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Not then, of course. But they are now. Or... are they? By and large, dust down the majority of the PSN Store's 90-plus PSone titles and you're met with grim textures, basic control and a reason why the past is the past.

But there are a handful that, through great storytelling, sharp humour or exceptionally accomplished design, remain genuinely tempting propositions. Fact: PSN Classics are a minefield. Here's our quick guide to sorting the elderly from the ageless.

1. Metal Gear Solid
Release 1999 Price £7.99
Snake? Snake! Snaaaaa- Oh, there you are. Hideo Kojima's influential stealther still plays superbly. The gadget-heavy hide, seek and climb-in-a-box epic stretched PSone to its limits, if only for storage. Arguably, the necessity of limited resources was the mother of invention here, forcing Kojima into a (relatively) economical inventiveness he's never repeated. Age can't spoil atmosphere, tense action, amusing secrets and - most vital of all - fun

As good as you remember? Not as pretty as MGS4's retake, but still essential.

2. Final Fantasy VII
Release 1997 Price £7.99
This is proof you don't need Pixar-quality cutscenes and Hollywood voices to create emotional experiences. What does it here are the grand post-industrial setting, characters so engaging they're still inspiring 'tributes' on Deviantart, and cutscenes of an artfulness capable of producing actual tears. There's a key sword-to-the-solar-plexus moment in Final Fantasy VII that's routinely tagged as the saddest gaming moment ever, too, and it still works after all these years.

As good as you remember? Visuals are creaky, but it's still a classic RPG that you can lose yourself in for hours.

3. Command and Conquer Red Alert
Release 1997 Price £3.99
The best of the three C&C titles on the Store, and therefore the best real-time strategy too. The 'horde, build, conquer' approach is the same as the original, but with refined (read: usable) controls, plus factions from the real world - vodka-drenched Soviets riding over Eastern Europe to meet Western Allies.

As good as you remember? Its strategic core hasn't aged a bit, even if the 2D visuals are a bit pixelated.

4. Theme Hospital
Release 1998 Price £3.99
Management sims faded from popularity in the '90s as players demanded ever more frantic action. Nowadays however, they provide a welcome change of pace, and few were better than this. Rather than studiously tweaking chip-salt levels, as in Theme Park, you're curing ludicrous ailments such as Bloaty Head, Third Degree Sideburns and - ew - Heaped Piles.

As good as you remember? Colourful visuals still work, gameplay is still fast and fun.

5. Oddworld Abe's Oddysee
Release 1997 Price £3.99
Even at release this was a 2D hold-out in a world of three dimensions. But it's fun now, as it was then, because it doesn't need technological tricks to be hilarious and brilliant. The antithesis of cute platformer heroes, hero Abe is a slumped green lump of ugliness, trudging nevertheless to Messianic status through an inventive maze of puzzles and enemies.

As good as you remember? Even in 2D, the unique Oddworld universe is still gorgeous.

6. Crash Bandicoot 3
Release 1998 Price £3.99
Ever wondered what Naughty Dog did before Uncharted? Their last and best Crash platformer mixes frantic jump-and-smash exploration with improved looks and non-rubbish vehicle bits. Time trial makes beating it very different to completing it.

As good as you remember? Still a fun platformer, but perhaps too simplistic by today's standards.

7. Tekken 2
Release 1996 Price £3.99
This game put Tekken on top of the fighting world. T3 may have perfected the formula, but to our surprise this remains fantastically playable. With 'one-button, one-limb' controls and a reversal system that still underpins the series, T2 offers retro fighting with a surprisingly strategic edge.

As good as you remember? It's no SFIV, but far from terrible. The depth is still there under the pixels.

8. Vagrant Story
Release 2000 Price £4.79
You can't ignore 'Medieval Gear Solid,' can you? Mostly this survival fantasy RPG's cameras earned it that nickname, but quality did the rest. The focus is on weapon crafting, and while it's got the resolution of a brick wall it's still a looker with flame-lit halls and intricate characters.

As good as you remember? Every bit. Hardly any PS3 RPGs are this good. A real masterpiece.

9. Driver
Release 1999 Price £3.99
Driver's ass-swinging handling nails the '70s cop vibe perfectly. It still rocks for its open-world ambition, for its great replay director and because chases in hilly San Francisco - with cop cars sailing overhead as you hurtle over crests - remain hilarious. Toughest opener ever, though.

