A gaming computer should be running DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 RAM of the best quality. Crucial makes the best RAM. You can make use of the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors below to locate the RAM that is supported by a brand-name PC, notebook, or motherboard.

The memory requirements of the versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista

Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of memory recommended to run Windows XP. However, that is the minimum recommended amount of memory for a standard workstation PC. A gaming computer running Windows XP runs best on 1.5GB of memory or more, and a gaming PC running Windows Vista Home or Vista Ultimate editions runs best on 4GB of memory or more. Read the information on the RAM pages of this site for more information and to find out if you should buy memory for use in single-channel or dual-channel modes.

Paul Mullen, the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."

UK - Crucial Memory Advisor - UK

USA - Crucial Memory Advisor - USA

For example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website.

If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z.

Five-star and four-star PC games

The ELSPA UK games' charts

Go to http://www.elspa.com/ to view the latest games charts for the various gaming platforms, including All Games, PC Games, Playstation, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.

Top 10 Games to Watch for 2008 -

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/14/top10_games_2008/

The Computer Shopper 2007 Awards: PC Games

The Computer Shopper 2007 Awards for the best PC games are:

1. - Best Game - Company of Heroes - http://www.thq.com/ - World War II real-time strategy game. Magnificent graphics, but not much different from most other games of the same type. A high-end graphics card is required to play the game at its maximum detail settings.

2. - Best Driving Game - Colin McRae: diRT - http://www.codemasters.com/dirt - Driving game - Stunningly realistic with roads that feel like real roads - Poor multiplayer mode.

3. - Best Role-Playing Game - Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar - http://www.lotro.com/ - Online role-playing game - Fantastic re-creation of Middle-Earth - Beautifully devised combat - Similar to World of Warcraft.

4. - Best Strategy Game - Supreme Commander - http://www.supremecommander.com/ - A strategy game that involves war on a huge scale - Magnificent control interface - Long conflicts that some players might find tiring -

Computer Shopper: Five-star PC games

The following games were given a five-star rating (the highest) in the UK version of Computer Shopper magazine.

Visit the Computer Shopper site and choose Latest Reviews (or Reviews Archive) and choose Games and Leisure from the Browse for Products menu to read the detailed reviews of the games listed below. The reviews can go back as far as 12 months.

Visit the provided websites for the system requirements for each game.

Computer Shopper issue 240, available from around 20 December 2007, gave five-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Crysis - http://www.ea.com/crysis - First-person shooter game - Long-awaited sequel to Far Cry. The first DirectX 10 game to emerge - Beautiful graphics, great gameplay, but you need a very powerful Windows Vista PC to enjoy it to the full, because only Vista supports DirectX 10. It is possible to make the game look almost as good with Windows XP by downloading a file from http://www.crysis-online.com/?id=449. Visit the developer's site for the required system specifications. Redefines the graphical standard for PC games. To have it running optimally (at the highest possible settings) requires two nVidia GeForce 8800GTX graphics cards in an SLI configuration. At current prices two such cards will cost around £600, but the price will drop as newer graphics cards are released.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

2. - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - http://www.charieoscardelta.com/ - Best Buy award - First-person shooter game - Packed with outrageous twists and stunning set pieces - Single player and multiplayer modes.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

3. - The Orange Box - http://orange.half-life2.com/ - Best Buy award - Five great games for the price of one - the original Half-Life 2 bundled with its sequel, Episode 1, and the latest instalment, Episode 2, Portal, and the team-based online shooter, Team Fortress 2. - Runs well on even modest PCs.

