Zappy days

Retro gaming doesn't just stop at Pong and Space Invaders. For the generation below those that first handled a joystick, a host of other games now provide nostalgic pleasures

Super Mario Brothers, NES (1983)
Pioneering platformer that saw two Italian brothers fighting against bullets, dragons and the evil genius Wario. Super Mario 3D, released for the Nintendo64 in 1996, later revolutionised the genre once more.

The Legend Of Zelda, NES (1986)
Ground-breaking role-playing game (RPG), in which hero of the story Link took on a reptile army, led by Prince of Darkness, Gannon. The aim of the game was to rescue Princess Zelda.

Donkey Kong, NES (1986)
Console update for the 1981 Atari 2600 version, again based around the intrepid Mario. The superhuman spanner-holder took on a ladder filled with foes to reach Pauline, the damsel in distress.

R-Type, Sega Master System (1987)
Landmark shoot-em-up, in which the gallant R-9 spacecraft went it alone, taking out aliens and asteroids that threatened the galaxy. One of the most cloned releases of the time.

5. Tetris, Gameboy (1989)

Tetris had appeared before its handheld console incarnation, but on the Gameboy it truly found worldwide fame. The idea of slotting falling shapes into one another was classically simple. Tim Ingham