Stocking stuffers at Good Old Games

If you're looking for stocking stuffers (figuratively, not literally), GOG.com is having a holiday sale on some great old games.

They've got games like Fallout 1 & 2, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Planescape Torment, The Witcher, Master of Orion, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, and lots more - all for three to five dollars each.

These are old games, and sometimes they're not without flaws, but there's a reason why they're famous among gamers. And there are a couple of advantages here, besides the low, low prices.

First, GOG.com has set up every game so it will run well on modern computers (not always simple). I've bought games from them that I already own, just for that reason. They really make it easy. At the same time, you don't need a new computer to play these, as you might for something like Skyrim.

Second, since these games have been around for awhile, and since they're so beloved, some of the games have fan-made patches and mods which make them even better than they were when first released. If you buy one, I recommend doing a search for such things.

Finally, if you're curious, you can click on the title of a game and get to a page with ratings, reviews, screenshots, etc.  Fallout, for example - a game I'm currently replaying (and it's just as wonderful now as it was the first time!) - has been rated by 10,521 gamers (average rating: five out of five stars) and has 300 player reviews.

I haven't played all of these games. There's just never enough time for everything. But when a game costs less than $5 - or even less than $3 - you can afford to take a chance on it. And you don't have to play it too long to get your money's worth, either (although your problem is likely to be just finding the time to play as much as you want).

This sale is supposed to continue for the next couple of weeks or so, so you don't have to buy before Christmas.