Supplier: http://www.game.co.uk/

****

Computer Shopper issue 235, available from around 20 July 2007, gave five-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar - http://www.lotro.com/ - Online role-playing game - Fantastic re-creation of Middle-Earth - Beautifully devised combat - Similar to World of Warcraft.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

2. - Colin McRae: diRT - http://www.codemasters.com/dirt - Driving game - Stunningly realistic with roads that feel like real roads - Poor multiplayer mode.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

****

Computer Shopper issue 233, available from around 20 May 2007, gave a five-star review to the following game:

1. - The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles - http://www.theelderscrolls.com/ - Role-playing game - Expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. - Breathes new life into Oblivion - Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.dvd.co.uk/

****

Computer Shopper issue 230, available from around 20 February 2007, gave five-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Supreme Commander - http://www.supremecommander.com/ - A strategy game that involves war on a huge scale - Magnificent control interface - Long conflicts that some players might find tiring - Best Buy award.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

2. - Colorelli - http://www.colorelli.eu/ - Child's art game. A nicely-featured art package that Includes pen and tablet.

Supplier: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/

****

Warhammer 4000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade - http://www.dow-darkcrusade.com/ - Exceptional real time strategy war game - Seven different and varied armies to play - Best Buy award. Exceptional update of the previous version.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

Medieval 2: Total War - http://www.totalwar.com/ - Excellent real time strategy war game - huge battles but to play them is time-consuming.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

Company of Heroes - http://www.thq.com/ - World War II real-time strategy game. Magnificent graphics, but not much different from most other games of the same type. A high-end graphics card is required to play the game at its maximum detail settings. Best Buy award.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

FIFA 2007 - http://fifa07.ea.com/ - Football game. An improvement on FIFA 2006, being easier to play than its trickier forerunner, although still trick to play using a keyboard. Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.gameplay.com/

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - http://www.elderscrolls.com/ - Role-playing game. The main storyline involves you looking for the Emperor's long-lost son so that you can prevent an ancient evil from entering the world. "Stunning graphics. Brilliant gameplay." No multiplayer option.

Supplier: http://www.cd-wow.com/

The Sims 2: Open for Business - http://www.thesims.com/ - Business simulation game with a flexible range of businesses. You control the business and personal lives of the characters. Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.cd-wow.com/

TOCA Race Driver 3 - http://www.codemasters.co.uk/ - Many car-racing modes, such as track and rally, fast action, detailed graphics. Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.dvd.co.uk/

Gametrak: Real World Golf - http://www.realworldgolf.com/ - A golf simulation game that is highly entertaining and realistic. Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.in2games.uk.com/sales

Tycoon City: New York - http://www.uk.atari.com/ - A city-building game. It's your job to build a property empire in New York. Provides many hours of gameplay. Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.cd-wow.com/

Call of Duty 2 - http://www.callofduty.com/ - World War II shooter that sets new high standards for atmosphere, superb artificial intelligence, and set pieces compared to other war games and to its own predecessor Call of Duty: Finest Hour. The graphics are much slicker and the artificial intelligence has been improved. Troops move as if they are carrying heavy packs and behave as if they don't want to get shot.

Supplier: http://www.cd-wow.com/

Black & White 2 - http://www.eagames.com/ - A real-time strategy game. You have the fate of a civilisation at your disposal. You are God and the citizens are your playthings. You can also choose to command a giant creature. Varied gameplay, superb graphics, but the control system can be difficult to use. Best Buy award.

Supplier: http://www.cd-wow.com/

F.E.A.R - http://www.whatisfear.com/ - First-person shooter game. Different from other first-person shooter games, and it can inspire fear, which most such games can't due to familiarity with what they usually allow the player to do. The game produces the best shooter graphics that you can experience this year.

Supplier: http://www.simplygames.com/

Farenheit - http://www.atari.com/ - An adventure game. The player starts off by being in control of Lucas Kane, a man who has just murdered a complete stranger for no reason. However, the player can choose to control Kane or the two police officers sent to track him down. The player can also take control of several other characters. The gameplay and storyline are innovative. Towards the end some players might find that the plot is over-stretched. Be warned: there are some interactive sex scenes.

Supplier: http://www.atari.com/

Civilization IV - http://www.2kgames.com/ - Best Buy award. A real-time strategy game. Start off in the Stone Age and build cities, collect resources, and conquer the world. You can command the British Empire and every other major empire. The game begins in the Stone Age. The player has to construct cities and technologies as time progresses.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - http://www.rockstargames.com/ - Action game. Excellent follow-up to "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City". The plot is very well thought out, with varied missions, which are excellent. The graphics and sountrack are superb, but it's best to play it with a joypad.

