Collecting classic videogames is a passion of mine. I don't so bonkers of picking up every piece of minutiae because that level of obsession can really kill both your pocketbook and your social life. When you're passing up dates and gatherings because you have to stay home and snipe eBay auctions, you're in trouble. But collecting for fun can be a real joy for both old-timers and gamers that merged into this industry as late as the PSone.

The big catch is that you cannot just grab these classic carts and just throw them on a shelf. Where's the fun in that? Games are meant to be played, so if you're starting a library of classics be sure to seek out the games you'll have the most fun actually playing. Once you have those, then it's time to start filling in any gaps.There's something about failed systems that especially piques my interest in classic collecting. The Sega Master System was crushed by the NES, but that doesn't stop me not only defending it, but from collecting -- and playing -- my library of SMS carts. The Atari 5200 is another of my treasures. There was a system that was poorly designed, wrongly marketed, and just tanked. But that doesn't mean there aren't any good games for the 5200 -- games that deserve to be played by gamers that appreciate a reach into yesteryear.So, if you do decide to take the plunge and start an Atari 5200 collection, be sure to target these games. This would-be library has nothing to do with rarity or any of that obsessive stuff. These are fun, compelling games that just make a solid cornerstone of a budding 5200 library. Poke around on online auction sites, thrift stores, and other outlets and keep your eyes open for these classy classics. You'll be in for hours upon hours of old-school gaming, no matter if you approach classic gaming from the nostalgia angle or just like the idea of seeing where this $18 billion business came from...

Zaxxon is an arcade classic that actually deserves the classic moniker for more reasons than just being old. Sega's isometric shooter is a smart, challenging game that stood no chance on the Atari 2600. (It fared well on the Colecovision, though and one of the better games for that system, too.) The 5200 is better equipped to recreate the mother ship runs and all of the ship defenses, such as electric barriers and missiles. You must keep an eye on both an altimeter and fuel gauge as you fly toward the robot boss at the end of the run. The box-shaped bot isn't as cool as the dragons in Super Zaxxon, but them's the breaks. Zaxxon remains one of the best shooters you can play on the 5200.Popeye was a great arcade game developed by none other than Nintendo. However, in America, Parker Bros. handled distribution for the game on the various platforms, including the 5200. Popeye races around the multi-tiered scene, avoiding Bluto until he can get his mitts on a can of spinach. Once pumped, Popeye can sock Bluto into the drink. In order to save Olive Oyl, Popeye must collect fluttering hearts before they drop into the water, too. The 5200 version includes all three screens, too. Worth finding.Kangaroo is a platform that followed in the giant footprints of Donkey Kong. You are a kanga mom in search of her baby, which has been kidnapped by mischievous monkeys. You must avoid apples thrown by the monkeys and collect fruit for points. The mama kangaroo has boxing gloves, so she can hit back at the monkeys when they get too close. The 5200 version of Kangaroo has all four screens. This is just a fun game to blow 20 minutes with every once in a while and definitely worth tracking down.Mr. Do's Castle is an incredibly clever Donkey Kong-esque game that a total departure from the first Mr. Do title (which was, in turn, a Dig-Dug clone). You scramble up and down the levels of a castle tower, smashing blocks to make pits for monsters to fall into. The goal is to get the key blocks that open the door on the top tier. There are elements of Lode Runner in here, too, which was a popular game at the time. This is not one of the easier games to find for the 5200, but I consider it worth the effort. You'll really enjoy the well-paced action and how the game smartly ramps up difficulty. Plus, it's one of the nicer looking and sounding 5200 games.Pengo for the Atari 5200 is one of the few places you'll catch this classic outside the arcades. Pengo is a block-sliding action game where you must push three special blocks together to complete the stage. However, there is an entire field of ice blocks that complicate this construction effort, as well as a horde of monsters. Pengo can flatten monsters by sliding blocks at them. He can also shatter blocks if they are up against a wall or another block. This is just one of the games that's a gas to burn 30 minutes on here and there. And it's not terribly tough to find, either.There's just something so odd now about playing a Mario game on a non-Nintendo console, but prior to 1985, Mario had no official home. The 5200 version of Mario Bros. is actually a pretty solid port of the arcade game, even if the visuals are a little clumsy. What counts is that the action and pacing are spot-on, right down to the skidding across icy tiers and the panic of not finishing off a crab before it goes thermal. Mario Bros. is also a good two-player game for the 5200 because you actually get to play at the same time... something I'm sure a lot of parents appreciated back in 1983.Space Dungeon is kinda like a cross of Robotron and Berzerk . You work through a series of interconnected rooms blasting alien ships that approach from all angles. You must use the controller shell so you can easily play with both sticks. (This game shipped with the shell, so here's how you get it.) The goal is to push through all 36 the rooms in each cosmic dungeon, collecting treasures. If you're killed, you must return to the room where you perished to pick up any dropped treasures. The game has great pacing and is incredibly addicting. This is a must-have port of a relatively unknown arcade game by Taito.