We're starting to see "throwback gadgets" come on the market that harken back to great historic periods in our country-- like the 1980s. An example of this is the Atari Classics 10-In-1 TV Game from Toymax. What they've done is compressed an Atari 2600 video game system, embedded it into a slightly modified 2600 joystick controller, and bundled 10 of the old video games designed for the 2600 platform.

The 10-in-1 TV game includes very authentic versions of Adventure, Missle Command, Asteroids, and Centipede. Other games that ship in the package include Pong and Breakout. The problem with these games is that they were designed to be played with paddle controllers. I don't remember from the old days whether you could even play them with joysticks, but the experience couldn't be great.

The best thing about this package is the price. You could easily buy this type of thing as a stocking-stuffer for friends. I'll be looking to pick up one of these mini-game systems soon. Maybe then I'll challenge my brother to a rematch of Missile Command.