Supplier: http://www.mx2.co.uk/

Battlefield 2 - http://www.eagames.com/ - Online shooter game that is only worth playing online. A graphical feast of battlefield mayhem. The system requirements are high.

Supplier: http://www.cd-wow.com/

****

Half-Life 2 - http://orange.half-life2.com/ - This long-awaited sequel to the original first-person shooter game has finally arrived. Widely regarded as the best game of 2004 (better than Doom 3), it provides engrossing and thrilling action, but involves a long installation process.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/ (Read the note below.)

Authenticating Half-Life 2

Note that after Half-Life 2 has been installed it has to be activated and patched. This can take the best part of a day. The online activation is required to prevent the game from being pirated.

Problem: authenticating Half-Life 2

Valve's Steam online service is used to authenticate the CD key. Steam also provides updates and bug fixes, some of which must be installed. Because of this, people who buy the game and don't have an Internet connection won't be able to play the game. There are many reports of users being unable to get the authentication process to work. After working at first, it can hang incurably in the middle of the process. If this happens, disconnect the Internet connection. After a few seconds, the download should reset itself. Users without a broadband connection should enter msconfig in the Windows Start => Run box and disable Steam as a start-up program, because it's best to start it manually to check for updates. If Steam's technical support asks you to send it the msinfo32 file, this is all right from a security point of view, as you can see for yourself by entering msinfo32 in the Start => Run box.

****

Doom 3 - http://www.doom3.com/ - Still probably the most stunning game available for the PC. The atmosphere has to be experienced to be believed. The action takes place on Mars. You have to find a way to defeat all of the war hell that the game unleashes at you.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

Computer Shopper: Four-star PC games

The following games were given a four-star rating in the UK version of Computer Shopper magazine.

Visit the provided websites for the system requirements for each game.

Computer Shopper issue 242, available from around 20 February 2008, gave a four-star review to the following game:

1. - Unreal Tournament III - http://www.unrealtournament3.com/ - First-person shooter game - No notable innovations, but it looks good and provides sensational gameplay, running smoothly even on ageing PCs.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/ - "PC version bundled with the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 Toolset. Build your own levels, game types, and more, or download the latest mods from the massive Unreal community."

Computer Shopper issue 241, available from around 20 January 2008, gave four-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Tabula Rasa - http://www.rgtr.com/ - Online role-playing game - Science- fiction setting - Gameplay consists of running the gauntlet across a series of well-designed battlefields, mostly taking on aliens and wildlife in long-range combat - You can experiment with your character. Priced at £18 plus £7.50/$15 per month subscription.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

2. - Supreme Commander - http://www.supremecommander.com/ - Real-time strategy game - This version is an imporovement on and a little easier to play than its forerunner, but the learning curve is still very steep - Enormous and genuinely strategic.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

****

Computer Shopper issue 239, available from around 20 November 2007, gave four-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts - http://www.companyofheroesgame.com/ - World-War-II real-time strategy game - Refreshes its forerunner - Does not require the original game to play - Can be somewhat overwhelming if you are new to the series.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

2. - Race 07: The Official WTCC Game - http://www.race-game.org/ - Racing simulation game - WTCC stands for World Touring Car Championship - Enough content to keep your interest - Superb graphics, especially when using a steering wheel.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

****

Computer Shopper issue 237, available from around 20 September 2007, gave a four-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Overlord - http://www.codemasters.com/ - Strategy game - You play the evil Overlord - Minnions are full of character - Amusing and entertaining fantasy setting.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

2. - Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword - Strategy game - New ways to win and new scenarios compared to the original Civilization IV.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

****

Computer Shopper issue 233, available from around 20 May 2007, gave a four-star review to the following game:

1. - Test Drive Unlimited - http://www.testdriveunlimited.com/ - A driving game - A seamless blend of solo and multiplay.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

****

Computer Shopper issue 231, available from around 20 March 2007, gave four-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Battlestations: Midway - http://www.battlestations.net/ - A naval simulation war game.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

2. - Europa Universalis III - http://www.europauniversalis3.com/ - A strategy game.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

3. - World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade -http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/ - A role-playing game.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

****

Computer Shopper issue 229, available from around 20 January 2007, gave four-star reviews to the following games:

1. - Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - http://www.darkmessiahgame.com/ - An action game.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

2. - Sid Meier's Railroads - http://www.2kgames.com/ - A strategy game.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

3. - Sam and Max Episode 1: Culture Shock - http://www.telltalegames.com/ - A point-and-click adventure game.