As good as you remember? A bit ugly and stupidly difficult in places, but so cheerfully fun.

10. Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Release 2000 Price £3.99
Ubisoft's armless, legless (not as sinister as it sounds) hero jumps, shoots and makes his ears do a helicopter thing. And that's it - the
fun comes from smart platforming design and generation-topping visuals. So good it was re-released almost intact on PS2 a year later, it still holds its own now. Although not with the aid of arms.

As good as you remember? A quality platformer, and perhaps the limbless one's finest moment.

11. Twisted Metal
Release 1995 Price £3.99
This David 'God Of War' Jaffe-designed, Mad Max-ish car combat remains playable - and there's a PS3 sequel coming.

As good as you remember? Car combat may be a flawed idea, but this is still a good rendition.

12. Syphon Filter
Release 1999 Price £3.99
Ugly even for its year and overshadowed by MGS, this spy shooter still out-Bonded all the 007 titles of the time... and ever since. Squint and it's still fun.

As good as you remember? Horrendous scientist executions aside, this remains a real laugh.

13. Street Fighter Alpha 2
Release 1996 Price £7.99
SF's anime offshoot added super combos and air blocking, and this sequel smooths the original Alpha's balancing issues.

As good as you remember? The king of fighters for many, who still play it religiously to this day.

14. Medievil
Release 1998 Price £3.99
Sword-swinging platforming with very British humour (hero Sir Daniel Fortesque is dead), this cheerfully ghoulish adventure remains excellent entertainment.

As good as you remember? Technically messy, but the unique British charm is timeless.

15. Front Mission 3
Release 1999 Price £3.99
It's Wanzer time! Walking panzers, see - the mechs of this isometric role-player. A simple, addictive mix of robot-crafting and combat.

As good as you remember? This was the best of the Front Mission series and is still a joy to play.

16. Final Fantasy IX
Release 2000 Price £7.99
The final, absolutely the last and then no more, Final Fantasy. On PSone, that is. An epic, sprawling RPG that oozes charm.

As good as you remember? Story still packs an emotional punch and combat is deep and tactical.

17. Guilty Gear
Release 1998 Price £3.99
Spiritual precursor to BlazBlue, GG is an utterly crackers 2D fighter. The bioweapon story is barely there, while the fighting is frantic and full of huge combos.

As good as you remember? Newer Guilty Gear games are better, but the original has nostalgia appeal.

18. Jumping Flash!
Pre-empting Mirror's Edge as a first-person platformer, Jumping Flash! has the added bonus of being a massive robotic rabbit. An overlooked curiosity.

As good as you remember? Probably not, but the imaginative premise is still defiantly original.

19. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Release 1999 Price £7.99
In the demon-hunting Soul Reaver, moody, murky visuals hide a polished (and Lara-influenced) adventure.

As good as you remember? Its world is a bit confusing to navigate, but this is still an intriguing adventure.

20. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Release 1999 Price £7.99
The original TR gets the headlines on PSN - and the ace PS2 re-imagining Anniversary is now HD - but this, secretly, was the high point of Core Design's original Raider series.

As good as you remember? The best controls of any Core Raider plus an all-Egypt setting keep this ace fun.

21. Wipeout
Release 1995 Price £3.99
This nightclub-cool racer became synonymous with PSone's older, hipper outlook. Looks like crayons next to its HD counterpart, but still plays a mean race.

As good as you remember? It's all a bit '90s, but worth checking out as a historical artifact.

22. Syndicate Wars
Release 1997 Price £3.99
Corporations fi ght over dystopia - what's not to love? Engaging style and smooth controls make this strategy very replayable.

As good as you remember? The visuals are abysmal, but it's still a strong concept, executed well.

23. Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
Release 1999 Price £2.39
A rare treasure - a movie tie-in that isn't horrendous. Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue has Tim Allen and decent cutscenes.

As good as you remember? You may scoff, but this is better than any of Sega's awful PS3 movie tie-ins.

24. Grandia
Release 1999 Price £6.29
More evidence that PlayStation popularised the JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game). Grandia is a beautiful epic with a familiar plot but a fantastic battle system.

As good as you remember? The 2D visuals remain decent, and the combat system has depth.

25. Resident Evil Director's Cut
Release 1997 Price £7.99
This rejigged zombie classic hit PSN in March. It's blocky, but still delivers on jumpy scares and sinister atmosphere.

As good as you remember? Still great, but be warned: it's really hard by today's standards.