GAMES have come a long way since the late 80s when we were first introduced to Mega Man.

Things have moved on with sophisticated consoles but players of a certain age still have fond memories of the pixellated ‘blue bomber’ who blasted his way through six games on the NES.

That is why the the first Mega Man Legacy Collection – a pure throwback to that retro era – was so welcome. Japanese developer Capcom is again toying with our sense of nostalgia with the second compilation of classic Mega Man games. This time though it is very much a mixed bag collecting together Mega Man 7, released on the SNES, Mega Man 8, released on the PS1, and Mega Man 8 and 9, which were curiously released on modern consoles but with NES-style pixellated graphics.

Each of the action platformers sees you shoot your way through robotic foes before facing a boss who, once defeated, drops a special ability which helps you progress through the other stages.

With simple but tight gameplay and focused level design it’s all unashamedly old school and typical of Capcom games of that era – hard as nails. Generally speaking, gamers are a softer lot these days so among the most welcome additions to this collection are the ‘extra armour mode’ which gives you double hit points and the additional checkpoints which allow you to instantly reload your progress

It is also easy to switch between the four titles and there are a host of ways to display them. You can even add the flicker of old CRT TVs but the full screen setting is not recommended as it stretches the games out of proportion.

Of the four games, Mega Man 8 has aged the worst with annoying sound effects and gaudy graphics.

But it is also the most varied with collectibles and different types of stages like air battles.

Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 is unlikely to attract newcomers but is a must for fans. Or if, like me, your memories of the blue bomber are those of frustration and game over screens switch on the extra armour and have a blast.

RATING: 8/10

DAVID MORGAN