"What do mean? I always head down the arcade dressed like this!"

Video game site Hardcore Gaming 101 has become something of a goldmine for retro gamers, with its staff tirelessly uncovering gems from the past that everyone else has all but forgotten about. The site also produces a line of excellent books which feature both new and re-written content, and the latest offering looks at the coin-op legacy of Taito.

Hardcore Gaming 101 Digest Vol. 2: Taito Arcade Classics covers a wide range of titles from the '80s and '90s, including Darius, Rastan, The New Zealand Story and Growl, and features a short pictorial history of nudity in games of the period. There are also a few pages of bite-sized Super Famicom reviews, thrown in for good measure.

While titles like Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands and Space Invaders are absent, it's clear that this 98-page tome is devoted to showcasing Taito's lesser-known releases, and should be an riveting read for anyone with a passing interest in the history of the arcade industry, and Japanese gaming in general.

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