Supplier: http://www.telltalegames.com/

4. - Guild Wars: Nightfall - http://www.guildwars.com/ - A role-playing game (RPG).

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

****

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point - http://www.whatisfear.com/ - First-person shooter game - Magnificent graphics, absorbing fights and frights, but short gameplay.

Supplier: http://www.game.com/

Battlefield 2142 - http://battlefield2142.ea.com/ - First-person shooter game - Thrilling gameplay - Might not be easy for newcomers to gaming to master.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

Stronghold Legends - http://www.fireflyworlds.com/ - Strategy game that has three different campaigns, is fun to play, has engaging graphics, and the player has to manage the available resources. Company of Heroes reviewed under five-star games above, is a better, albeit slightly more expensive choice.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

Sword of the Stars - http://www.swordofthestars.com/ - Strategy game. You have control of your own interstellar race of beings (there are four races to choose from), ranging from the mediocre Humans to the Tarka. You develop your own weapons and technology via the research window. The same products cannot be developed twice.

Supplier: http://www.play.com/

Taito Legends - http://www.taitolegends2.com/ - Compilation of twenty-five classic arcade games on one CD. Includes three of the very best arcade games ever made. The games were created when games were made very imaginatively because they couldn't rely on stunning graphics to hook players.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

City Life - http://www.montecristogames.com/ - A city-building game like Sim City. The different groups of people in the city don't get on with each other, so you have to build the city taking that into account or hell breaks loose. The city feels like an authentic city. The game provides many hours of gameplay, but it can be difficult to learn.

Supplier: http://www.gameplay.com/

Prey - http://www.prey.com/ - First-person shooter game. You play Tommy, an Cherokee garage mechanic who has to use his ancient spirit powers to fight aliens on an orbiting space station. Excellent graphics, but the game can become repetitive.

Supplier: http://www.dvd.co.uk/

Rush for Berlin - http://www.rushforberlin.com/ - World War II real-time strategy game with nothing new. Plenty of missions. If you are a strategy-game fan it will provide you with hours of fun.

Supplier: http://www.gameseek.co.uk/

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - http://www.ubi.com/UK/Games/... - First-person shooter game. Superb grapics, but very difficult to master.

Supplier: http://www.gameplay.com/

Sensible Soccer 2006 - http://www.codemaster.co.uk/ - Soccer game that is easy to play, excellent fun, but with limited play modes. No online mode.

Supplier: http://www.tesco.com/

Dreamfall - http://www.funcom.com/ - Adventure game with intelligent stoty-telling and fantiastic 3D worlds. Sequel to The longest Journey, considered by some critics to be one of the best adventure games. However, the sequel is lacking in gameplay, hence the four-stars.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Hidden Manuscript - http://www.secrets-of-da-vinci.com - Adventure puzzle game with an intriguing plot and clever puzzles. The player's job is to solve clues as the mystery unfolds. Most of the puzzles are based on Leonardo Da Vinci's designs.

Supplier: Amazon.co.uk/

The Godfather - http://www.ea.com/ - Action game. You star as a gangster of your own making in the game, all the way down to choosing your hair and eye colours. Ties in well with the film The Godfather.

Supplier: http://www.game.com/

Rescue from Rock Castle - http://www.gsp.cc/ - Adventure game for children. Stars children's favourites the Playmobil characters. Alex trans to be a knight in order to rescue Laura from the clutches of an evil sorcerer.

