The best abandonware action games

Action video games are all about speed, fast moving and dexterity. The main action varies according to the kind of game, which can include jumping from platforms, running, beating up other human players or computer controlled adversaries, etc.
If the action is focused on shooting adversaries, the game belongs to the shooter genre. There's also the action-adventure genre, where the action elements are less intense and the gameplay incorporates one or more adventure elements such as inventory management, puzzles and a lot more thinking in general.

There are quite a lot of action sub-genres. In maze games, the action takes place in a labyrinth (the mother of all maze games is Pac-Man). Platformers are action games where you're going to spend most of the time jumping on some kind of platform (Bubbgle Bobble, Prince of Persia). There's also two types of games that involve physical combat: fighting games and beat 'em ups. Fighting games are all about 1 vs 1 combat in a single screen (Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat). In beat 'em ups (Golden Axe, Double Dragon) you have to fight hordes of enemies and advance to the next level.