Everyone ought to know the story of how Activision came to be. When Atari was founded, none of their programmers were allowed to have their names associated with the games that they worked on. Some got around the limitation by putting Easter eggs in their games for dedicated players, others just suffered in silence. That is, until David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead left Atari to form Activision, the first third-party video game publisher. It was the Golden Age of Gaming; there were no rules, only the imagination and ingenuity of the pioneers of our beloved hobby. This retro collection brings you the classics of the Activision Atari 2600 days in a great early-80's themed package.

To begin with, getting the 2600 to emulate properly is notoriously difficult. To have done so on such a low-spec machine as the GBA is truly a marvel. All the games in this collection are pretty much entirely the original code, not remakes. The only noticeable changes are that they aspect ratio had to be changed for the GBA screen; in most cases that this means that the Activision graphic has been removed. Another change, and an unfortunate one, is that the games all play a little bit slower than they did on the 2600, running at about 90% of their original speed. Obviously, this won't be terribly noticeable in games that you aren't familiar with, and even the pickiest purist probably won't be bothered too bothered by the speed difference.

The presentation for this suite of games is great, with a retro 80s flair. The selection menu looks like an actual rack of cartridges, which you can turn with the directional pad. In an improvement over the PS2 version, the games are now ordered alphabetically instead of chronologically, making it much easier to select the game you want. Each game comes with a thumbnail of the box art, where applicable, and a manual. Many of these manuals have amusing tidbits of history tucked away inside, and can make for a good read. On the menu screens you get some music that, while not authentically 80s as in the PS2 version, certainly captures the feel of the early 80s and continues to set the old school mood. Unfortunately, you do not have the option to listen to the soundtrack while playing the games, which feature mostly bleeps, bloops, crunches, and fuzz for sound effects.

The real reason to get this collection is simply the sheer number of games that you are get. Just look at the list: Barnstorming, Baseball, Beamrider, Bloody Human Freeway, Boxing, Bridge, Checkers, Chopper Command, Climber 5, Cosmic Commuter, Crackpots, Decathlon, Dolphin, Dragster, Enduro, Fishing Derby, Freeway, Frostbite, Grand Prix, H.E.R.O., Ice Hockey, Kabobber, Kaboom!, Keystone Kapers, Laser Blast, Megamania, Oink!, Okie, Oystron, Pitfall!, Pitfall II, Plaque Attack, Pressure Cooker, Private Eye, River Raid, River Raid II, Robot Tank, Seaquest, Skate Boardin', Skeleton+, Skiing, Sky Jinks, Space Shuttle, Space Treat Deluxe, Spider Fighter, Stampede, Starmaster, Tennis, Thwocker, Titlematch, Tomcat, Vault Assault, Venetian Blinds, Video Euchre, as well as an unnamed prototype. That's a whole lot of gaming history for your dollar, and includes some games you cannot get on any other compilation.

Some nice additions for the GBA version of the Activision Anthology include 2-player mode and high score lists. Both have their drawbacks, however. The - player mode is a bit of a hassle if you don't have the Gameboy Player for Gamecube. While it only requires one cartridge and the link cable, only one screen is active and the other GBA is used simply as a second controller. Looking over your buddy's shoulder to see what you're doing can be a major pain, but if you use the Gameboy Player for Gamecube then you've got some real old school action going on. The GBA version of Activision Anthology also includes a high score list for the games that include scoring, something sorely missing from other retro game packs. Sadly, the high score doesn't keep track of initials or any other identifying marks, so you can't really compete with others for high score.

If you missed the Golden Age of Gaming when it first came around, or if you are longing for the giant pixels and outlandish game concepts of yesteryear, you'd be challenged to find a better package than the Activision Anthology. With so many classics, rendered so well, and in pocket-sized form, it really is the best "pick up and go" collection you can get.