This past week saw the Virtual Console debut of the Commodore 64 home computer with the release of The Last Ninja, International Karate, and Pitstop II. Regrettably, we only have recommendations for two of the three games, but that's only because we have moral issues spending $5 on C64 games. If you need any explanation for that, then just read our recommendations. We're not too fond of the archaic computer (well, Jon is, but he also has some fiscal sense).

Any recommendations we miss? Any games you're dying to know about? Let us know in the Talkback thread. Don't worry, Jon's much-delayed Cho Aniki recommendation should be up soon.

The Last Ninja is widely regarded as one of the best games ever created for the Commodore 64. Played from a Diablo-style isometric perspective, you guide a ninja down diagonal paths of oriental gardens, streams, and temples on a quest to avenge the death of your clan at the hands of a mighty Shogun. Once you adjust to the C64's lower screen resolution and relatively pixelated graphics, you’ll have to admit what everybody did back then: this game looks darn good for a C64 title. Its constantly-repeating theme song is also very catchy, crafted by legendary C64 composer Ben Daglish.

What’ll be more difficult for new players to get used to will be The Last Ninja's convoluted control scheme. The Wii version maps the original's single-button joystick controls to the Wii Remote well enough (the 2 button strikes while the 1 button changes your weapon), but simple actions like pausing the game require a click of the B-Trigger to bring up an on-screen C64 keyboard. Clicking F7 to pause the game is neat in terms of kitsch value, but having to exit out of the main game to bring up the keyboard is awkward and distracting. Combat takes some getting used to as well, requiring you to hold down the 2 Button and then move in a direction to attack. The game's pinpoint collision detection can also be maddening, as your character's pixels literally have to touch another object in order to pick it up – and it's usually incredibly difficult to find the required position to make that happen.

As far as C64 titles go, The Last Ninja is a good game. However, it's also a product of its time period. Its soul-crushing difficulty and utterly unforgiving collision detection (crossing a stream by jumping from rock to rock is virtually impossible, for instance) make it more than today's gamers will care to bother with. Rabid C64 fans and those looking for some uncompromising nostalgia will want it in their collection, but in the end it’s strictly for the die-hards.

International Karate for the Commodore 64 is a one-on-one fighting game with a twist: instead of a life bar, each match is a fight to see who can get two points first. Points are earned by landing hits on the opposing player, and they are doled out in half-points and full points depending on the severity of the hit. It has a robust move set that is executed by pressing a direction on the D-pad and pressing the 2 button. It also has a two-player mode.

However, International Karate completely lacks any sort of depth, and while this might have been okay when it was released in 1986 it is not okay today. All you do is fight generic opponent after generic opponent while you occasionally take a break to perform a simple mini-game. The barebones gameplay isn't the only thing wrong with IK; it controls extremely stiffly, the hit detection is requires you to be impossibly precise, and it’s extremely unfriendly to new players.

Furthermore, it’s amazing how archaic this game is. For example, the only way you can turn around is to perform one of three turn-around moves. The one-on-one fighting genre has evolved substantially since IK's release and I can't see why anyone would want to go back. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless you harbor extreme nostalgia for the Commodore 64. Even still, there are dozens of better ways to spend $5 on Virtual Console.

Special thanks to the Video Game Museum for the screenshots