics of the patches and original manuals is great as well. Younger players might not get as much from it though. Its a great collection for the price for sure!

Most of the games in this anthology of Activision's golden age are little more than bizarre curiosities, but the sheer fact that there are 55 of them (complete with some unreleased prototypes and "alternate" versions of games involving *gasp* human blood) sure does make up for a lot. Some graphic muddiness due to the GBA screen aside, the video and sound emulation is right on. Most of the good 'uns (River Raid, Pitfall) still hold up surprisingly well, though Kaboom is totally unplayable without the paddle controller. And while you may never actually figure out what the hell is going on with Kabobber or the NASA-licensed Space Shuttle, you're bound to enjoy the minutes trying