Supplier: http://www.gsp.cc/

The Movies - http://www.activision.com/ - Tycoon game. You are in control of a movie studio. Build new sets, train movie stars and make money. Can be difficult to keep track of everything.

Supplier: http://www.dvd.co.uk/

Excellent free shooter game

Cube is completely free and open source single or multiplayer first-person shooter game that runs on Windows and Linux, can be customised, and allows you to make your own game maps from scratch. This game looks truly amazing, with gameplay that is as rapid as it is smooth - even on an elderly PC. The quality of this freeware is superb.

Screenshots - http://www.cubeengine.com/shots.php4

Home page - http://www.cubeengine.com/

Free games from PCWorld.com

Listed from the most (top) down to the least downloaded

Icy Tower v1.1 - Help Harold the Homeboy climb a tower. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22508,00.asp

Chicken Invaders v1.0 - Save the earth from an invasion of vengeful chickens from another galaxy. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22497,00.asp

Fiend v1.0 - Enjoy this horror adventure game, inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22455,00.asp

IT Security Game v2.0 - You're an overworked, underpaid IT supervisor. Now it's time for payback. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22610,00.asp

Galactic Menace - Save the earth in this Space-Invaders clone that will bring back feelings of nostalgia. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22414,00.asp

WinFrotz v5.03 - Walk down memory lane by playing old-fashioned, text-based DOS games on your Windows machine. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22456,00.asp

Mr Cool Ball v1.01 - Guide poor Mr. Cool Ball through a labyrinth and blow up his enemies in this old-fashioned arcade game. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22509,00.asp

Frozen Fruits v2 - Destroy fruit, avoid aliens, and solve logical riddles in this arcade game. -

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22506,00.asp

PowerStrip - Shareware - $29.95

"PowerStrip [at version 3.6 in May 2006] provides advanced, multi-monitor, programmable hardware support to a wide range of graphics cards - from the venerable Matrox Millennium I to the latest ATI X1900 Crossfire and NVidia Qual-SLI 7900. It is in fact the only program of its type to support multiple graphics cards from multiple chipset vendors, simultaneously, under every Windows operating system from Windows 95 to the x64-bit edition of XP. A simple menu that pops up from the system tray provides access to some 500 controls over your display hardware, including sophisticated color correction tools, period level adjustments over screen geometry, and driver independent clock controls. A powerful application profiler can detect when programs are launched and respond by activating specific display settings, gamma adjustments, performance switches and even clock speeds - returning everything to normal when the program closes. In-game gamma hotkeys let you light up the darkest hallways during game play, and hardware control over refresh rates - with floating point precision - ensure you're never stuck at just 60Hz no matter what OS you're using. A quick setup wizard gets you up and running with minimal fuss, extensive context-sensitive help is available for all controls, and live updates are supported to ensure you're always running the latest release. Finally, an assortment of system and productivity tools - among them, extensive diagnostics, PCIe and AGP device configuration, EDID decoding and jig-free updating, desktop icon management, a system idle thread, Windows resource monitoring, an anti-burn-in orbiting option, physical memory optimization, an on-screen display, and the most advanced monitor support in the industry - round out the compact 800kb package." - http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

Game-port and USB joysticks

If you use a joystick and a standard game port to play games such as Sidewinder 3.02, it will not work under Windows XP, and Sidewinder 4.0 is not compatible with the game port. You have to use a USB joystick.

Microsoft has decided to make the game port history, so Windows XP only has very limited support for game-port devices. You may be able to configure such a joystick by using one of the standard profiles in XP, but you won't be able to program all of the buttons and hat switches, nor maintain different profiles for each game.

Therefore, if you use a game-port joystick, either don't upgrade to XP, use a dual-boot Windows 98/XP system, or buy a USB joystick. Dual-booting Windows 98 and XP is the cheapest option.

Just remember that you have to have Windows 98 installed first, because, without employing an elaborate fix, 98 won't install if it detects that another operating system is installed.

