The trouble with most of today's ultra-fancy, graphically gobsmacking videogames is that by the time you've read the instructions, waited for them to load and worked out which button does what, it's just about time to go to bed!

But things weren't always so complicated...

Back in the late 70s, home videogaming was still in its infancy, and, despite the fact that most games simply involved moving a few brightly coloured dots, squiggles and blocks around the screen, an entire generation of polyester-clad geeks became hopelessly hooked, thanks to the teeth-curlingly addictive gameplay and mesmerizing blip-blop sound effects. As JFK (might have) said, "We choose to play these games not because they are hard, but because they are easy."

Undisputed leader of the home videogame market was Atari's truly revolutionary 2600 console. In fact, the pixellated magic produced by this teak-effect box of jiggery-pokery helped Atari shift over 30 million units and the 2600 (or VCS) is now universally regarded as the godfather of home consoles. Even today, videogame aficionados fondly remember the iconic paddle controllers with sepia-tinted affection. Which is just as well, because ingenious boffins have now managed to cram 13 classic Atari games into an officially licensed set of replica Atari paddles!

That's right Atari fans, these lightweight, compact, all-inclusive controllers are pre-loaded with 13 official and fully licensed vintage Atari titles: Pong®, Warlords®, Night Driver™, Demons to Diamonds®, Breakout®, Super Breakout® Circus Atari™, Street Racer™, Steeple Chase™, Video Olympics™, Canyon Bomber™, Casino™ and Arcade Warlords®. (If you're anything like us, the titles alone are enough to send shivers of nostalgia racing down your spine).

Simply plug this self-contained design classic into your TV and Gorf's your uncle - well, he isn't but you get the point. We honestly can't overemphasise the excitement that this sleek little bag of tricks has caused - it is well on the way to becoming an all-time best seller. Because as well as being a fantastically portable gaming system, the 13-in-1 is one of the most evocative objects you could ever hope to get your hands on; why it's just like being whisked back to an early 80s living room minus the shag-pile carpet, coffin-sized music centre and discarded Sodastream.

The Games

The Atari Classics 13-in-1 features (you guessed it) 13 official and fully-licensed Atari games:

• Pong®
• Night Driver™
• Warlords®
• Demons to Diamonds®
• Breakout®
• Super Breakout®
• Circus Atari™
• Street Racer™
• Steeple Chase™
• Video Olympics™
• Canyon Bomber™
• Casino™
• Arcade Warlords®