Some of you out there in gamer land may recognize the developer named Konami. I know I certainly do. Konami has produced some of the most played games out there such as the Castlevania series, Contra, Metal Gear etc etc. Everyone starts somewhere, though, and Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advance for the Game Boy Advance shows us just what Konami was all about in the early 80's.

I will admit that I'm a sucker for a compilation game collection on any system. For the most part, they can end up being a great gaming value. For instance, Arcade Advance contains six games, making the cost per game less than five bucks a pop. That's not too shabby for some classic action if you ask me. For me, this cart was also a fantastic trip down memory lane. There is just something magical about growing up in the arcades when these games were new.

Things were much simpler then. In order to play the really good stuff, you were dropping quarters into a never-ending pit of allowance sucking technology that was cutting edge in a smoke filled arcade. Games barely had endings, and even when they did, most of the time it would just start over anyway until you finally exhausted your last life and quarter. Most of the games on this diminutive GBA cart represent some of the best and most innovative games the 80's had to offer.

I'll break down each game in its own mini-review as well as cover the best little secret this cart has to offer. Most old school gamers know exactly what to do when they hear the almighty utterance of "the Konami code". Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start, is the now classic Konami cheat code, responsible for many extra lives as well as interesting side effects in a slew of their games. Entering the code allows you to play an enhanced version of the classic game, an always-welcome feature and one that adds considerable replay value to the cart.

Frogger
Classic: (Circa 1981) Frogger is easily one of the definitive games of the 80's. I can remember when we borrowed the Atari 2600 version of the game when I was in grade school. My mother kept me up till nearly midnight in the middle of the week when I had school the next day. It had everything the blockbuster games had going for it back then. It was simple to pick up, hard to master and endlessly challenging. You control your little amphibious hero, Frogger, in his never-ending quest to not become road pizza on the highways, and avoid being drowned, I suppose, in the river. Thinking about it now, Frogger makes absolutely no sense. How the hell does a frog die just because he falls in water? He's a friggin amphibian for god's sake!?!? I guess we just weren't supposed to think of things like this back then. Anywho... the idea is to get Frogger to his happy little bog, or to five different bogs. Wait a minute. One frog in five different bogs? Alright, this game doesn't make much sense and has not a damn bit of story, but it's addictive and we loved it for some reason.

Advance: After entering "the Code" at the title screen for Frogger, you can start an enhanced version of the classic game. The game receives a major graphical and aural overhaul, replacing the simple graphics of the original with detailed cartoon-like sprites that are a pleasure to look at. The sound also receives a boost with improved music and in-game effects. Gameplay remains perfectly in tact, however, which is just the way it should be.

Scramble
Classic: (Circa 1981) Scramble is the beginning of Konami's long lineage of shooters that evolved into the venerable Gradius series. The basic premise is simple enough, you pilot a space ship that needs to blast its way through multiple levels of hazards such as missiles, the basic level layout and even managing not to run out of fuel. In another example of things not making a lick of sense, blowing up a fuel tank somehow refuels your ship. Eh, ok... sure, whatever. Basic gameplay consists of blasting away at everything you can with the B button dropping bombs and the A button fires your forward blasters. The levels are unforgiving and the challenge is high, like many shooters of the time. Control is spot on, however, and I can't find anything wrong there. The action is classic straightforward shooter through and through.

Advance: The Konami Code version of Scramble feature enhanced graphics and sound, in addition to being able to choose from three different ships. There doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the ships, however one does have full auto front blasters, a blessing if your thumb is cramping up from playing on your Game Boy Advance all day. All of the action is the same, with only the cosmetic differences showing through.

Time Pilot
Classic: (Circa 1982) Time Pilot is easily my favorite game of the bunch. I have actually been hunting for a good conversion of this game for some time now. Like the other games featured on the cart, Time Pilot is practically a pixel perfect conversion of the original classic. Time Pilot is a shooter, which features your time traversing craft in an overhead view, where you can travel infinitely in every direction, while your ship always remains centered on the screen. You start off blasting away lowly biplanes and work your way through time until you are on the edge of being obliterated by alien UFOs. If you eviscerate enough enemies in the level, a mighty boss battle will occur, testing your mettle as a pilot and the stamina of your thumbs.

