While many new and current 3DS owners will be all too aware of how amazing and varied its retail software library is, some may not be as savvy with the system's digital offerings.

The 3DS eShop is packed with downloadable delights, many of which are classic games from yesteryear given a new lease of life in the modern era.

Allow us to take the pain out of having to search for the best vintage titles by listing the games you really should have downloaded by now.

Super Mario Bros 3

Okay, so this hardly constitutes a ‘hidden gem’ – it's one of the best-selling games of all time, after all – but Super Mario Bros 3 is a title that every 3DS owner should have on their system.

One of the finest platformers ever created, Mario's third NES outing is packed with content and secrets, as well as ideas that still feel fresh and original more than 20 years after the game was originally released.

3D Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master

Arguably the pinnacle of Sega's famous Shinobi series, this Mega Drive offering has been lovingly retooled to take advantage of the 3DS console's stereoscopic display – and the results are striking.

Not only does the game look amazing – with levels showcasing an impressive feeling of depth thanks to fancy parallax scrolling – but it's also jolly good fun to play and incredibly challenging to boot.

And the music is infectiously wonderful – you'll be playing this with the volume on maximum next time you're on the bus, believe us.

Summer Carnival '92 Recca

The best 2D shooters relish inflicting pain on the player, and they simply don't come any more hardcore than this.

Developed for a yearly competition in Japan, Summer Carnival '92 Recca is incredibly rare in its original cartridge form – so to be able to pick it up for a couple of quid on the 3DS eShop is a real boon.

The game itself is incredibly demanding and will appeal to those of you who have sampled recent ‘bullet hell’ blasters like DoDonPachi and Deathsmiles and want a taste of how shooters were done back in the day.

Just don't expect an easy ride.

Shantae

This bright and breezy Game Boy Color title is another game which is extremely expensive in its physical form, largely thanks to the high regard in which it is held amongst collectors – all the more reason to be grateful for a significantly cheaper digital release.

Developed by Wayforward – the team behind the recent DuckTales reboot – Shantae features a feisty female lead, exquisite animation and plenty of old-school challenge.

With a new Shantae game currently in development, this is the perfect time to discover the origins of this cult franchise.

Shining Force: Sword of Hajya

The Shining Force series was Sega's answer to Nintendo's Fire Emblem franchise and began life on the 16-bit Mega Drive way back in the early 90s.

Three entries made it onto the portable Sega Game Gear, the second of which was translated into English and has consequently been published on the 3DS eShop.

Grid-based battle action is accompanied by some great visuals and an arresting storyline, making this the perfect choice for budding handheld commanders everywhere.

Legend of the River King

Back in the early 90s, Japanese developers applied the lessons learned from the role-playing game genre to practically every topic known to man – fishing, cooking and farming being just three examples.

As the title suggests, Legend of the River King is a role-playing game based around the pastime of sitting about fishing, but with a somewhat grander objective than landing a monster catch to tell your grandchildren about – your character's sister is gravely ill, and only the legendary Guardian Fish can cure her.

It's somewhat short, but it’ll give you an experience unlike any other.