I remember liking the Atari 5200 just fine the first time around (1982), but this time, I've really been enjoying each and every game I bought for it.

Of course, it was expensive to get the Best Electronics Gold controllers, the trak-ball, and the testing equipment to make sure everything was as good as it could be.

It was also a help that I made sure to buy games that benefited from the controllers. (Plus a few that were never released for the Atari 8-bit computer.)

For example, playing Pole Position on the 5200 is a much better experience than doing so on any other Atari platform. The control is much finer, and having two buttons available is nice.

And playing Missile Command and Centipede with a real trak-ball is just fantastic. A totally different experience!

As I've mentioned before, Star Raiders is also extra nice on the 5200 (and not just because of the minor bug-fixes).

I'm as happy with the 5200 as I've ever been with a classic console. And that surprises me, because I'd avoided it all these years, thinking that my extensive A8 collection obviated the necessity for a 5200. That's not true at all!

You just have to choose your games wisely, and it complements the A8 very well indeed.