Product Description The original arcade version of Asteroids was an early milestone in video game design

The controls were easy to master, yet each new level provided enough challenge to keep arcade goers depositing quarter after quarter

This new generation--a port from a recent PC and PlayStation release--immediately updates the original idea with colorful 3-D and other enhanced features

Your ship now has to contend with metal-crushing black holes, hidden enemy spaceships, and bursting solar flares

And your ship will also have new defenses at the ready, including homing missiles, bombs, and forward shields that will allow your tiny craft to plow through just about anything

All of these added features, however, don't detract from the thrust-and-fire thrill of the original, which means that parents might want to play head-to-head against their kids on a single Game Boy or on two (using the separately sold cable link)

And if this update makes you wish for the classic arcade Asteroids of yesteryear, look for the hidden 2-D, vector-style original inside this version. Amazon.com Asteroids, like other classic games from the original video arcade era, is still fondly remembered by retro gamers--and for good reason

This game reminds many gamers of an age when gameplay was more important than graphics

The first few levels play just like the original Asteroids game

Your ship starts in the middle of the screen, spins, and blasts asteroids

You can thrust about and pick up some nifty power-ups, but the game doesn't really heat up until later stages

For example, the second stage introduces dangerous black holes that you must avoid

Strangely enough, the final levels play somewhat like another classic game, Missile Command

There are lots of hidden goodies in this game, from new ships to an embedded version of the original wire-frame Asteroids

Fortunately, this version offers more than a simple facelift to the aging arcade game

Asteroidsis simple enough to pick up and play for a few minutes, yet addictive enough to keep you occupied for hours

Retro arcade fans should put this one on their shortlist

--T

Byrl Baker Pros: Good color support Addictive gameplay Hidden extras Cons: Very unforgiving collision detection