Street Fighter II, Ghouls 'N Ghosts, 1942 and Commando. These games were classics in arcade cabinets and home consoles alike, simultaneously delighting gamers with their intuitive gameplay and punishing them with their grueling difficulty. Now, with Capcom Arcade on the iPhone, these classics have been collected in their full versions, with their classic gameplay and difficulty intact.

Capcom Arcade costs nothing to download, but that does not mean it's completely free. First, with four full console games included, the package takes up a whopping 166 MB of storage space, so be prepared to clear some space on your iPhone or iPod Touch if you're accustomed to keeping it relatively full.

Second, like many free applications, Capcom Arcade is ad supported, with small banners running atop the menu screens. While it is grating being advertised to no matter the situation, this instance chafes slightly more considering that the games you're playing have all been around for about two decades already. Luckily, the ads disappear when you actually start playing one of the games.

The biggest cost involved with Capcom Arcade, however, is the package's ticket system. Every calendar day, users are given three tickets that can be traded in for one individual game. Think of them as tokens in the virtual arcade. Once you've played three games (or two continues on the sadistically difficult Ghouls 'N Ghosts), you must wait until the strike of midnight before you are given more tickets.

If you're really itching to get back into action, however, you always have the option of buying more tickets, which at 10 for $1, are pretty reasonably priced. Even back in 1985 you'd have a hard time playing one of these games for a dime. And if you really love a particular game, you can always shell out $2.99 to get unlimited play on it. Three dollars for an iPhone port of a two decade old game is pretty steep, however, especially when your eyes are subjected to frequent CitiBank ads in each of the menu screens.

Putting pricing and advertising issues aside, however, what about the gameplay in Capcom Arcade? As mentioned earlier, these games are each legendary for their difficulty and the precise thumb movements necessary to master them. Like many iPhone offerings, Capcom Arcade uses a virtual directional pad and controller buttons to mimic a console game. Surprisingly, they are extremely responsive, with limited lag-time.

Another frequent problem with on-screen controls is that they tend to obscure the action in the game as users cover up important pixels with hapless thumbs. Capcom Arcade manages to avoid this pitfall by placing the controls in a blank black area at the bottom of the screen, but this comes at the price of a much smaller gameplay area.

While the games included in Capcom Aracade are as fun and exciting as ever, their difficulty poses a serious problem. Many "old school" gamers like to wax nostalgic about the good old days, when beating a game was a real accomplishment, but frankly, gaming in the 1980s was an extremely frustrating experience. The developers of Capcom Aracade were forward-thinking enough to provide an easier difficulty level for each game, but unfortunately, they are still extremely difficult.

Whether you're perfecting your fighting abilities in Street Fighter II or taking down enemy bogeys in 1942, you should expect to see the continue screen frequently. The platformer Ghouls 'N Ghosts is particularly punishing, as gamers must become intimately familiar with the first level before hoping to move on. With only three plays a day, gamers can look forward to a prolonged, free slog through the games in Capcom Arcade, or the frequent purchase of ticket 10-packs.

It's hard not to get excited when you hear about four classic games being offered for free in a single download. While there is a lot of fun to be had in Capcom Arcade, the value drops significantly when you realize that to make significant progress in any of the games, buying additional tickets, or an entire game for $2.99, is practically a necessity. Unless you never anticipate playing more than three games a day, or you're a total junkie for one of these games, with no other way to play it, there are significantly better ways to fill up 166 MB on your iPhone.

Final Score: D+