Being that I was a video game junkie as a youth, I owned quite a few, and recently went on my merry way to regaining a lost aspect of my childhood.

Finding emulators on the Net is pretty simple and can be done with a quick online search. ROMs, however, might be a little more elusive, leaving Kid Icarus fans with little option but to scan file-sharing applications.

There are some major advantages to finishing off Ganon in The Legend of Zelda or defeating Kefka in Final Fantasy III on the computer versus the traditional console manner.

One of the most convenient features contained within virtually all emulation programs is the ability to "freeze" the game at any point.

In the middle of a fight with Wood Man in Mega Man 2 when you have to run to class?

No problem.

Just freeze the game, turn your computer off and come back to the exact moment in the game whenever you want.

You can even save movie files that perfectly replicate anything you played out on screen.

If you always wanted to see pixilated hottie Samus Aran in her bikini but could never beat Metroid fast enough to see the bonus ending, there are sites out there that will let you live out your digital fantasies.

Do you miss Game Genie's moonwalk cheat in Super Mario Bros.?

Not a problem, since many emulators pack the cheating device right into the program.

Suddenly, all those Web pages jammed with Game Genie codes don't seem so outdated, do they?

With ROMs, there's also no need to worry about cluttering your hard drive's precious space.

An average original Nintendo game takes up between 50 and 250 kilobytes -- that's small enough to fit 2,800 to 14,000 games on one burned CD.

For those who hate playing games using a keyboard (which is obviously difficult when you're trying to kill Hitler in Bionic Commando), most emulators support USB controllers, which can be purchased for as cheap as $10 at various electronics stores.

Many manufacturers design some of their models after controllers of yesteryear for this exact reason.

There are some drawbacks to using this clever technology, however.

Two-player games can be a real pain in the Asteroids.

You just can't be restricted to crowding around a tiny keyboard while destroying a friend in a game of Kung Fu.

You have the option to purchase two controllers, but at twice the price.

The world of emulators and ROMs certainly is not for those purists who are still lucky enough to actually possess the classic gaming systems rather than having pawned them off at a garage sale or to stores such as FuncoLand.

But for the rest of us, here's a cheap, fun mode of entertainment that can provide countless hours of Goomba-smashing, rad-racing, street-fighting joy.

There's an infinite world of games out there and somebody has to play them.