If you've read some of my other reviews this past month you'll know that I always go on about 'life back then' and I keep on coming out with phrases like 'back in those days' - I apologise for this; it's a nasty habit I've got into. The reason why I always refer back to the past is probably because I wish I was already around back then! Cheaper takeaway food, better music, no 'sue their arse' 0800 adverts everywhere you look, a Neo Geo, a copy of Street Fighter and not a single care in the world - olden day bliss.

Saying that, the future has brought us some neat things. I couldn't live without my mobile phone and I'd find it hard to ditch some of these games we are seeing at the moment - namely Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas! I also couldn't live without the Internet and computer - besides, without those you wouldn't be able read my 'blast from the past' reviews.

What happens when you bring back something from yesteryear and try to give it a quick makeover to sell in the new millennium? Will it enjoy the same success as it did in the past, or will it take more than a bit of lipstick to bring it up to standard?

It's Street Fighter's 15th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion, Capcom is selling an Anniversary Collection on Xbox. All those memorable years on one disc, or that's what you'd think, right? The trouble is, there are only two Street Fighter games on the disc. Now don't get me wrong; these two Street Fighter games are probably the best of their kind, but there's no sign of the first ever Street Fighter. This is unfortunate for the older generation of gamers, who wanted the memory of the first ever Street Fighter.

The two that made the disc are Hyper Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III: The Third Strike. Both of these games are enriched by Xbox Live and to neatly finish off the collection we have the original 1994 full length animated Street Fighter movie for the die hard fans.

The Xbox Live support is probably one of the most attractive features here and it's the main reason why a lot of today's gamers will buy this. The fast-paced nature means you can simply power up the game, click on Xbox Live and have a fight within a couple of minutes - which is quite impressive! You can host a game too, so people can fight you in your domain, under your conditions. I must admit that Live play is a lot of fun - sure the graphics aren't up to scratch by today's standards and the sounds aren't very realistic, but Xbox Live allows gamers to forget these trivial matters and have a damn good time. You can taunt your friends online too, by hurling abuse with voice support - you may be able to concoct some clever tactics: "look behind you mate!" and if he does, you can go for a swift uppercut and win the match. Of course, not everybody is that stupid, so you'll probably just get laughed at. There's even a scoreboard, so you can compete with people and eventually work your way up the ranks and become the best. For somebody who really loves Street Fighter, to see your name in lights like on the arcade machines back in the day will be a dream come true. Unfortunately there's no downloadable content support, which I was quite annoyed to see - they could have easily put the first Street Fighter in for download as an incentive to get Xbox Live, but you can't win them all.

Each Street Fighter on the disc has its ups and downs. Hyper Street Fighter II has poorer graphics but a more intense difficulty level, which can prove a real challenge. It also has an option to choose from five different fighting styles, so the fans could argue that there are more than two games on the disc, because each fighting style changes the game slightly. Street Fighter III is probably my favourite, because I'm too young to fully appreciate the older instalment I think. Better graphics, better moves, special powers and more characters makes this one a more enjoyable experience altogether.

Whichever game you choose to spend your time on, you'll be able to relive those golden times from back in the day. Unfortunately, there's not enough here for my generation of gamers to enjoy - and with games like Mortal Kombat: Deception sat on my shelf; I know which one I'd rather play! I would urge younger gamers (but not too young, look at the age limit!) to look at the latest Kombat, to find a more refined and polished fighting experience altogether.

This is not to say that retro gamers won't find enjoyment in this, because they will, but people like me who are used to the wonders of modern technology and special effects every time you press the A button will be sadly disappointed. If you can get your head around the graphics and you haven't experienced any of today's fighting games then there're plenty of moves and characters to keep you busy.

There are a lot of characters to play as, In fact Third Strike alone contains all of the 19 original characters, from Street Fighter's trademark character Ryu to the quicksilver wonder Twelve, who's become my favourite character due to his one-of-a kind style and quick moves. Whichever character you pick, I don't think you'll be disappointed, because they all have a handful of moves guaranteed to hurt your thumbs and cause blisters on the end of your fingers. All the characters have the basic punches and kicks and on the Xbox controller there are three buttons for punching and three for kicking. Each punch and kick does something different; for example one kick may be more powerful than another but slower to pull off as well. Each simple move can be enriched by using a string of ups and downs but on the Xbox they feel quite hard to pull off.

For some reason, the controller isn't very Street Fighter friendly. The white and black buttons are used for a punch and a kick but they are quite hard to reach when you've got an aggressive foe that won't stop for anything and I'm not just talking about the S pad - the older pad feels even worse! Alternatively, the triggers can be used instead of the black and white buttons but these are equally as hard to use, as the pull of a trigger can take longer than a push of a button. On the plus side, and it is a very big plus, the down, down diagonal right, right, up diagonal right and up combos can be easily executed with the thumbstick and takes a simple twiddle to pull off what used to be one of the hardest moves. If you don't agree with the thumbstick then you can always disable the option, you spoilsport!

Better than Live in my eyes, is the multiplayer mode. Of course, it's only better if you have friends, but if you do then you're onto a winner. Both of you sat down, bashing those buttons like there's no tomorrow, it's a feeling that's rare when it comes to fighting games and the retro somehow makes multiplayer so much better. I don't know why but when you play this game with a friend it makes you see it in a whole new light. It's probably because you can play down the local pub and you too can have the pub feeling in your own home, minus the booze and the pub food smell. That's not to stop you cracking open a cheap bottle of beer and cooking a bowl of chips though, is it?

The graphics are not spectacular really, it feels hard to rate something of this calibre, because the graphics we see in today's fighters are absolutely mind blowing compared to Street Fighter. Back then though, I imagine that these graphics were very good but they just don't cut the mustard nowadays - unless of course you put this collection on a Gameboy Advance and then I might be inclined to give them a thumb up. Now there's an idea! However, the bright colours and flashes of light deliver a fine retro experience and moaning about the graphics will get me absolutely nowhere - they aren't going to cel-shade them especially for me are they? Although, that's another good idea - 20th anniversary maybe?

The sounds suit the visuals, let me tell you that much! A couple of sound effects and a bit of beaty music in the background while selecting characters is all you're going to get from Street Fighter I'm afraid, but I will admit that the sounds have improved, because its now in loud stereo mode, so you'll be able to hear those sounds that will no doubt trigger fond memories. If you can stand the retro beeps then why not hook a 5.1 system to your Xbox - it supports Dolby Digital, so I see no excuse really!

So the questions you need to ask yourself are simple. Am I old enough to appreciate Street Fighter's charm? Do I have access to Xbox Live? Do I have a friend I can enjoy this game with? And would I rather play Street Fighter than Mortal Kombat: Deception? If the answer to any of those questions is no then I recommend that you avoid this title. If you don't have live or you don't have a friend then you're going to become bored quickly and if you are too young to know what Street Fighter means then you're not going to enjoy this either. Top it off with the fact that Mortal Kombat: Deception is one of the best fighters ever - released at almost the same time - and you end up with a limited audience for this retro marvel. I know for a fact it would make a good pressie for my dad, but do you really want your folks hogging your Xbox?!

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).