Rampart on NES is one of those games that makes you feel like you're barely holding it together—in a good way. You start with a castle, some cannons, and a whole lot of enemies charging at you. The second you think you've got a handle on things, your walls are crumbling, and you're scrambling to rebuild before the next wave hits.

What I love is how frantic it gets—you're blasting ships with cannons one second, then desperately trying to patch up gaps in your defenses the next. The three commanders add just enough variety to mix things up, though I always end up sticking with the same one (old habits die hard). And if you've got a friend with a Game Link cable, the two-player mode turns into a hilarious race to see who can rebuild faster while still landing shots.

It's not the prettiest NES game out there, but the tension never lets up. You either adapt fast or get overrun.