BACK to the good old 1980s when arcade games were the be-all, and end-all. If you wanted to play the latest game the only places to do so were those dark, smoke-filled dens where, you really were not supposed to be. Laden down with a fistful of top coins, one could strut around playing the likes of Galaxian, Pac Man, Pole Position and Dig Dug for hours on end.
But the money always ran out and it was then the dream of actually owning one of those machines really took root. Now, over a decade later, you can partially fulfill those dreams. Return To Arcade, while it will not take the place of having one of those 1980s arcade machines, does its best to re-create on PC some of those better-known titles.
The sound is an exact replica and, while the same can be said of the graphics and gameplay the gaming area doesn't fill your entire screen (despite the full-screen option). One suspects this is a speed-related issue as even in the smaller window option gameplay on Pole Position, for example, can be jerky on a Pentium 75.
It's a bit ironic that these old games struggle to perform on today's latest equipment. But unlike the original formats, Return Of Arcade does have the ability to customise your game - setting the amount of lives, speed and number of points required for bonuses.
If you have never experienced these games in their true environment the nostalgia may be lost on you. But these four titles have good reason to be called classics. There are few frills but there is pure raw gameplay.
The following summaries are given in comparison to other games of that era - to do otherwise would be a little unfair.
Graphics: 86%, Sound: 88%, Gameplay: 90%