Review: Pocket game systems offer retro fun

By Marc Saltzman
Gannett News Service

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They're not going to usurp Nintendo as the king of portable gaming, but the new VG Pocket products are cheap and fun alternatives for retro gaming fans on a tight budget.

Two new hand-held gaming systems from Performance Designed Products (PDP) -- the Tablet ($29.99) and the Caplet ($39.99) -- let gamers on the go carry a collection of classic titles and clever clones of once-popular games.

As a bonus, an optional accessory for both the Tablet and Caplet includes audio/video cables to connect these gaming machines to a television for a big-screen experience.

These VG Pocket starter kits ($9.99) also include a carrying case, lanyard and screen cleaner and protector.

Here's a closer look at each product:

Tablet

About the size of a round Altoids tin, the Tablet features a bright 2.0-inch TFT LCD screen that houses 25 games, including the classic "Frogger," the 25-year-old arcade favorite that challenges you to safely navigate a hapless amphibian across a dangerous roadway and river.

Graphically, it's a near replica of the original, but unfortunately the soundtrack has been replaced with a more generic tune.

The other games are fun knockoffs of well-known titles. For example, "Lord of the Jewels" is a clone of "Tetris" with a slightly different spin as you can swap the colors inside the falling piece to create a three-in-a-row pattern.

"Mutant Hunt" plays just like the World War II shooter "1942," where you control a pilot who must shoot down enemy aircraft. "Battle Blocks" resembles the brick-breaking "Arkanoid" -- you try to prevent a ball from escaping with your paddle as you destroy multicolored bricks on the screen.

You may also enjoy "Sudoku Quiz," based on the wildly popular puzzle game, and "Billiards Master," a pool simulation for one or two players.

The games are controlled with an intuitive directional game pad on the left-hand side of the unit and two large "A" and "B" buttons on the right.

A few beefs with the Tablet include no headphone port, no in-game instructions and while you can pause a game, you can't save your progress if you need to turn it off.

The Tablet is available in orange, lime green, off-white or magenta.

Caplet

Similar to the Tablet, the 7-inch-wide Caplet is a portable gaming system that features a color display, TV-out capabilities and a host of games.

What you get for the extra $10 is 35 games instead of 25, a wider screen and a headphone jack for private listening.

Available in blue, gray, orange or red, the Caplet also features three well-known retro classics instead of the Tablet's one: Taito's alien-blasting "Space Invaders," Bally Midway's quirky "Burger Time" and Taito's bubble-popping "Bust-A-Move."

All three are faithfully re-created for this hand-held version, and while a little pixilated on a big TV screen, hold up quite well there, too.

The rest of the 32 games are no-name titles, many of which are based on '80s classics. "Adventures of Waldog" is a Mario Bros. -like platformer game, where you must jump on ledges, avoid nasty bugs and collect fruit. "Magic Jelly" is like "Bomberman," challenging you to plant little bombs to destroy unsuspecting baddies.

Some of the same issues with the Tablet are found in the Caplet: You can't save your progress, and games don't have instructions. Some guidance would have been good because the target audience is kids who may not be familiar with the game rules or control scheme.

And a beef for both systems is the fact they each require three AAA batteries -- compare this with the clamshell Nintendo Game Boy SP or the dual-screen Nintendo DS Lite, which both have built-in rechargeable batteries.

Shortcomings aside, the Tablet and Caplet products are relatively inexpensive portable gaming machines that each offer a huge collection of games, and also let you play on a TV screen with optional cables. Consider these devices ideal stocking stuffers for the kid or kid at heart on your gift list.

Also watch for Disney-based gaming machines from VG Pocket, called GAMEiT!, each with preloaded games featuring familiar Disney characters.

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The Tablet features a bright 2.0-inch TFT LCD screen that houses 25 games.

Review: Pocket game systems offer retro fun

Tablet

Caplet

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