Advance: The enhanced version of the game is essentially the same as the classic mode save for having an additional level and adding auto-fire to the features of your craft. It may be a little thin on the updates, but the game holds up so well that I suppose it really didn't need much in the upgrade department.

Gyruss
Classic: (Circa 1983) Featuring a computerized version of Beethovin's 5th, Gyruss is another classic space shooter that makes its way to this compilation cart via Konami's archives. Gyruss puts you in control of a space craft, which is trying to make it's way back to the safety of planet Earth. Your planet hopping action starts on the outer rim of the Milky Way and features roughly three to five waves of enemies in between planets. After each wave, you jump into a black hole, teleporting you closer to your objective. The unique control scheme locks you in a circle around the teleportation hole in the center of the screen. Enemies swoop in from off screen and gather in formation around the center if they survive your initial salvo. The gameplay features the classic thumb blistering action of most action games of its era along with intense battles requiring all of your twitch gaming skills.

Advance: After entering in the Konami Code, you are treated to slightly enhanced visuals and sound, along with a newer, more difficult beginning series of levels and a couple extra lives to help you on your quest for mother Earth. As always, the classic gameplay is intact.

Yie Ar Kung-Fu
Classic: (Circa 1985) Yie Ar Kung-Fu is another game that was a little ahead of its time. Tournament fighting games were not yet the flavor of the day in the mid 80's when Yie Ar Kung-Fu debuted. However, the game did offer a budding young fight fan a lot to do in 1985. Featuring a bevy of moves and a number of different types of enemies to face, this game was very revolutionary at its time. Your character was a martial arts master who had a ton of moves at his disposal utilizing two buttons along with 8 points on the joypad. It may not seem like much, but 16 moves back then was something to scream about (and some games today still don't match that.) You fight in a tournament against such enemies with fairly descriptive names such as Star who fights with throwing stars, Pole who fights with a bo staff and Sword who fights with, you guessed it, a sword. You can also jump clear across the screen in classic Saturday morning Kung Fu Theater action. Beat the last guy, Blues, and the tournament starts all over again. Ah, the beauty of the 80's.

Advance: The enhanced version of Yie Ar Kung-Fu only features some new enemies, without any other enhancements.

Rush'n Attack
Classic: (Circa 1985) In Rush'n Attack, not only to we get to enjoy a title that provides a witty jab at the Cold War in the 80's, we also get to see the humble beginnings of what was to evolve into the Contra series. You star as a lone soldier, armed with only your wits, and your trusty combat knife. (I am really curious if your superiors actually expected you to do anything on this mission without even giving you a freaking gun at least!) Luckily, every so often in the game you can kill a special enemy soldier and steal his three shot flame thrower or missile launcher. No, it is not enough, but at least it's something. Rush'n Attack is definitely the hardest game on the cart and I certainly don't remember this game being easy when I was a kid playing it in the arcade, or even on my Commodore 64. It is the epitome of unforgiving 80's gameplay, which will surely tax your skills and maybe even make you want to throw your GBA against a wall or two.

Advance: Extra lives, thank god, 'nuff said.

Well there you have it: six great games on the go for one low price. You really can't ask for much more in my opinion. Grant it, many people will get bored of games that really have no ending and many simply won't care to step back into the 80's when they think that Sony was the first company to make a home game system. My main gripe with the cart is the lack of a backup system for saving high scores. That was really the whole point to games in the 80's, beating your own scores over and over again. Konami has another budget cart out called Gradius Galaxies that features a battery backed game save for scores and options, and it even costs $10 less now. There is really no excuse for that oversight. Oversights aside, if you crave a bout of classic gaming in the palm of your hand is what you need, you can't go wrong with Konami Arcade Classics which features a nice mix of games, most of which haven't been visited for some time now.