-Jeff Young Pros: Unique control scheme brings new challenge to the PlayStation Massive game has plenty of replay value Cons: Unique control scheme requires some ramp-up time.

The graphics and sounds share the same cartoonish quality of the previous Crash games, with playable bad guys. There's some graphical choppiness in multiplayer mode, but looks aren't the point of this one, anyway. -Robb Guido Pros: Easy to pick up and play Thirty different minigames, most of which are fun when played with or against friends Cons: Hard to enjoy without a Multitap and four players Crash Bash is a multievent party game in which four people can play several minigames as characters from the Crash Bandicoot series. Characters include Coco, Brio, Dingodile, Tiny, and Neo Cortex. The games are organized from a central hub world from which spokes lead to different levels. Games include pong, in which players defend one side of the screen, and a pogo-stick game, in which players hop to change the color of squares on a board by landing on them, then earn points by collecting boxes. Another game places characters on the backs of polar bears as they try to ram each other off the sides of an iceberg, with variants that include melting ice and playfield angles that change with your location. Each game features variations; some allow for two-player teams.

Pac-Man was the insanely popular sequel to Pac-Man, and it added several different mazes to the game, as well as adding a female character in the hope of dragging women of the 80s into arcades. It worked, and Ms. Pac-Man was nearly as big a hit as the original, which only added to the rolling keg of fury that the entire Pac-Man series encompassed. From the makers of Soul Calibur comes a tour of the ancient days of gaming. For those who remember Ms. Pac-Man and Atari, for those who loved Dig-Dug, and those of you who spent way too many quarters on Galaxian, this little treasure is for you. While it does contain some forgettable titles such as Phozon, a deadly boring puzzle game, and the Tower of Druaga, a sad, sad attempt at a top-down role-playing game, Namco Museum Vol. 3 is worth its price for the addictive classics alone. Pole Position II is also included, and, unlike modern racing games where you can knock opposing racers out of the way with a quick side swipe, Pole Position II's car explodes at the slightest contact. This was too much of a habit to break, but the nostalgia alone can be worth the effort. Although this is a fun trip into video game history, younger gamers could be bored due to the low-tech nature of the package. But parents of the new video game generation should feel free to plug this into their child's PlayStation and say aloud, "When I was your age. " -Allen Stewart Pros: Memorable classics such as Ms. Pac-Man, Galaxian, and Dig-Dug A save high scores function The classics are still really addictive and fun Cons: Has a few forgettable titles such as Phozon and Tower of Druaga Young players won't appreciate this selection.

Byrl Baker Pros: Several types of play Good two-player mode Cons: Mediocre graphics.