Look for games with all their original graphics.

There was a time, before the dawn of the Playstation and X-Box, when people actually had to leave their homes to play top-of-the-line video games. A generation ago, kids gathered at convenience stores and mall arcades, plunking quarter after quarter into hulking stand-alone video games to blast alien spaceships, destroy plummeting missiles, and gobble up bouncing fruit . Today, full-size arcade games are making a comeback- as collector's items for the home game room.

Jack Guarnieri has been involved in every aspect of the coin operated amusement industry since 1975. In 1999 he founded PinballSales.com to sell commercial games to the home market. He personally attends to the business on a daily basis and makes the decisions that insure customer satisfaction. Here he offers a quick guide to buying vintage arcade video games:

• It started in the Seventies.
  According to Guarnieri , arcade games as we know them started around 1972, and evolved over the next decades. Some of the groundbreaking classics from the Seventies and Eighties include Space Invaders, Asteroids and of course, Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man.
  
• Make sure it works.
  When you're considering buying a classic arcade game, make sure that the game is in proper working order. Look for rust and signs of monitor burn in the picture tube. Plug it in and play it a few times; if it doesn't seem right, don't buy it.
  
• Look for original graphics.
  If this is something you plan to display in your home, you'll want it to look good. Examine the screen, the controls, and the cabinet for damage and wear. Cabinets with all the original graphics will be worth more than ones that have been repainted a solid color.
  
• Prices vary.
  Slightly beat up or less popular video games will sell for a few hundred dollars. For pristine, rare or in-demand games, you could pay up to six or seven thousand dollars.
  
• Search the Web.
  If you're looking for a specific game, says Guarnieri, you should search the Internet. But you should try to make sure you're dealing with a reputable company and check out the game yourself before buying.
  
• It's a business and a passion.
  Guarnieri sells arcade games for a living, but he's also a collector. He has a Ms. Pac Man machine and five pinball machines in his home.

For more about vintage arcade games, check out the following websites:

PinballSales.com
www.pinballsales.com

Game Archive: Video Games Home
www.gamearchive.com

Classic Gaming Expo
www.cgexpo.com

Video Arcade Preservation Society
www.vaps.org

Vintage Arcade Superstore
www.vintagearcade.net