Just a few days after posting of my aim to get a Mega Drive at some point this millennium, I actually did manage to acquire my very first Sega console. Not a Mega Drive, but a rather splendid Game Gear.

I picked it up on a carboot on Sunday, loose but in great condition, along with Columns for a mere £10. Bargain! I've sort-of wanted a Game Gear for a while, it was never high on my priority wish list but I was getting a bit fed-up with the lack of working examples at the right price. I've had to pass on so many Game Gears in the past due to non-working sound (or even non-working screens in some cases) so I was extremely pleased that I found one - not only in very good condition and at the right price, but attached to a thoughtful seller who came prepared with batteries for testing!

You know, I do think the Game Gear is an underappreciated piece of hardware. I can't speak too much for the games (yet), but the console itself was an achievement for Sega and it deserved to do better. The screen and hardware is impressive, the console is ergonomic (if a little too heavy for my small hands) and most of the big Sega franchises make an appearance. Shame about the battery life. I'll have to dig an AC adaptor out of my crazy box of wires and whatnot.

Now, I need some advice. That's right: I'm after your suggestions for great Game Gear games. I will hold my hands up high and say I am not the most knowledgeable gamer when it comes to Sega (I was always more of a Ninty fan) so any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated. So far, from my own knowledge and after looking around a few websites I've come up with a small wishlist:

Axe Battler
Crystal Warriors
Defenders of Oasis
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Fantasy Zone
All the Sonic games
Wonder Boy

Obviously I know about the biggies - Sonic, Streets of Rage, Ecco and so on - but what I'm really after are games that are not just stripped-down copies of their Master System/Mega Drive big brothers but either offer something a bit different or are great games in their own right. I'm still looking to get a Mega Drive soon and I will be adding Master System compatibility to either that or maybe even my new Game Gear via an adaptor, so I don't want to double up too much either. Genre-wise, I tend to go for platformers and action-adventure/RPG games, but as usual I will give anything a spin if it's good enough.

So... whatcha think?

In other news: Damn you Iceland and your silly little volcanoes! I know you've just done it to spite me, to strand two of my senior sales staff at the far ends of the earth while you cover our airspace in your dandruff, forcing me to work extra-long hours filled with stress and idiots, not only cutting into my gaming time but leaving me too knackered to do anything at all once I get home! Bah!