The Atari Anthology video game has all the titles that were released by Atari in the late '70s and '80s. Each game looks and plays just as the originals did back in the day. The game is set up into different "galaxies" (or sections that relate to a different theme.) One galaxy would be the arcade classics which are the 18 video games you would play in the arcades at a quarter a pop. This includes games like their first game, Pong, as well as classics like Tempest, Asteroids, Centipede and Missile Command, to name a few. Each of these game's graphics are the same as if you were in the arcade, and they even have the corny picture graphics that line the outside of the screen or the control board, as if you were playing a stand up game. The eight other galaxies consist of the home versions of each type of game. These galaxies include the categories of Action, Adventure, Space, Casino, Mind, Sports, Racing and Arcade at Home games. Each of these galaxies transforms to a "constellation" that plays each type of game in that category. For example the galaxy Racing Games (or Acceleratus Major the scientific name) would be split into a constellation with stars named Night Driver, Steeplechase, Slot Racers, Street Racer and Sprint Master.

Each of these games then has its own home screen. This will give the player the options that the original 2600 gave a player to select skill level or type of game. The controls of the game as they pertain to the Xbox controller are also given in this area to help the players out, since they are using different controllers than the joystick and one button or paddle on the 2600. There's also a bonus section with scanned-in graphics of the original directions, cartridge, and other small viewable tidbits. The arcade versions even go as far as to show the original pictures of the standup versions of each game, and what the printed graphics on the side looked like. Another nice touch to this game is that on Xbox-LIVE, the gamer has the opportunity to post his high score with the quarter arcade classics, so now you aren't just competing with people in your county, but the whole world. The games are exactly how you would imagine them in each detail, just to help you spark up nostalgia.

Though everything about the gaming is the same as it was when you were younger, somehow the Xbox control does not play as well as the previous controllers did for each game. Many of the quarter arcade games do not play as consistently as they once did when they had specially designed controllers for each game. For example, Centipede and Millipede had a track ball to make movements flow fluently through a maze of mushrooms and falling fleas. Pong and Tempest had dials to effortlessly move your paddle up and down to help score the winning point, or around the circle to easily avoid the dreaded spikes. Even Astroids took some getting used to, with its buttons to fire, but no button to thrust - just a different move on the thumbpad to make it work. Home versions went much the same way without the paddle or joystick to move your players. This was the most frustrating part of playing the games; some seemed extremely difficult to play without the different controllers. As a gamer gets used to the different controls, though, each game will be as enjoyable to play as it was over 20 years ago.

I will admit I did not go into purchasing Atari Anthology with extremely high hopes or expectations. Remember, these were games that are now considered extremely "old school" - games that were pioneers to the massive market we now see in video game technology. As a matter of fact, the game was purchased as a fun way to take myself, as well as my friends, back to a time when video games were fairly simple. My wife enjoyed the fact that she did not have to grow another appendage on her hand to handle a game similar to the ones we have today. People enjoyed sitting down, talking of the memories they had playing their siblings in each and every game. This is definitely not a game for players who have never played these games before, and are too serious with their gaming.

This is a game for everyone who did wish for a new Atari cartridge for their birthday or Christmas, maybe even one they never received but always wanted. It is fun considering just how simple video games were, how much fun we had playing them and just how addicting they were and still are. This game was enjoyable to play with new guests over to the house. I have gone back and played different games on occasion, whether with friends or without friends, just to see what the games are like. This game is fun and will make you laugh, not just from the graphics of some of the games, but from the memories that it will bring up. I believe it should be in the collection of every gamer over 25, or at least rented once. I will admit that there is always replay ability in each of these games for that is why we continued to go to the arcades. But just remember, in this day and age, older is not always better.