Rating: 
Summary: Another Great Atari 2600 compilation.
Review: Activision Anthology was a great compilation. This one also is too. First there is 18 Atari coin-op games included. 12 of which were included on Atari Anniversary edition. Games like Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command & Tempest. The new games include some lesser known titles like Major Havoc & Black Widow. Then there are 67 Atari 2600 titles. Some of the games include Combat, Adventure, and the Atari 2600 versions of some of those same arcade games that were included in the coin-op section. For example there are arcade & Atari 2600 versions of Centipede & Asteroids. Only games manufactured by Atari are included. For example Pac-Man couldn't be included because Namco owns the rights and Atari got the license for it in the 80's. Because of this Pac-Man wasn't included in the Atari 2600 section. As you know Activision already has their own compilation of Atari 2600 games. Great compilation.
Rating: 
Summary: The 80 games are just the beginning.
Review: Enough has been written about the games and their faithful recreations (all the way down to the infamous 2600 game Easter eggs planted in "Adventure" and "Missile Command" by disgruntled uncredited programmers) that adding anything else would be redundant. They really are spot on.
The real treasure is leafing (mousing?) through all that bonus material. First, there's box art and instruction manuals for all of the 2600 games as well as the manual for the Atari Video Computer System (the console itself) and a page from a mail order catalog offering the original package that included 3 Game Program cartridges (all yours for just $299.98).
The arcade nostalgia features marketing and promotional materials including flyers, collector pins, TV and radio commercial scripts, advertising slicks, covers from shop manuals and an ad for the CAT (Computer Assisted Troubleshooter) Box, used by former pinball repairmen to maintain this new breed of barroom entertainment.
For history buffs, a sizeable excerpt from the book "PHOENIX: The Fall and Rise of Videogames" by Leonard Herman encapsulates Atari's history, from a 2-man operation to market dominance and eventual collapse, only to rise again as the new name for the company formerly known as Infogrames.
As if that's not enough, there's the man himself: Atari founder Nolan Bushnell in over a half-hour of video reminiscing about the video game industry, taped at the former location of Andy Capp's Tavern where the world's first PONG game began gobbling every quarter in the San Francisco Bay area.
So, calling this CD-ROM a "collection" is like calling a Ferrari Testarossa a nice little Italian car. It's much more. It's a treasure chest, and your CD-ROM drive is the key.
Rating: 
Summary: It is a waste of money!
Review: I can't believe that the grahic is worse than the one I played 20 years ago. It is for collection not for playing.
Rating:
Summary: An observation and question of note.
Review: I don't own this collection, though I may get it. I already have Atari Arcade Hits #1 and two of the Jakks Pacific controllers/games, thinking they might be enough. But I have a question for my fellow members of The Atari Generation.
If I remember right, isn't it correct that in the original Asteroids and Centipede arcade machines, occasionally when the UFO's or Spider appeared, didn't the sound suddenly get twice as loud, and would not stop until either you shot them or they faded off screen? The reason I ask is that this happens in AAH#1, too. Does this happen in the above arcade versions on "80 Games" as well? I want to say it was an unintentional side-effect when Atari put the original machines together, and yet Hasbro left it in on the AAH#1 CD! Does anybody else remember? Nothing important, just trivial!
As a safety precaution, if this "effect" does happen on the "80 Atari games" CD, gamers who are sensitive to sudden changes in sound levels may want to turn these 2 games down.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT Way To Play The Old Games
Review: I have bought several of the Atari collections for both PC and Playstation. I have been terribly disappointed each time. Mostly because I really wanted to play Crystal Castles (with Bently Bear picking up Gems) but each game I installed just fell short.
I decided to take a chance once more with this ATARI 80 Classic Games and am so glad I did!
At first I was disapointed because I found the ATARI2600 version of Crystal Castles.. the clunky blocky game I had never played.. but then I went to another menu and found the real thing! I was so excited! My computer did lock up a time or two after the game was over but eventually play was smooth.I explored the interface and was very happy to see all of the old instruction manuals were included as well as the old advertisements and box covers, cartridge covers and inserts.. There is even an interview with the creator of Atari. Very much worth the $20!!! Great great collection of games!!
Rating:
Summary: Just doesn't work well.
Review: I love these old games, and I would have loved to be able to play them however, and this seems like a problem for a LOT of people, but this program just doesn't work well on a modern PC, and not very well on older PC's either. My main PC is a 2.4 gig P4 with 1 gig of RAM, and an 8x AGP nVidia graphics card with 64 megs DDR driving dual displays, running Win XP Pro. I just can't get this game to work on this computer at all. I tried it out on an older 800 MHz P3 without a video card (Win XP Pro as well) and it sorta worked, except most of the games wouldn't work with a mouse, and not very well regardless. I'm going to try this out on a 233 MHz machine I keep around for my older DOS based games and emulators, but still, this should be able to work on more modern machines. I did get this to work on my friends mediocre machine, and it works well there, when it decides to work. Atari's tech support is almost non existent ... the basic stuff about upgrading your drivers and not running other apps, but nothing useful. Yes, I do have the very latest drivers and patches installed. I do know a lot about computers, and have quite a few games installed ... everything from old DOS text games, to emulators (including arcade and 2600 emu's), to the most modern games and so far this is the only game that has given me a real hassle. I suspect I could get it to work but I'm not going to significantly change my computer just for this.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: I love this game. It has Asteroids, Pacman, Missile Command, Tempest, Pong and Millipede just too name a few of the great variety of classics that go down in video game history. Yes, we all do kow that they aren't the most graphiclly advanced games, but they are still fun and it is worth your money
Rating:
Summary: I like retro games, but
Review: If you are buying this to enjoy the original version that we played in the Lawsons and Mall Arcades. THIS IS IT!!!! Very surprised and pleased with this purchase! I grew up in the 80's and these game bring back the fun and memories. There are some 2600 oldies in here too!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Truly Classic
Review: If you are buying this to enjoy the original version that we played in the Lawsons and Mall Arcades. THIS IS IT!!!! Very surprised and pleased with this purchase! I grew up in the 80's and these game bring back the fun and memories. There are some 2600 oldies in here too!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Assortment, Great Price
Review: If you ever played on the old Atari Video Computer System (or 2600), you MUST own this assortment of games. It brings back so many memories! You get 80 games for $20! These games used to cost $20 each! The cartridges would have cost $1600 in the old days. These are not just 80 EXE files stuck on a CD. There is a slick menu system, on screen instructions for each game, and LOTS of extras. Extras include images of old game booklets, cover art, promotional material, and interviews. The play is EXACTLY like the old cartridges. Most work well with a keyboard or mouse, but to capture all the fun, you may want to invest in a USB joystick. I have an old 533 MHz computer with Windows 98, and I have had no problem playing any of the games. After many hours of play and checking the extras, my computer did freeze up 2 times, but I blame Windows. You cannot lose for $20. I think it would also make a great gift for anyone who remembers the early days of video gaming. And remember, 18 of the games are real arcade games that are beautifully re-created. The arcade games alone are worth double the price.
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