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Nintendo Gameboy

The Nintendo Gameboy was released in by Nintendo Japan in early 1989. It was the latest brainchild from Gunpei Yokoi, the genius behind Nintendo Game & Watch games. Gunpei also had several game writing credits to his CV at the time, the most notable was co-writing Donkey Kong, and the Nintendo CEO at the time was confident Gunpei would repeat his previous successes with the Gameboy.

The game came packaged with a simple, yet addictive puzzle game called Tetris. Consisting of different shaped bricks falling down the screen, the bricks had to be manipulated and moved by the player to create rows along the bottom of the game area. Once a row was completed it would disappear, freeing up space for more bricks to fall into.

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The now 'infamous' game was designed by by Alexey Pajitnov and written by Alexy & Dmitry Pavlovsky, two Russian Computer Science Engineers. Although the game is one of the most successful selling games of all time, both authors would have seen very little of the money from the Gameboy release as they lived in the Communist Soviet Union at the time, and any royalties would have gone straight to the Government (or allegedly the KGB).

The Gameboy was an instant hit, largely due to the Tetris game, but also because Nintendo promised ports of their best selling Donkey Kong, Zelda & Metroid games onto the new system. As with the Nintendo NES, Nintendo had no shortage of software developers waiting to make games for the new console. In its first year more than 100,000 consoles were sold in Japan alone, and it has gone on to be the biggest selling console of all time, racking up an amazing 168 million units worldwide.

However, these 168 million were not all the original incarnation of the Gameboy. Over the years, the console has experienced several transformations. Firstly to the Gameboy Pocket was released in 1996. This was essentially the same as the original Gameboy and had the same hardware inside, but it was smaller, sleeker and with a slightly clearer screen.

Next came the Gameboy Colour in 1998. This was the same layout, size and shape as the previous two Gameboys', but sported a colour screen, and a palette of 32,000 colours to choose from. Original Gameboy games were compatible with the Gameboy Colour, some even featuring enhancements, but Gameboy Colour games were not compatible with the original Gameboy.

2001 saw the release of the Gameboy Advance, a completely redesigned console with much more power & better graphics & sound. The most recent Gameboy Advance SP features (finally) a back-lit screen amongst its improvements.

Indeed, it was the lack of several features such as back lighting and colour that lead Sega to believe its handheld console, the Game Gear, would become more popular than the Gameboy. While the Game Gear was technically superior, had a more ergonomically pleasing shape and a larger colour screen, it lacked the game catalogue that the Gameboy had accumulated. That and the fact that its battery life was 1/5 of the Nintendo Gameboy saw its sad demise in 1997.

Several other consoles also attempted to Steal the Gameboys' crown as king of handhelds, but all fell short. The Neo Geo Pocket, Atari Lynx, Bandai Wonderswan and GP32 consoles have all failed to outsell the Gameboy. However, Sony have recently announced the imminent release of the PSP, which is almost as powerful as the PS2. Could this be the handheld to finally topple the Gameboy? Only time will tell.

As with any console, there are a number of add-ons you can buy. Not only did the Gameboy have link cables, magnifiers, back lighters, in car packs etc, but if you felt the need you could buy mini cameras, and tiny printers for your machine! Aside from the obvious with Tetris, notable games for me are Donkey Kong Land, Super Mario Land games, Zelda & the Pokemon games.

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Gargoyles Quest

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£14.00
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£14.00

You are Firebrand - gargoyle and proud guardian of the Ghoul Realm. The Destroyers have returned to wipe out your planet. and they take no prisoners! Use your breath of fire and your flying ability to combat the enemy. fight heroically, and you'll recover stolen magic items that will strengthen you for your many battles.

George Formans KO Boxing

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£12.00
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£12.00

You're Big George Foreman - The people's champion - and you've got an appetite for big action that only KO Boxing can satisfy. It's a full menu of hard hitting, real ring action.

Gameboy Gallery

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The original Game & Watch introduced millions of people to the world of Nintendo. Now Nintendo have put five of those classic games onto one Gameboy cartridge to ensure maximum fun and frustration for players of all ages: Choose from Ball, Vermin, Flagman, Manhole or Cement Factory.

Ferarri Grand Prix Challenge

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£12.00
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£12.00

Strap yourself into the most famous and powerful formula racing machine for realistic Grand Prix action! Choose your transmission: Automatic or Manual. Then shift into high gear as you race your way to the Grand Prix World Championships.

Empire Strikes Back

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Pursued across the galaxy, you and your Rebel Forces now marshal new strength on the remote ice world of Hoth. Although tracked by probe droids, attacked by ice monsters, and confronted by an army of gigantic Imperial Walkers, you must not give in. You are the Alliance's only hope. Learn the way of the Force, then test your skills in this fast-paced, action-packed sequel to the hit game, Star Wars.

F1 Race and Four Player Adapter

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This game comes bundled with a four player adapter
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£14.00
Manual: 
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£14.00

F1 Race! You're at the wheel of a formula one race car. You'll have to be a world class driver to stay on the course. Steer carefully, hugging the corners at over 250KPH isn't easy! Fourteen race tracks take you around the world for a truly international challenge. Practice the Time Trials, the enter the Nintendo Grand Prix. You can choose between two specially designed cars The courses are tough, with dangerous turns and opposing cars. Up to FOUR players can race simultaneously using the four player adapter!

Dr Franken

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£12.00
Manual: 
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£12.00

When Dr Von Frankenbone went heavenwards to the great laboratory in the sky, he left behind him a legacy of all his years of countless experiments. One of his final creations Franky (a masterpiece of spare-part surgery) and Frankys girlfriend Bitsy were left to fend for themselves in their creators castle.

Dragon Heart

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You are Bowen, the last noble knight. Your quest: to rid the land of evil. But, first you must find and befriend the feared dragon, Draco. Scour the woods and villages. Friends offer clues, Foes try to take off your head!

Dynablaster

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£14.00
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£14.00

Which is the better defence? To keep on running away. Or to attack. All you have to rely on are time bombs, your brains and luck. With this game, you can play an authentic single-handed combat game with all the enjoyment of a two-player game, and a red-hot two-player game. You can also enjoy two modes - where The Kid goes on a wild rampage armed with time bombs. Three games in one software package. You thought you'd never get this lucky!

Donkey Kong

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Notes: 
New save battery fitted
Box: 
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£38.00
Manual: 
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£38.00

The arcade classic, Donkey Kong, is back by popular demand! The famous ape has kidnapped Pauline and climbed to the top of a perilous skyscraper. Challenged by many perils and unending puzzles, Mario must reach his arch rival.

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