The Atari Flashback 2 is 40 games of nostalgia-pumping, retro-stoking goodness rolled into an Atari 2600 mock-up about a third the size of the original.

I spent last weekend with my family at a cabin in the mountains and the only non-portable gaming I took with us was the Flashback 2. Not only did I have loads of fun, but my son became addicted to Hangman and my wife, who verges on being violently anti-game, actually asked to have a go.

One of the many cool things about this system is that not only does it use controllers that are the size and heft of the original, but that they actually plug into the back with the same trapezoid-shaped connecter.

The system divides the games up into four categories: Adventure Territory, Arcade Favorites, Space Station and Skill and Action Zone.

Some of the classics on the system include Adventure Pong, Centipede, Missile Command, Yars' Revenge, Combat, Outlaw and River Raid.

While I enjoyed playing the classics, I was delighted to find that the system also include a number of titles I had never heard of and even one that was never released. My favorite previously unheard of title was a game called Save Mary. The object of Save Mary is to use a construction crane to build a building of sorts that Mary can climb up on to avoid the rising flood waters. When she gets high enough you can lower the crane's cable to pick her up. The game feels a bit like Tetris but with the constant possibility of flattening your charge with a falling brick.

Overall, the system's hardware seems fairly durable and certainly captures the look and feel of the original 2600. The software is laid out in an easy to navigate system and the games includes are eclectic enough to keep your interest for quite awhile. My only disappointment was that the system didn't really include any of the non-Atari break-out hits many Atari 2600 owners had in their collection, like Pac-Man, Berzerk and the almighty Space Invaders.

Despite the odd holes in the included game collection, this system (which runs about $30) is definitely worth picking up for anyone into the Rom scene, looking for some classic games to check out or hankering for a healthy dose of nostalgia.