Possibly the hardest question to ask and even harder when you think that this site only covers some of the classic machines but still if you have any interest in retrogaming you will seek some of these games out to see what all the fuss is about.  Considering that most of these games are free of the net anyway (but not including any links, I am not that daft) they make great time wasters. I have picked three of the best to get your downloading shoes into...........

Enjoy this list of games that should have a deep place on your harddrive...

Atari 2600 Games

Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back (Parker)
This one has legs.. well quite a few large thumping ones. One the very first games about our fav film saga (forgetting Lord of the rings) it uses the 2600 the best it can.  This can get quite dull at times but its still a cracker of a shootemup

Ms. Pacman (Atari)
Forget the bashing Pacman took, Here's his girl and for once a mighty version of the arcade game if you forget various maze changes and no intermissions but we can forgive the 2600 for that.  A great game.

Yar's Revenge (Atari)
Original fun blaster from the past. Using some nifty 2600 visual and FX treats makes Yar's stand up and be counted.  More fun than a sack full of wet potatoes. 

C64 Games

Paradroid (Hewson)
one of the best games ideas ever. Controlling a droid across ship bays attacking and taking over the droids to control. 
Even better are the many various versions of the game floating about the net. Check out the Heavy Metal version. It rocks.

Ghosts N Goblins (Elite)
Even when we have MAME for all our arcade needs, you need to come back to some of the best home versions because they are so good. Chris Butler's Outstanding conversion of the Capcom arcade game is just that.

The Way of the Exploding Fist (Melbourne House)
Some people like International Karate.  Some like Yie ar Kung Fu. Some like IK+. Some like Fist + (You jest?) Anyway I just love the hard graphics and sonics of Fist one. Its just me. Please forgive me.

Arcade Games (MAME/Others)

1942 (Capcom)
Shooty planes. Die. A lot. Still great after all this time and no home version came close to this arcade gem. Very simple but long lasting. Shooty.

Tron (Bally)
Great film (get the DVD) but also check out this four screens of pure film gameplay. Its even got the film tunes in there. The light cycles have come home and that makes me smile.

Space Invaders DX (Tatio)
Although older than you it makes good sense to check out what your dad goes on about when you play your X-Box. This version is the DX 1990's version which is the complete set of the old games including..get this...the cellophane effect that was used on the screens to simulate colour. Timeless.

Spectrum

Manic Miner (Bug Byte)
Matthew Smith's timeless and british for once, take on the early platform games. You can still load this up and play for hours (well 10 minutes at least) Even better than its god awful Jet Set Willy that I still hate.

Cobra (Ocean)
A film license sure but it was a good idea to make it into some sort of arcade game that uses the Speccy well. Even gains brownie points of putting in the Stallone line, "Dont Push Me"

3D Deathchase (MicroMega)
Discovered (IE:Never played before) last year on a beer filled round of early morning misty eyed gaming (sort of like now) It takes the best bit of Return of the Jedi where you go through the trees on a speeder. All this in 16k. Golly.

Games classed as classics but are far from....

Jet Set Willy (Software Projects)
Come on, do you play this now?

Jet Set Willy II The Final Frontier (Software Projects)
Yes, A tenner for a few more rooms.

Asteroids (Atari)
Too blocky for its own good. Play the hack

Road Runner (Atari)
*Beep* game

Quazatron (Hewson)
Paradroid rip off. From the same company!

Jet Set Willy (Software Projects)
Come on, really... do you play this now?

Super Breakout (Atari)
It took ten years to come up with a better bat and ball game

Jet Set Willy (Software Projects)
How can you defend this? Please tell me

Alter Ego (Activision)
Its life. Again. School. no. too clever.

Ikari Warriors (SNK)
Was fun in a pre Rambo sort of way, too dated to care.