News from the virtual world: -GAME LAB: Nintendo's WiiWare service is up and running, finally giving Internet-connected Wii owners the chance to download original games. It's a laboratory of sorts for low-budget games, allowing smaller developers to sell their games while larger publishers can experiment with new ideas.

As a fantasy-loving nerd who came of age in the '80s, I was fascinated by the role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons.'' Fortunately, I didn't know anyone else who cared, so I didn't get drawn into the cult. But I've been a sucker ever since for the electronic games that were inspired by it, from 1981's ''Wizardry'' to the ongoing ''Final Fantasy'' series.

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Three critically acclaimed first-person shooters won top honors at the video game industry's most prestigious awards show. ''BioShock,'' ''Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare'' and ''The Orange Box'' garnered four prizes apiece Thursday night at the 11th annual Interactive Achievement Awards.

Let's face it, video game movies usually suck (see article here). For every guilty pleasure such as Resident Evil there is a House of the Dead, Street Fighter, and Mario Brothers stinking up this niche genre. What keeps going wrong?

There are some things in Hollywood that just do not work: Lindsay Lohan and sobriety, most marriages, Tim Allen tackling roles not involving Christmas, and successfully adapting a video game into a movie. Why is this so hard?

2007 was one of the best years for video games that we have ever seen. We saw all types of triple-A titles, from new masterpieces like Bioshock, Mass Effect, Portal, and Rock Band to the continuing success of franchises such as God of War 2, Call of Duty 4 and Super Mario Galaxy.

This has been a banner year for the first-person shooter on consoles. We've seen some brilliant shooters (''BioShock,'' ''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption''), some terrible ones (''Hour of Victory'') and plenty more that fell somewhere in between (yes, ''Halo 3'').

News from the virtual world: -BEST OF 2007: It has been a terrific year for video games, and boiling it down to a top 10 list was difficult. But here are the games I enjoyed the most in 2007.

News from the virtual world: -WORLD OF GUITARCRAFT: What do you get when you cross ''Guitar Hero'' and ''World of Warcraft''? I picture something like the ''Stonehenge'' performance in ''This Is Spinal Tap,'' but the publishers of those two games are hoping their merger will be somewhat less calamitous.

News from the virtual world: -LIVE WITHOUT A NET: Since its launch, Microsoft's Xbox Live has redefined console gaming. Whether I'm playing ''Halo 3,'' ''Madden NFL'' or ''Catan,'' or downloading pictures, game demos or ''Looney Tunes'' shorts, I spend far more time on Xbox Live than on the competing online services from Nintendo and Sony.