“Where is the charm, the wide appeal, the elegant simplicity of the games of yesteryear?” asks author Chris Kohler. “In the never-ending quest to make games more complex, controllers have been packed full of buttons and screens filled with reams of indecipherable information.” The cool retro games are out there, Kohler assures readers-and his new “Retro Gaming Hacks” ( O’Reilly) explains how and where to find them.

Whether you’ve just been attacked by Space Invaders for the first time or you’ve been a Pong junkie since puberty, Kohler’s “Retro Gaming Hacks” is the indispensable new guide to playing and hacking classic games. “Hacking is often the only way to enjoy the full and complete variety of classic gaming entertainment that once so filled our lives,” says Kohler. “If you want to play retro games today, odds are you’re going to have to devise some creative solution.” In this retro gaming how-to, he delivers eight five creative solutions for reliving the golden years of computer and console gaming.

Hacks for every budget, every setup, and every whim, show gamers how to: