Yet another classic gaming collection has arrived for the Sony PlayStation. Midway has released the Arcade Party Pack, which contains 6 fantastic coin-op video games. The games are Toobin', Klax, Smash T.V., Super Sprint, Rampage, and 720. These games are not recreations -- they run via the original arcade ROM's, and arcade emulation technology.

The Arcade Party Pack was created by Digital Eclipse, who have created some of the finest arcade emulation products available for "off the shelf" purchase. Previous efforts created by Digital Eclipse include the awesome Atari Arcade Hits #1, and Williams Arcade Classics.

Originally, this collection was to contain 11 games. Gorf, Wizard of Wor, Gauntlet II, Omega Race, and Satan's Hollow were removed from this collection at the last minute. I'm not sure why they chose to do this.

When you start the game, the main menu (shown on the left) presents you with a number of options. You may chose to play any of the six games, or watch some video interviews with the original designers. (More information about the interviews is at the bottom of this review.)

The interface itself is clean, and simple. It is very easy to navigate around the various games. Launching the games, or viewing the video interviews is as simple as pointing at the proper icon, and hitting the appropriate button on the controller.

Toobin' -- Atari Games There's no time to relax in Toobin'! The classic can-tossing arcade game is back with the same action and fun that make it a legend. Winding rivers filled with danger await you. Hop on an innertube and make waves as you try to reach the finish line!

When you start the game, you will see the characters hop into the river. If you are playing a one player game, you will race against a PlayStation controlled character. Scoring points in Toobin' requires you to navigate down the river through flags along the course. Each flag will decrease in point value every time you bump into it, so it in your best interest to make it through the flags on the first try. Flags are worth 150 to 25,000 points.

Letters that spell the word "TOOBIN" are hidden in every race. Each letter that you find will give you additional bonus points.

These waters are dangerous. You must watch out for things in the water that will sink you. The water isn't the only dangerous part, as there are things on the shore that will kill you as well. Your defense includes soda cans, which are floating in the water. When you see one of these cans, run over them to pick them up. Once you have some cans, you can use them to stun your opponent. Aim your rafter's legs in the direction you want to throw and press the button.

You will visit a few exotic destinations in this game, including the Arctic, the Mars Canals and back to the Age of Dinosaurs. Every location has its own unique dangers.

In the original arcade game, you had a series of buttons on a control panel that directed your tube down the river. The Arcade Party Pack attempts to recreate the original controls via buttons on the PlayStation controller. It succeeds to some degree. The controls themselves do work just fine on the PlayStation controller, but it does take some time to get used to.

The emulation of the game itself is pretty good. The graphics are pretty close to what I expected them to be, and the sound was dead-on.

Klax -- Atari Games Klax is a challenging puzzle game that seems to have a lot in common with Tetris. The object of the game is to get a "Klax." You do this by matching three tiles of the same color in a row. You must catch the tiles as they come down the ramp and deposit them into the wells below your paddle. There are different types of waves for each stage in Klax. Some will require a certain number of Klaxes to advance, while others require a specific kind of Klax to advance.

To drop the tiles, position your paddle above the appropriate well, and press the button. Try to match them up vertically, horizontally or diagonally. As the tiles come down the ramp, you can press Down on the Directional button to speed up the tiles. Once you catch a tile on your paddle, you can press Up on the Directional button to launch the tile back onto the ramp. The paddle can hold 5 tiles and the well can hold 25 tiles. When you get a Klax, the selected tiles will flash and disappear. Once they disappear, any tiles that form a Klax will flash and vanish as well.

Once you catch a tile on your paddle, move the Directional button Left or Right to select a well to drop the tile in. Press the button to drop the tile. Sometimes a "Wild Tile" will appear. This tile will flash with the different tile colors and can be used to connect any tile of matching colors to form a Klax. Wild Tiles are extremely helpful when scoring points.

There are many different waves in Klax A Max Wave requires a specific number of Klaxes to advance. A Diagonal Wave requires a specific number of diagonal Klaxes; to advance to the next level. Horizontal Waves requires horizontal Klaxes. A Point Wave requires that you score a certain number of points to advance. Finally, Secret Warp Waves will warp you to another level when you get a Klax.

The emulation of this game is perfect. Everything is exactly as I expected it to be.

Smash T.V. -- Williams It is a dark future. Television is still the most popular media in the country. As in long before, the game show is the most watched program on the screen. The top rated show is none other than Smash TV! Yes, Smash TV, the game where contestants go up against hordes of mutants and weapon-toting maniacs for cash and fabulous prizes! The winner of this game gets to walk away with the ultimate prize ... their life!

