While playing videogames for what was undoubtedly hours upon hours of our childhoods, thousands of simple 8-bit melodies were firmly entrenched in our brains. Now, with next-gen console designers engaged in an interactive arms race, single note blips have blossomed into full digital orchestration. Despite gaming"s rapid developments it is still the simplest melodies that ring the loudest.

The importance of videogame music was somewhat underscored in the earliest stages of NES, games like "Bayou Billy" and "Pro Wrestling" didn"t have the ultra- clever sound effects, but the games did have their own endearing qualities, (Bayou Billy"s excruciatingly difficult first level, and of course Star Man in PW). The "Super Mario Bros." theme reappears in some manifestation throughout the series (except for "Super Mario Bros. 2," which was of course not a true "Mario Bros." game, but a classic in its own right). Similarly, "Legend of Zelda" had the same theme ring throughout its various inceptions across different platforms.

And with virtually no adieu, here is a humble list of the greatest music, we"ve ever sat in front of a television for.

Tecmo Bowl The game"s opening credits prepare you for a war greater than any sports game before, and any sports game since. While the theme music "duh duh, duh duh duh, duh duh da-da" cruises in the background, the game scans through generic teams that somehow scored legitimate NFLPA Licensing, so Eric Dickerson and Bo Jackson are in the game, they just play for the "other" teams in Indianapolis and Los Angeles.

Actraiser One of the first games released for Super NES back in "91. The Action/RPG showed off the power of the system with its revolutionary Mode 7 rotating effects, but the true technical marvel of the game was Yuzo Koshiro"s epic soundtrack. The overworld theme never got old despite hours upon hours of play and the intense boss battles were highlighted by the thunderous thumping techno score. Japanese copies of the soundtrack can be purchased on Ebay for upwards of $250, no joke.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Arguably one of the greatest games for the Playstation, or any other system for that matter. This time around you take control of Alucard, son of Dracula, as you slay through the vast castle. Each portion of the sprawling world featured memorable music, you"ll swear you"re listening to a motion picture score. The only downfall came at the very end of the game when the cheesy Japanese ballad "I Am the Wind" rolls along with the credits.

Parappa the Rapper Kick, punch, it"s all in the mind! Possibly the most bizarre game to hit American shores, this 2D interactive music title included some of the most catchy songs to grace a videogame console. From rap to reggae, Parappa and his paper-thin physique sang his way through six levels of quirky situations from getting a drivers license to baking a cake. Fans of the game will be pleased to know the sequel is on its way to the PS2.

Super Metroid "The last metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace." So began the third installment of the classic Nintendo series, making the transition from NES to Game Boy to Super NES. Samus continued her hunt of the life-sucking aliens on the Planet Zebes. The bosses took up more than the screen could hold and the soundtrack was just as big.

F-Zero A launch game with the Super Nintendo, this futuristic racing game has yet to be surpassed. The theme of the first level, "Mute City I," will stay permanently branded on your brain whether you"ve played it once or a thousand times (your humble reviewers are part of the latter group). Fastest time recorded on the course is a flawless 2"02"31. Just try to top that, it can"t be done.

Final Fantasy VII Admit it, you cried when Aeris died. Don"t tell us you didn"t. The first installment of the most popular RPG series on Playstation, "Final Fantasy VII" had gamers holding their collective breaths as the launch date of September 7, 1997 drew closer. Die hard fans of the series were instantly relieved to find the series transported successfully into the 3D realm. Nobuo Uematsu once again provided a masterful score to accompany the 40-plus hour quest. Buy the four disc set online, it"s the perfect study music.

Super Mario Bros. Ask a random student to hum the theme to the classic game and chances are they"ll know every note. The celebrated yarn of a mushroom-eating-plumber turned princess-rescuing-hero was the game that launched Nintendo into the videogame industry stratosphere. It may not have the magnum opus score

Tetris Damn those crazy Russians. Back in the 1985 Alexey Pazhitnov invented the most addicting videogame ever produced. The simple concept of placing four piece blocks together hooked gamers around the world when it was packaged with Game Boy in 1989.