Do you remember taking a trip to the local arcade? The smoke-filled room, with the booming noises from the cabinets and watching someone play a game and admiring their skills?

I and many, loved visiting the arcades, whether they were at the seaside, down the local shops, at the fairground or simply a machine in a newsagents or take away restaurant – they were a source of excitement and passion.

Gone are the days of the arcade – now you go to a seaside resort or a amusement park and are greeted by a series of dance machines, fruit machines and the occasional racing simulator.

The titles that always were a firm favourite of mine were Galaxian. Pac Man, Street Fighter 2, Super Contra, Jackel, Outrun and After Burner.

They all spanned over a period of a decade (or slightly over in some cases) but they were ground breaking for all different reasons – and attracted huge interest in their time.

Don’t you wish you could just go back for a moment to a much simpler time and relive those moments? I know I do sometime when taking a trip down memory lane.

So…………..as a homage, take a look at the images below and cast your mind back to a distant, yet exciting time – being part of a new breed of entertainment for the masses.