10 Classic eighties arcade games – free online

GALAGA

Many of us blew our pocket money at the local fish and chippie on Galaga, and it's as good today as it was then. Like a souped-up version of Space Invaders, Galaga saw a generation of kids defend the galaxy for just 20 cents, all in glorious 2-D.

FROGGER

Gameplay doesn't get more basic than this – meaning Frogger is the kind of game you can play while making a sandwich, all to the 8-bit strains of 'Yankee Doodle'.

PONG

When it comes to old school, it doesn't get much older than this. Coming from a time when good graphics meant 'I'm the left block, you're the right block', Pong proves that you don't have to be fancy to be addictive.

PACMAN

Spawning everything from TV shows to Guinness World Records, Pacman even had a corporate legal defence named after him (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_defense). Here's a great tribute to the cutest coin-op character of all.

RAIDEN

This insanely difficult version of Raiden looks the same as the original, but is let down by some clunky controls. Nevertheless, the firepower is all still there. tinyurl.com/l8q7nd

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Apparently, Sonic's personality was inspired by Bill Clinton's 'get it done' attitude. Well, here he is back again, and he's still as hyperactive as ever (just like Bill Clinton).

STREET FIGHTER 2

This good looking rendition of Street Fighter 2 sees us still relying heavily on the Dragon Punch uppercut, but luckily, no mention of the dreadful Van Damme movie adaption is to be seen.

KUNG FU

The grand-daddy of all martial arts video games, Kung Fu looks positively primitive today. There are still some genuine old-fashioned thrills to be had here however, so get kicking. Sylvia's not going to rescue herself, is she?

ZELDA

Zelda, the ultimate 'walk around and slash at things' game gets a Flash makeover here, which doesn't really do it any favours, but it still manages to recapture those frustrating hours of aimless wandering.

SIMON

And what stroll down memory lane would be complete without the king of memory games, Milton Bradley's 1978 masterpiece, Simon? Simon spawned a bunch of imitators, but none became an eighties icon like this beloved classic.