Oh me lost youth

I was a bit bored at work yesterday, what a surprise. (I'm banking on the fact that no-one knows who I am and if they do, they don't pay my wages). I ended up downloading a MAME emulator and started to play some of the old games that I spent all my pocket money on as a youngster. Phoenix, Donkey Kong, Gyruss, Galaga, Moon Patrol, Scrambler (not Pac Man, I always hated Pac Man). I was in seventh heaven. I was amazed after all these years that I still knew what to do on the Bonus stages, how to dock space ships, sticking Mario's head in the floor above a ladder so the barrels didn't come down that ladder etc. There were a fair few games that I had never played before, and most of them were shit so I am glad I didn't waste my 20 cents on them.

Then I saw it, Moon Cresta! I haven't played Moon Cresta for what must be 25 years, it was like having a long lost brother showing up at my front door. As with t'others mentioned above, my brain clicked my body into wide-eyed, open mouthed, head tilting, left hand smacking the fire button ecstasy. I effortlessly got past first few stages, not even getting close to being twatted by one of those snowflake type things, even when they did a sneaky and came back up from the bottom of the screen. Then came the docking business, and I eased the top single shooter onto the middle fella and I was rocking. I hope no-one came up behind me as I was playing as I probably wouldn't have noticed them.

After a few minutes of playing, I suddenly had a cold shiver. It was then that I remembered, after all these years, that I got beaten up when playing Moon Cresta in our local chip shop! When I say 'beaten up', I mean in a kind of 10 year old 80's way, not like today where I would be in the emergency ward getting a bottle removed from my face. It was as clear as yesterday, the chippie was full of kids standing around the machine, and the 'credit' count was up to about 10. I was having a particularly good game. I managed to do something I had never done before, win a free game (I think you got one at 30,000). When my last ship finally blew up, I put my name in and went to play my free game. It was at this point that things got nasty. The kid who was next in line said that it didn't work that way. If you get a free game, you go to the back of the queue. I must have given him some lip because next thing I was on the ground after being floored by a (Cathy) Tyson-esque stomach punch. I can't remember if I cried, but we all got thrown out of the chip shop, and my friends bought me a packet of crisps from the Deli next door while I showed everyone the red mark on my tummy. One of my brother's friends was there and he told my brother, who when next saw my assailant at school, punched him in the head.

I don't think I ever played Moon Cresta again, because that chip shop was the only place I can ever remember having it and I never did go back in there. Now I am wondering what happened to that kid, I can't remember who it was, but I'd love to so I can go onto Friends reunited and mailbomb the bastard.