Featuring two video game heavies of the early 1980s, Arcade Hits: Joust/Defender is sure to appeal to nostalgic video game veterans as well as those that have no idea what a "Gorf" is. Because arcade games of that era had limited graphics and sound capabilities, both titles translate very well to the Game Boy Color system, and the gameplay is just as addictive now as it was then.

In Joust, the name of the game is survival of the fittest: riding atop a flying ostrich with lance in hand, your knight must eliminate wave after wave of enemy knights in a 2-D arena of floating platforms and lava pits. Two players can joust simultaneously via a link cable to another Game Boy with a second copy of the game. (Believe us, it's worth the trouble!)

Defender has you piloting a spaceship across a horizontally side-scrolling landscape, where alien invaders are snatching up people from the surface. It's your job to save your fellow citizens and destroy endless sorties of alien ships. With humans being highly susceptible to laser fire and falls from high altitudes, Defender calls for precise handling over an itchy trigger finger. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Excellent translation of arcade classics
• Highly-addictive gameplay
• 2-player simultaneous play via a link cable

Cons:

• Downright ugly if played on a non-Game Boy Color system