These days, mobile phones are not just mobile phones. They can also be digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs and portable gaming consoles. And the latter may probably be considered as the mobile phone's most well-known feature, as early SMS phones have already been equipped with permutations of two-dimensional games. With the advent of the more popular MMS phones came the three-dimensional Java-enabled games that promises better graphics and gameplay than its "ancient" predecessors.

But "ancient" doesn't necessarily mean less fun. In fact Bandai, a major toy manufacturer and licensing company, brings back old-school nostalgia (16-bit games, anyone?) with its release of mobile phone games reminiscent of the ones in gaming arcades: Double Dragon, Moon Patrol, Bases Loaded and Dark Castle. One may recall that Bases Loaded has been a favorite for hard-core baseball fans and Dark Castle, the number 1 game in Macintosh from 1987-1990 as been credited as the "Mother of the Horror Game genre".

These classic video games promise more hours of enjoyment, as they are loaded with improved graphics and better features, all conveniently tucked in your own mobile phone. Added features include custom character creation for Bases Loaded, more power-ups and attack buggies for Moon Patrol, new attack combinations for Double Dragon, and new areas to discover in Dark Castle.

The availability of these games for mobile phone users may get most classic video game fans pretty excited. Even though it seems that these games are geared to the ahem, the more grown-up audience, hopefully the younger ones will find these games quite fun too.

If you like the Kung Fu cult movies of 1970s and 1980s, you will definitely go crazy over Kung Fu - Wu Tang Swordsmen. The mobile game features Kung Fu expert Ling Tau Chen who must defend the Xing Temple against evil Siputko and his gang of thugs. All are experts in the Wu Tang classic sword style but Siputko is not above pulling dirty tricks. 

Kung Fu - Wu Tang Swordsmen is the first in a series of Kung Fu games from Xing Mobile. The company plans plans to release 7 Drunken Gods, Shaolin Dragon Fist and Tiger Style next month. All Xing Mobile games run on MIDP-2 compatible handsets with a 176x208 screen resolution.