Smash T.V. is similar to Robotron:2084. In fact, it was also created by the man behind Robotron, Eugene Jarvis. If you have played Robotron, you will feel right at home with Smash T.V.

The game was inspired by a movie from 1987 called "The Running Man" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The object of the game is basically kill or be killed. Shoot your way through the levels while collecting valuable bonus icons, and power-up icons. The bonus icons are added to your score if you can complete a boss level. These bonuses include things like toaster bonuses, cash bonuses and even automobile bonuses! Points are awarded for these bonuses as well as exterminating your enemies. "Power-up" weapons include rockets, shields and grenade launchers. All of these "power-up" devices can be extremely helpful in beating this very fast-paced game

Besides the usual weapon-toting maniacs you'll face in the game, there are other dangers to be cautious of. One of the biggest threats in the game are mines. These round mines are located an some levels. They don't move, but as you're running around shooting it's very easy to run into one. When you do run into one, you die. Another danger you'll face are the exploding mutants which walk around the arena. When they start flashing, they will explode shortly afterwards. When they do blow up, watch out for the shrapnel they spray, as one hit will kill you.

The inclusion of Smash T.V., in my opinion, is the best part of this package. The original game used two joysticks -- one for moving, and one for firing -- just like the original Robotron: 2084 game. Unless you have two controllers, the game just cannot be faithfully recreated. The dual-shock controllers on the PlayStation have two joysticks, and playing the game with one of these controllers makes you feel like you are in front of the original coin-op.

The graphics in this game seem to work well on a standard TV set, and the sounds seem to be exactly as they were on the original game. The game plays flawlessly. Arcade emulators such as MAME have not yet found a way to emulate this game properly, but the Arcade Party Pack hits a home run with Smash T.V.

Super Sprint -- Atari Games The classic Formula-1 racing game returns. Steer your vehicle around a variety of tracks to the checkered flag. Each track features unique obstacles, such as oil slicks, water and even tornadoes! Avoid these obstacles or you'll crash & burn.

Just like a real car race, you must successfully complete laps and place 1st in the race. Some tracks feature Bonus Wrenches. Once a player collects 3 Bonus Wrenches, they will be able to enhance their car three features. These three features (selectable after the race) are Traction, Higher Top Speed and Turbo Acceleration. You may also Increase Scope. This will add 1,500 points to your score. Each of features can be upgraded 5 times during the game...assuming that you are good enough.

Unfortunately, Super Sprint has a ton of problems. Don't get me wrong -- I loved this game in the arcades, but it just isn't meant to be played on the home systems.

The first problem has to do with the controllers. A standard PlayStation controller just doesn't work right with a game of this type. To make matters worse, it also doesn't work correctly with the InterAct UltraRacer steering wheel controller that is so popular among the PlayStation crowd. The UltraRacer did make a big difference on the easier tracks. However, once I got to some of the harder tracks with multiple twists & turns, it was almost impossible to control the car. The movement of the car is extremely sensitive. Turning the wheel slightly throws the car off of the road, or in the opposite direction.

Don't get me wrong -- I don't think this is a problem with the emulation of the game. Super Sprint is designed to play with a steering wheel, and a gas pedal. Without a controller setup that is similar to the original arcade game, I think that this will be a tough game to play.

Then, we have a speed problem. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that these cars move much faster than they do in the arcade version. That makes the cars even harder to control.

The third issue has to do with graphics. Super Sprint was designed for a high resolution monitor. While the game is playable on a standard TV, there seems to be some color "bleed" and the graphics don't seem as crisp and clear as you would expect. In fact, on my 32 inch Sony TV, there was some "flickering" effects that were somewhat annoying.

However, the sounds seem to be very accurate. Super Sprint was a fun coin-op arcade game, but it just doesn't translate well to the home consoles.

Super Sprint will support a three player game -- just like the original coin-op -- if you own a PlayStation Multi-Tap adapter. This will allow you to plug in three joysticks.

Rampage -- Bally Midway What do you do when three normal humans are transformed into towering monsters bent on destroying the country? Take control of one of them and go on a Rampage of course. The original version of Rampage comes home with all of the elements which made it an arcade classic!

You must control one of three gruesome beasts and travel from city to city destroying everything in sight. George the Ape, Lizzie the Lizard and Ralph the Wolf make up the terrible trio of monsters. In your quest for destruction, you must climb buildings and pound them into the ground. Make sure you jump from the collapsing buildings, as a fall from those heights will seriously injure you.

During the game you will have to fight past the many enemies such as helicopters, tanks and snipers. Destroy these enemies before they destroy you. Once you have destroyed all of the buildings you can advance to the next city.

