Very Cheap, Very easy to use, Lots of Games to Play .
Disadvantages:
Needs to be looked after as it looks very breakable
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Do you love all the old Arcade games i.e. Space Invaders, Galaxians, Arkanoid, etc?
Do you love all the old Spectrum games i.e. Hyper-sports, Yie ar kung Fu, etc, etc?
If the answer is yes, then you’ll love the “Power Joy TV Game Pad” that I recently bought off QVC recently and it really is a bargain.
So what is the “Power Joy TV Game Pad”?
Well, its exactly what it say’s, it’s a Game Pad, that you plug straight into your TV Set, which allows you to play all these excellent and classical games from the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, there are 70 games in total (63 on the cartridge supplied, with a further 7 built into the Joy Pad itself) and lots of variety, so you should easily find a game to suit your tastes.
All the games are very good replica’s of the originals, and actually some of them, Arkanoid for example, are the exact same as the original arcade version, with the same graphics and game-play.
The Game Pad is very easy to use, it can either be used through the mains or with 4AAA batteries, its just a case of plugging the thing into AV or Scart sockets on your TV or Video, go to your AV channel on your TV, insert the games cartridge, switching the thing on, and choosing a game to play.
Back to the games themselves, here is a very brief description of just a handful of the games on the cartridge:
SpaceET: Near perfect replica of the old favourite “Space Invaders 2”, the graphics are exactly the same and the game-play is the same.
Arkanoid and Galaxian: Exact same games that you could play in the arcades, same graphics and game-play.
Hyper-Sport 1 + 2: Remember this on the Spectrum, run the hurdles, jump the high jump, shoot the Clay Pigeons, etc.
Kung Fu: Another replica, this time of the old “Yie ar Kung Fu” off the Spectrum.
There is a load of Shoot-em-ups i.e. Galaza, Millipede, Star Force, etc, then there’s the old Platform type of games, some pretty similar to the likes of Manic-miner and also a version of Diamond Tetris (a Tetris clone).
The list goes on, with many more of your all-time favourites or clones of your favourites. Although, one or two of the games are a bit poor, most are very addictive and playable, and will have you playing them for hours.
Another great thing about the Game Pad, is that it actually has a light-gun incorporated into itself, which allows you to play a few of the Shoot-the-screen type of games like Duck-hunt, Clay-Pigeon Shooting, etc.
How much did it cost?
Well, I was lucky, as I bought it as a QVC “Deal of the Day” for £16 and a few coppers; the normal price is around £20.00 plus P+P.
What do you get for the £20.00?
Well, you get the main Game Pad, a Spare Game Pad (that enables you to play in 2-player mode), a Scart socket adapter, 4 AAA Batteries, Cartridge containing 63 games. The only thing you are not supplied with, is the power-pack which allows you to run the Game Pad off the mains, the company sells these separately (not sure how much they are), but you can pick up one at any electrical shop for a couple of pounds.
The Game Pad’s themselves are only made of Plastic, and whilst it is not exactly flimsy, it would not take much to break it, but hey for £20.00, what can you expect? There is also the promise by the company, of new game cartridges in the near future!
Summary: All in all, I think this is an excellent toy to have (for Kids or Adults), as it gives you the chance to veg out in front of the telly, playing the games, without the hassle of the modern day games i.e. software and hardware capabilities and also gives you the chance to reminisce, whilst playing all your childhood favourites. I would advice anyone who likes to play these older type games, to go and order one right now and I promise you, you’ll love it.
If QVC no longer stock the Game Pad (but I’m sure they will), here is the phone number of the company who makes them: 0161-429-8385. This is also a help-line, in case you run into any problems.
More details
Instruction manual
Manufacturer Support
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
