Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection (PlayStation 2)

NAMCO MUSEUM: 50TH ANNIVERSARY ARCADE COLLECTION spans about a decade of the company's classic video game titles. It repackages 16 arcade classics from the '70s and '80s, targeting gamers who grew up in that era. Gamers of all ages will recognize the most popular games in the collection: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, Galaga, and Dig-Dug.

Ms. Pac-Man still impresses with her speedy trips through brightly colored labyrinths. Galaga virtually invented the concept of button-mashing and scratches an itch for a straightforward arcade shooter. And watching fire-breathing dragons explode after Dig-Dug pumps them full of air is a singular treat.

The best of these games all benefit from a whimsy and innocence missing from most games on the market today. But as memorable and influential as these primitive titles are, they are technology products that age and become obsolete -- more beta and eight-track tape than Hitchcock and Shakespeare. As a result, they compare unfavorably to the impressive graphics, complex storytelling, and responsive control of contemporary games.

Kids -- who can play more advanced games on their cell phones -- may be unimpressed by the archaic graphics and simple, repetitive gameplay. Second-tier games like Rolling Thunder, Sky Kid and Rally-X do nothing to inspire awe for the past. This game does create an opportunity for parents to connect with their kids over a night of gaming, regaling them with stories of high scores past. But this nostalgia trip is bound to be a pretty short one, as their isn't enough to hold either kids' or parents' attention for very long.