Not all of the book has gotten on my nerves. It's nice to know that I didn't hallucinate Demolition Derby, and has brought back fond memories of my Commodore 64 knockoff of Arkanoid (I didn't even know it by this name) where the tokens you had to catch resembled office supply staples. I'm happy to see my old faves Spy vs. Spy and Sid Meier's Pirates! included, although the book could use a little more respect for the 1980s games as about 80% of the writers apologize for what they see as the games' "limited" functions and graphics. Contributor Richard Stanton writes poetically in his piece about Prince of Persia that the game has "The barest of narrative outlines but a simplicity of purpose that speaks to the most jaded heart." I never played Persia, but I believe Stanton's eloquent statement serves as my defense of the "old-school" games in the face of their detractors.
Keep checking back for my further discussion of 1001 Video Games.