How Joysticks Work: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/joystick.htm

Reviews: Game controllers

For reviews of game controllers, such as joysticks, etc., visit the section on the Computer Shopper site devoted to Input devices:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/shopper/archiveproductsearch/8/Input-devices

System information

Note that you will not be able to run an AGP card using full AGP functionality with the initial (FAT16) issue of Windows 95.

Full AGP functionality is only provided by Windows 95 OSR 2.1 and above, and any version of Windows 98 or Windows Me.

This is because full AGP functionality requires the USB files to be installed. USB can be installed in Windows 95 OSR 2.0 by installing an update file, but it is buggy and not as fully functional as the USB that comes with the subsequent versions of Windows 9.x, Windows Me, and Windows XP.

Good sound reproduction is essential for game playing. For some information on sound cards, visit the Sound page on this site.

If you want to play heavy-duty games, you should not purchase a PC that has a motherboard or upgrade a computer by installing a motherboard that uses an integrated graphics chip.

Graphics chips that are integrated on to the motherboard, and have to use system RAM instead of the dedicated RAM available on a dedicated graphics card. This results in poor gaming performance.

The manufacturers of motherboards use new chipsets made by chipset manufacturers, such as VIA, Intel, ALi, and SiS, for every motherboard they bring out these days, so I am not going to provide any examples here. The third Motherboard page on this site provides links to sites that provide motherboard reviews. If you know the make and model of a motherboard, you can download the user manual from its manufacturer's site. It contains all of the technical information about the motherboard, including information on the chipset.

Online PC gaming

Online gaming on the Internet is an activity that is growing rapidly, both in the number of people taking part in it, and in the variety of games being played.

It helps if you have a fast broadband cable or DSL connection to the Internet, but it is possible to participate with a 56K dial-up modem.

With existing equipment it is possible to play games online between two players all the way up to many thousands participating at the same time.

Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are the leading manufacturers of gaming equipment. The Xbox (Microsoft), Playstation 2 (Sony), and the GameCube (Nintendo), all come ready for the Internet, and there is a steady stream of new games being released to keep the participants happy.

Thanks to games such as EverQuest and Ultima Online, online gaming has grossed approximately $500 million so far, made up of the sale of software and online subscriptions.

Sony and Nintendo both see the future growth of the online gaming market as being largely dependent on the widespread take-up of broadband DSL or cable connections. Neither company sees the required adoption of these services happening until 2004 in the US and 2005 in the UK.

Massively multiplayer online game -

"A massively multiplayer online game (also called MMOG or simply MMO) is a video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on general purpose computers; most of the newer game consoles (Xbox 360, PSP, PS3, Wii, etc.) can access the internet, and thus can have MMO genre games." -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_game

Here are the web addresses of some of the most popular online games:

Ultima Online - Origin/Electronic Arts - http://www.uo.com/

EverQuest - Sony - http://everquest.station.sony.com/

Asheron's Call - Microsoft - http://www.microsoft.com/games/zone/asheronscall

Dark Age of Camelot - Mythic Entertainment - http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/

The most difficult aspect of online gaming is finding a good place to play.

Smiley’s Games Emporium has more than 30 games to play for free online. Classics to choose from include Asteroids, Breakout and Centipede. All of the games are written in Java, which means that you don't need to download any plug-ins to play. -

http://www.clickets.com/targets/Games/Games.asp

Virgin Media Games

The Virgin Media website provides plenty of online games, such as Battlefield 1942, from its servers.

Gaming routers

Click here! to go to information on routers on the Networking section of this site.

Microsoft's Live account

Live is the online gaming service for the Xbox 360 gaming console, which Microsoft has now included in Windows Vista. You require a Live account to play many releases online. A Live account gives you a Gamertag unique identity that allows you to see which players are playing which games. Your Gamertag also tracks your gaming achievements that can then be compared to those of your gaming friends. Live accounts are divided into silver and gold membership. Silver membership is free. It allows you to view what your friends are doing online and to join a limited set of online games. Gold membership is what you need if you want to set up multiplayer games, use the TrueSkill matchmaking service, and play cross-platform games against Xbox 360 owners. A gold membership currently (July, 2007) costs £40 a year, which covers PC and Xbox 360 use. Note that currently there are not enough games available for the PC to justify signing up if you are just going to use a PC.

