A UNIQUE exhibition is giving visitors the rare chance to try out iconic games from every console released in the UK since the early 1970s.

The Generation Games exhibition is every gamer’s dream and is now available to visit at Pontypool Museum.

Game consoles including Sega Mega Drive and Dreamcast are among those to feature in the display.

Pac-Man, Rayman, Sonic and Super Mario are all available to play.

Deb Wildgust, who works for Torfaen Museum Trust, said the exhibition was only possible due to game consoles collection of exhibition curator, and Caerphilly county borough resident Samuel Anstee.

“Every video and computer games console released in the UK is here,” she said.

“Samuel lives in Caerphilly and spoke of the collection when he came here a couple of years ago. “We thought we would put something together.

“It is a joint partnership between National Museum in Swansea and Torfaen Museum Trust.”

The earliest console visitors can try out is a generation one, with the game Ping Pong.

Museum consultant Andrew Deathe, who designed the exhibition, said “there is something for everyone”.

“People can play lots of games if they visit,” he said.

“The exhibition shows the history of game consoles from generation one to eight. It goes right up to virtual reality which is the current game console.

“You can see how game consoles evolved over the years. Right at the start you have Ping Pong and Pac-Man then you have the more recent games.”

The exhibition was unveiled by Welsh minister Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas yesterday afternoon. He said: “The exhibition highlights how well we work together and how our National Museums can support smaller, local, museums, like Torfaen Museum Trust to develop exhibitions and programmes.

“This exhibition also proves how our local museums can continue to surprise us, being very imaginative in what they offer and are vibrant and diverse places for young people to visit.

“I would urge people to take a fresh look at what’s available at their local museum over the Easter holidays.”

The exhibition is available every Tuesday to Thursday until October.

For more information, call Pontypool Museum on 01495 752036.