Each building features items which will give you strength, power or cash as well as items which will hurt you. Punch holes in the buildings and punch again to grab the various items in them. All food items will help restore some of your health. There are cash items such as safes and money bags that will help boost your point total. Another way to gain health is to eat people. These can be either people on the street or people in the buildings you're destroying. Just make sure they're not holding any bombs. If you happen to swallow a bomb, you'll be spitting fire, and that's not a good thing.

Rampage is another great game in this collection, and it has been emulated very faithfully. The game plays and sounds almost identical to the original. I say "almost" because the game was just a tad sluggish on my PlayStation.

Rampage has always been a favorite of mine. Multi-player games are a blast, as you must work in teams to achieve your goals. Rampage is a true example of a "party game," and you will be missing out on a great experience if you don't try a multi-player game.

Rampage will support a three player game -- just like the original coin-op -- if you own a PlayStation Multi-Tap adapter. This will allow you to plug in three joysticks.

Super Sprint -- Atari Games The classic skateboarding game of the late 80's is back. Navigate through Skate City as you make your way to four Skate Parks -- Ramp, Downhill, Jump and Slalom. Along your way, be sure to avoid the countless obstacles you'll face. Everything from cars, rival skaters and even bodybuilders will try and get in your way.

In the game you must skate around Skate City in a quest to earn park tickets. A ticket will earn you admission to one of the four parks. While in the parks, you must
compete against the clock for medals. Mere are four modal classes to earn. The medal order from highest to lowest is Gold, Silver, Bronze and the Stamp Licker..Stamp Licker is a tongue medal that will earn you zero points. You should try the highest medal class you can in the time allowed, as it will help you earn points which will get you tickets

You may also score some cash for your efforts, which can be used to purchase gear at the four Skate Shops in the city. Each shop (Shoes, Pads, Helmets and Boards) features gear which will improve your skating abilities. New shoes will help you jump high. New pads will help you get up faster after you fall. New helmets will help you land more tricks. New skate boards will help you do more spins.

It sounds easy, but you do have a time limit to deal with. As you skate around, make sure you make it to a park before the timer runs out. When you hear the words 'Skate or Die!" you must skate as fast as you can to a park. If you don't have a ticket to get in, you better find one fast because a swarm of angry bees will be after you. If they catch you, you lose a credit.

I'll admit that I have never been a fan of this game. Having said that, I think that Digital Eclipse & Midway have done a good job of emulating the game on the PlayStation. The PlayStation is perfectly suited for 720, as the ANALOG joysticks on the dual-shock controllers function almost exactly like the coin-op controller. Sounds seem to be faithfully emulated, but the graphics do suffer from some of the "color bleed" problems found in Super Sprint. Since this game was designed to be played on a high-resolution monitor, most of the text is a bit hard to read on a TV.

Eugene Jarvis discusses the
design of Smash T.V.

Two of the designers from
Atari Games discuss the
creation of Klax.

Many of the Digital Eclipse emulators have included historical information. This collection is no different. One of the cool parts of the Arcade Party Pack are the video interviews with the people that created the original games. For example, Eugene Jarvis and his design team talk a lot about how they were inspired to create the game. Remember a movie called "The Running Man" that was out in the mid-80's? They talk about how they applied the "game show from hell" concept an applied it to the top-down dual joystick world of Robotron: 2084.

Four of the games in this collection were designed by the folks at Atari Games. Many of the Atari games programmers come on to talk about designing Super Sprint, 720, Klax, and Toobin'. For example, they talk about how they built a skateboard "half-pipe" in their parking lot, and invited championship skate-boarders to come and show their stuff. The programmers used what they saw in that parking lot in designing 720.

There are many other stories, and you could easily spend a good 45 minutes watching all of the video. The video can be viewed in a window (which gives the best video quality) or full-screen. The only change that I would have made to the video would have been to include the names of the people who were speaking. It would be very easy to put the names of the people who are speaking at the bottom of the screen.

I liked the way that Digital Eclipse handled the interface for the historical sections. They didn't create a horrible interface like the one Namco used in the "Museum" titles on the PlayStation. All you need to do is point at the game you want, and hit one button to view the interviews, or another button to start the game.

Although I did like the historical sections, I would have liked to have seen more content. It seems like a good move to also include some of the promotional literature, flyers, manuals, etc. from the original games. It certainly doesn't add to the cost of creating the game to include material like this.

Bottom Line: All in all, I feel like Digital Eclipse and Midway have put together a solid package. Super Sprint was the only disappointment for me, but like I said above, I think that a game like Super Sprint is just not a good candidate for a collection like this unless you own a good steering wheel controller. The other five games have been emulated very faithfully, and Smash TV is simply fantastic on the PlayStation.

For more information, visit the Arcade Party Pack
homepage at the Midway web site