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2005 HAS BEEN A windfall year for gamers who can recall the glory days of the arcade. Taito, Capcom, Sega, Atari, Midway, Namco... virtually all the legendary names within the industry have published compilations of their coin-op classics, guaranteed to induce nostalgic warm fuzzies amongst those who remember them. Despite their simplistic (by today's standards) sound, graphics and game play - or perhaps because of them, many of the 'golden oldies' are still very playable today and are particularly well-suited to the handheld go-anywhere format.

Namco's blast from the past for the PlayStation Portable is Namco Museum: Battle Collection - not to be confused with Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection (for Xbox, PS2, PC and GBA), which features a slightly different selection and is not due for release until mid-January. The original arcade titles featured in Battle Collection includes some well known and much loved hits, plus a few obscure ones. The line-up includes: Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Dig Dug 2, Galaxian, Galaga, Xevious, Rally-X, New Rally-X, Rolling Thunder, Bosconian, Mappy, King and Balloon, Motos, Grobda, Dragon Buster, and Tower of Druaga. Notable by their absence are Ms Pac-Man and Pole Position, which is a shame.

Four of the classic games: New Rally-X, Dig Dug, Galaga, and Pac-Man have undergone the 'arrangement' treatment; the video game equivalent of plastic surgery. These scions of the arcade are impressive to view and a delight to play, sporting improved sound effects and music, plus handsome new graphics such as 3D elements and larger, more colourful sprites. Gameplay too benefits from the addition of some excellent features.

All of this is somehow achieved without losing the spirit or feel of the original games; however we found the arrangement versions proved markedly less challenging to play than their arcade ancestors. This is possibly to compensate for the high difficulty level of the original titles, or perhaps it is simply to make the games more attractive to a wider (and younger) audience. Certainly, the arrangement games would hold more appeal for kids and teens, while their parents may prefer a more authentic experience... even if it means having to don their specs to see the screen properly.

While the arrangement games are certainly a feast for the eyes, the classic games are another matter. The default display setting for most of them retains the screen proportions of the arcade originals. This utilises only half of the available screen area, which makes for tiny onscreen images. Fortunately you are able to manipulate the size and orientation of the PSP screen to suit your preference. You can also adjust the number of lives and the score at which extra lives are earned, a bonus for anyone who was ever crap at spacies. Multiplayer games are a matter of 'pass the handheld', and you can share samples of classic games with other PSP owners by means of the wireless capability.

The arrangement of games include several additional features, all of which add to their appeal and replay factor: you can select from three difficulty levels, continue from where you left off (very handy if you have to switch the unit off in a hurry), play with friends in wireless mode - either co-operatively or battling it out, plus the free play option is good for a quick gaming fix.

We found the directional controls to be occasionally unresponsive, which can make for a frustratingly short game where the likes of Pac-Man or Rally-X are concerned; those old arcade games were notoriously unforgiving. The shoot-'em-ups proved easier to control, but the combination of extended, repetitive left/right movements and mashing the same button is a recipe for RSI. Instead we'd recommend short bursts of intense play rather than extended gaming session

With a release date of 16th December, Namco Museum Battle Collection will make an excellent stocking filler for the retro gamer in your life. Teamed with the PSP it becomes the perfect platform to introduce the young 'uns to a fine selection of go-anywhere arcade classics.