Kill, MAME, and Destroy
Nostalgia not being what it used to be, it’s advisable to be careful what you download – some of those classic gaming memories should remain just that. Ignoring sage words and loading up Flick-Screen Dungeon Explorer 3, hoping that it’ll rekindle those feelings you haven’t had since before puberty, might well leave you reaching for the reset button. Here are some recommendations:

Sinclair Spectrum
Probably one of the first computers to receive the emulator treatment, Spectrum emulation is a well trodden road, but X128 seems to be the most popular. Software-wise, try and get copies of these titles above all others: Knight Lore (Ultimate), Jet Set Willy (Software Projects), Cybernoid (Hewson), Sabre Wulf (Ultimate), and The Hobbit (Melbourne House).

Commodore 64
Emulators for the legendary ‘beige breadbin’ have been around for years, and at the last count there were over a dozen. However, there is only one worth hooking up with – CCS64. For classic titles, check out: Armalyte (Thalamus), Ghosts 'n' Goblins (Elite), Creatures 2 (Thalamus), Uridium (Hewson), and Wizball (Ocean).

Commodore Amiga
Amiga emulation, or at least, decent Amiga emulation, is a fairly recent innovation, which means that there are only a handful of emulators, so plump for Fellow. The software catalogue is pretty extensive too, but you could do a lot worse than: Another World (Delphine), Hunter (Unknown), Prince Of Persia (Broderbund), Dune 2 (Westwood), and Moonstone (Mindscape).

Arcade / MAME
The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator is the undisputed champion, and runs over 1,100 arcade games (including Neo Geo titles). There are so many classics to choose from, but try some of these landmark games: Space Invaders (Taito), Gauntlet (Atari), Rainbow Islands (Taito), Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts (Capcom), and Track & Field (Konami).