My Thompson has finally given up after four years. I've attempted to go back and finish Ninja Gaiden after a few months. I can start a new game, but gameplay will stop somewhere between the very beginning of the game and fighting Murai for the first time. I know for a fact that the game worked, as I had gotten all the way up to the aqueducts my first time through. Might be time to shell out some cash for a new drive or a new box.

I'm going to test a few more games before I decide that this is the way to go.
Damn, I was really looking forward to more ninja goodness.

One more thing to try, actually. The shelf I have the box on is slightly crooked, which could be affecting my disc reading.