It seems that a lot of companies are eager to jump onto the "cheap game" express. And why not? Parents and gamers on a budget are bound to find themselves more tempted to drop $10 to $15 on a game rather than the full $50. Last year, Sega of Japan decided to take advantage of the growing price-friendly trend and released a series of games known as the Sega Ages collection, revamped arcade favorites that were put onto the PlayStation 2 if only for quick, retro-themed play. The line was a success, particularly when the Phantasy Star games were involved. Conspiracy Entertainment is working on bringing us that collection here in the States come May. For now, we have Sega's bundling of Sega Ages for the US market, titled Sega Classics Collection.

This collection includes nine of the Sega Ages titles in no particular order. You can choose from the thrilling arcade racing action of Outrun, Virtua Racing, and Monaco GP; get some friends together for the puzzling fun of Tant R and Columns, slaughter some enemies with the likes of Golden Axe, Space Harrier, and Alien Syndrome, or take to some Master System-themed shooting action with Fantasy Zone.

Now, upon hearing that list, you're probably wondering, "That's it?" After all, Sega was known for games such as After Burner, Thunder Blade, and others, and yet the collection's simply limited to the ten. It's kind of a setback, and another thing you have to consider is how quickly the port went- the original games aren't really anywhere in sight, just the newer editions to fit the PS2's needs.

That's not to say the collection's entirely bad, but some games were clearly affected by the next-gen upgrade. Golden Axe, for instance, is terrible. You can still choose from three different characters (a warrior, a female warrior, or an elder dwarf) and swipe away at enemies, snagging the occasional ride atop a powerful creature and snagging urns for magic spells. The graphics look fine, and the sound's all there, but something happened to the gameplay. It took a stumble and now controls with a bit of stubbornness. Granted, the original didn't play the finest, but it still played. Here, it's more strugglesome than enjoyable.

The same goes for Bonanza Brothers, a side game bundled with Tant R. It wasn't really that great back on the Sega Genesis, and it's not that great here either, trying to mix puzzling elements around two brothers trying to rob a bank. It just didn't do a thing for me.

Fortunately, the other games hold up well. Outrun, while nowhere close to the glory of Outrun 2 over on the Xbox, still maintains pretty nicely, complete with the music selections from the original and some decent track design. Sometimes it looks a bit primitive with its scrolling roads, but it's still okay. Space Harrier's graphic upgrade didn't quite go as smoothly, but it still plays well and keeps a steady pace overall. (Personally, though, I would've liked to have seen a home port of Planet Harriers instead. But that's not a classic...not yet, anyway.). Columns is Columns, with only some spinning gem graphics changed from the arcade and Genesis version. It's still fun to play, particularly in two player mode. And Fantasy Zone is a decent little shooter, nothing mesmerizing but it still looks the part and offers some quirky, cartoonish shooting fun.

My personal favorites, though, really do wonders for this get-together and save it from a below-average score. Tant R is a really addictive multiplayer game where you can engage in a number of mini-games and build up points to unlock other goodies. Think of an 80's version of Mario Party, but without the Nintendo touch, and it's great, goofy fun. Another plus has to be Alien Syndrome, which has undergone a 3-D shift in development and now looks and plays better than the original. Sega has wisely incorporated the right analog stick for shooting action, a la Smash TV, and it has level after level of alien beings to destroy, as well as the occasional boss, alone or with a friend. Then came Monaco GP, a racing game that features endless laps to be completed in a time frame as you cause other cars to crash and keep up on turns, awkwardly enough, with the L and R buttons. It's not a timeless racer like, oh, say, Burnout 3, but it's more fun than I expected it to be. And last but not least is the excellent Virtua Racing, remixed to perfection and bringing back the smooth graphics and gameplay that the original was known for. And without an expensive SVP chip from the Genesis version at that- not bad.

The general appeal of the graphics is there, and the sounds are mostly authentic makeovers of the original games, but I still can't help but think something more could have been done. History segments, interviews, the original games, something besides bundling together all the games from Japan and just doing minor touch-ups like quickie English translation in Columns' story mode.

I won't lie to you, this isn't a dream collection by any means. The game selection seems limited, the "classic" elements aren't really in place, and a couple of the games aren't that playable and that knocks it back a few levels. However, it IS only $20, and considering you're getting nine $10 games for that price, it's worth it for the good moments that the package possesses. Sega fans should definitely apply, if only to take a few spins with VR and experience Tant R for a little while.