Best games at best prices

If the recession has hammered your gaming budget, or if you have simply run out of the green stuff, hold those tears for a while. Yes, you might not be able to afford the latest games that are burning up hard drives around the world, but you can still get some excellent games at a fraction of the cost of the new ones.

We are not talking about games that have passed their sell-by date and are being dumped by desperate distributors .

Nay, these are the real McCoy that have been acknowledged as classics and trendsetters in their own right.

They may look relatively poor in the graphics department when compared with some of their sleek modern counterparts, but on the flip side, they are just as much (if not more) fun.

And, what the heck, they can run on just about any computer (no graphics card or driver headaches) running Windows XP and in some cases, even Windows 98। Here’s a look at just some of the goodies on offer.

The adventure game that sold millions of copies and set all kinds of records is now available for a mere Rs 199. You are on an island on which something has gone horrendously wrong and you have to set matters right.

There are puzzles galore, the ability to travel using special books, and imagery and music that seem stunning even by modern standards.

A must-have for cerebral types who love to roam the world, although there are some issues with Windows XP which might need a bit of patching.

Sid Meier’s classic third edition of Civilization with all its expansion packs would have set you back by well over four figures in its prime. Well, it can be yours for a mere Rs 299 today.

Get it and start building your own empires and take a stab at rewriting history. Yes, the turn-based gameplay might take some getting used to for Age of Empires followers, but in terms of depth, Civilization III more than matches Age of Empires .

Higher praise than that we cannot bestow.

As the world gears up for the third coming of Diablo, this is an excellent time to revisit the roots of the game that redefined role-playing games, making them action-packed and easy to play.

People still get the chills when the haunting opening chords of the game are played and they find themselves in the village of Tristam , a village ruined by Diablo.

Take on three different roles and dice with weapons and magic as you fight your dungeons en route to an appointment with Diablo himself. For Rs 199, you are unlikely to get better value for your gaming bucks.

Will Wright’s classic that gave the entire god-playing business a new dimension. You could create and control the lives of human beings, from their relationships to their surroundings.

Although it has since been superseded by the equally amazing The Sims 2, the original remains an excellent option for those who want a great gaming experience on a very basic PC.

The main game is now available for as little as Rs 199 with the expansion packs a mere Rs 99 each. Playing God never came this cheap.

Working in the mines on another planet, participating in revolutions, taking on the establishment, diving in submarines and smashing through loads and loads of enemies with exotic weaponry—well , those are just some of the things you will find in the famous Red Faction series .

What’s more, loyalists believe that this futuristic shooter still looks as good as ever.

And at Rs 99 apiece, each of the two games in this series is begging to be bought by all those who love fast-paced , non-stop action.

All right, at Rs 999, this one costs as much as one of the newer games in cybertown. But ah, there is not just one single game but (dramatic pause) a staggering THIRTEEN games in this pack.

As its name indicates , the pack covers almost the entire Command & Conquer series, from the first title to the recent Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Real time strategy seldom got better than this with great graphics (some of the newer games will have high system requirements , be warned), a terrific storyline involving inter-galactic battles , and of course, some legendary voice overs (who can forget Joe Kucan as Kane?) . All at a cost that works out to be around Rs 77 per game. Beat that if you can!

And that’s not all. There are several other classics out there with incredibly low price tags, waiting to be purchased. These vary from the initial Need for Speed series to EA’s earlier sports sims (some of which are available for as little as Rs 99) to Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (Rs 199) as well as the initial Tomb Raider games.