Darren Jones – författare

When Shigeru Miyamoto created "Jumpman" for his new platform game, Donkey Kong, it's highly unlikely that he realised he was creating the most recognisable gaming character of all time. That's exactly what happened though, and after a quick name change to Mario as well as a change in job professions (he started off life as a carpenter) the mascot to end all mascots was born.Everyone remembers the first time they discovered the princess they were rescuing was in another castle, or their first encounter with Bowser. They remember the impact of witnessing a 3D Mario in Super Mario 64 or the time they teared across Rainbow Road in Super Mario Kart. There is no denying that Mario has had an incredible impact on the games industry. The Complete Book of Mario celebrates Nintendo's greatest star from Super Mario Bros to Super Mario Odyssey and every aspect of the popular character.

Walk around an arcade nowadays and you' ll find it filled with countless penny pushing games and fruit machines. In the Seventies and Eighties it was a completely different scenario with those machines playing second fiddle to countless arcade games. While home computers were moving at an astonishing rate they still couldn' t compete with the incredible games that were being released in the arcades. It was an insanely exciting time to be a gamer and it seemed like a new mechanic or type of game was appearing every time you visited your local arcade. Pong, Asteroids, Street Fighter, Pac Man, Space Invaders and Donkey Kong are all featured in this book. Sure, many of those games that took your breath away would eventually appear on your own home system, but they were never as good as the originals. Retro Arcade Classics looks at all the greatest arcade content so you can relive one of gaming' s most amazing periods.