Is gigabit Ethernet desirable for network gaming?

A new PCI Gigabit Ethernet standard is now available that can transfer data at 1000Mbits/s - ten times the speed of a 100Base-T Ethernet network - across the same Category 5 (Cat5) cables as the latter standard.

For new network installations, the recommendation is to use Cat5e cable, even though Cat5 and Cat5e cabling both have the required 100MHz (1000Hz) bandwidth, because Cat5e cable is manufactured so that the additional parameters that are important for high frequency data transfer using gigabit Ethernet are better controlled.

Any recommendation to use Cat6 for a gigabit Ethernet installation should be turned down out of hand! Cat6 was added to the TIA-568 standard in June 2002, and has a 200MHz bandwidth. It is much more expensive than Cat5e cabling, so you should only consider it for use on a 10 gigabit Ethernet network.

Most networked games are designed to be played over the Internet, so they are programmed to rely on the processing power of your computer for the heavy work, and only send the data they have to across the network. In short, these games can all be played by using any one of the wide range of network conditions encountered on the Internet.

Although in gaming faster is always supposed to be better, gigabit Ethernet won't provide any advantage, because response time is the important factor for networked gaming. On the fastest broadband connection access times below 10ms don't provide any advantage, and since this can be achieved with an ordinary 10Base-T network that is a 100 times slower, gigabit Ethernet's extra capacity would be wasted.

For more information on this topic, enter Gigabit Ethernet in the Google search box provided at the top of this page, with its Web radio button enabled.

Gaming-related webpages and sites worth visiting

Tom's Hardware Guide's new gaming site - http://www.twitchguru.com/index.html

AMD Game - AMD's PC gaming site - http://game.amd.com/us-en/default.aspx

Build Your Own Budget Gaming PC - How to buy & assemble the right components & peripherals for less than $2,500. -

http://computershopper.com/feature/build_your_own_budget_gaming_pc

PC games news and reviews - http://www.gamespress.com/

Yahoo! Games - Download your Video Games For Free -

http://uk.download.games.yahoo.net/index.php

Games and leisure -

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/shopper/archiveproductsearch/21/Games-and-Leisure

Building a High-End Gaming Workstation -

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/building_gaming_opteron_2003_Part1/page2.asp

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/building_gaming_opteron_2003_Part2/default.asp

Flight Gear - a free flight simulation PC game - 85MB - http://www.flightgear.org/

Some rollicking new games are available from the Arcade section of the Lockergnome site: http://www.lockergnome.com/arcade/.

A good example is Adventure Elf -

http://lockergnome.com/arcade/games/adventure-elf.phtml

Gamespot.com - free memebership - http://www.gamespot.com/index.html

"BEST video/computer game EVER" - Sysopt.com Forum thread -

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=142667

Freeloader.com - Different types of inexpensive subscriptions to this site allow you to downdoad plenty of games of all kinds. A newsletter is available. -

http://www.freeloader.com/content/freeloader/en/games/desktop

MSN (Microsoft Network) Gaming Zone - http://zone.msn.com/

Classic Free Games - http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/08/04/2016246

Gaming Links page - http://www.infinitefrontiers.0catch.com/Links.htm

http://www.clickets.com/targets/Games/Games.asp

Visit Freeware Gaming where there are hundreds of free downloadable games to play offline. Categories include Puzzle/Logic, Sport Card/Casino and Action/Arcade. Games are rated and reviewed and each listing shows the size and system requirements.

TechSpot Gaming - Tweak Guides - Game Reviews - Drivers - Downloads - Pricewatch - OS updates - OpenForum - Free TS Newsletter. - http://www.techspot.com/gaming.shtml

SysOpt Forum - http://forums.sysopt.com

Lockergnome Forum - http://help.lockergnome.com/

Google PC gaming searches

Use the Google search box at the top of this page (with the Web radio button enabled) to find links that may have changed for existing sites, and many more gaming sites.

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