Vintage arcade classics have really been a hit or miss proposition for gamers since the dawn of Xbox Live Arcade. Nostalgia has a habit of really clouding our judgment and oftentimes a title we've been waiting ages for just doesn't hold up as well as our memories of it (or worse yet, it should hold up but a sloppy port ruins any chance at happiness.) That's why Discs of Tron was such a breath of fresh air.

A straight up port with a few XBLA twists thrown in (enhanced graphics, co-op/competitive multiplayer) Discs of Tron succeeds where the earlier release of Tron failed. The controls are spot on -- left analog to move, right to aim, one trigger to fire and one to block. No muss, no fuss, and most importantly -- nothing to mess up like the rotary dial-to-analog stick transition for Tron (and yes, I'm aware Discs used a rotary dial too -- but this time there's nothing to complain about on that front. Joy!)

Controls are only half of what make an arcade classic brought to Live a success. Luckily, Discs succeeds in the other place where it counts too -- it holds up wonderfully. Time was a lot kinder to this version of Tron than it was it's historically more successful counterpart. The quick pacing really keeps you on your toes as you aim, block, and scurry simultaneously to knock Sark off of his platform. Each level gets progressively more difficult, whether by increasing the number of platforms you both maneuver on or increasing the number of obstacles that get in your way. It's a game of timing, precision, and a hell of a lot of luck.

As is the case with most old school Live Arcade titles, they've thrown a few bonuses into the mix to help round out the package. The most successful of these this time around has to be the enhanced graphics. On a technical level there may not be much of an improvement over the early-80's style visuals, but asthetically they pack a real punch. While the sprites remain largely untouched, the widescreen background takes the shape of the landscape you'd find in the world of Tron. It really sets the mood for the game perfectly.

I'd like to be able to comment on the multiplayer, but I can't. Like a lot of Live titles that fall under the radar there's simply no one online to play it with. Trust me. I sat there for 4 hours waiting to see if I could get a game started with anybody -- no dice.

The enjoyment I've gotten out of Discs of Tron is easily the biggest surprise I've had on the Xbox Live Marketplace in a quite some time. If you're at all into retro arcade titles, this is a must have at 400 points.

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