Dragon Spirit: The New Legend (1990) is Namco's vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up with a great hook: you don't fly a ship, you are a dragon. You breathe fire at air enemies and drop bombs on ground targets across lush, monster-filled stages.

Power-ups can grow you extra heads (more firepower) and upgrade your breath, and the difficulty is no joke. The NES version added an easier opening stage and tweaks to ease newcomers in.

It's a stylish, slightly off-the-beaten-path shooter that stood out in a library full of spaceships. Being the dragon never gets old.