Pocket Jockey is one of those Game Boy games that somehow makes horse racing weirdly intense. You start off picking your horse—stats matter, but honestly, I just went with the one that looked coolest—and then it's all about timing your boosts right during the race. Mess up and you'll watch your little pixel horse fade into last place while the crowd boos.

The training minigames are simple but satisfying, and the betting system actually makes you think twice before dumping all your cash on the favorite. The chiptune race music still gets stuck in my head sometimes, and the sprite work has that perfect retro charm where every horse has way more personality than you'd expect from 8-bit.

It's the kind of game you play thinking "just one more race" and suddenly an hour's gone by. If you've got a soft spot for old-school handhelds, this one's a solid pick.