WHAT DO YOU GET?

This download is apparently a full copy of the CD-ROM that would have received otherwise. The download also includes a full PDF of the manual, which is essential because it has the default control setup for the various games. Most of the games are Atari 2600 games, and you get a few arcade versions of popular games. I have counted more than 80 ROMs, a few not listed in the documentation, when I look through the actual files included in the download.

IS IT SAFE AND DOES IT WORK?

If you are familiar with emulation, you can use the 2600 BIN files directly and by-pass any setup or installer on the CD-ROM. This also helps improve the compatibility up to Windows 8.1 because you can then run your own emulator. I have not tried using the arcade version ROMs in MAME since I don't have it setup, but the 2600 ROMs work alright in the Stella emulator. I didn't bother to scan the executable files included in the download because I didn't need to run them. There is a 2600 emulator and the arcade ROMs have executables which give you a custom "arcade box" look to the game to fill your screen. The 2600 emulator runs without any issues on Windows 8.1, but it doesn't offer controller configuration, so you need to read the manual. The arcade exe's ran without needing to install anything and would work in a read-only environment, you just need to maintain the directory structure the download has originally.

IS IT WORTH THE MONEY?

I was hoping for more than 70+ Atari 2600 games. You do get "Adventure", the maze game where duck/dragons chase you around, and I do like that the ROMs are available to run in other emulators so I can easily add these to a collection. I took a star off because I was hoping for Atari 800 games and no where could I find a comprehensive list of games in the collection (as said previously, even the digital manual doesn't list all of the games in the download). If you spent many hours with the 2600 and want to legitimately own Atari 2600 games, then this is for you! Otherwise, these games are pretty dated and difficult to play so I doubt kids would be interested. Although, a game called "Maze Craze" is included and my four year old has really enjoyed it.

This was a well-designed product for its time.

Just like I remember playing at the arcade.

cool classic games

While this game didn't work on Windows 10 a while ago, with the latest update it now works fine if you set it to compatibility mode.

Be sure you know how to set a game to compatibility mode before purchasing.