No matter how many people are playing ''Halo'' or ''Madden'' at any given moment, you can bet that many more are playing solitaire, poker or Uno. And not with a $5 deck of cards - they're using the awesome processing power of modern computers to play the games their grandparents loved.

News from the virtual world: -BATTLE-SCARRED: I really like Electronic Arts' ''Battlefield'' games, although I have to admit that I'm a little intimidated when it comes to playing with strangers over the Internet.

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: -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.

For some families, there is no greater holiday tradition than Christmas day at the movies. Perhaps they like to enjoy an activity that, due to everyone's busy schedule during the rest of the year, is not as regular an occurrence as they wish.

With the holidays right around the corner, this time of year is easily the hotbed for big video game releases. However, a lot of the great games coming out are drowned out by the enormity of the new releases – and plenty of those games are simple cash-ins that are going to be traded in in January. So, here is a rundown of what to buy for yourself or loved ones this year, listed by intended audience. Part 1 - Mature:

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.

The conventional wisdom on gender differences and play is that girls like to create things, boys like to destroy them. A girl can enjoy building a house out of Legos, while half the fun for a boy is demolishing the thing.

''The Orange Box'' is one of the best values in video games since, well, ever. There's no actual orange box with ''Orange Box'' ($59.99 for Xbox 360, $49.95 for Windows PCs, Rated T through M). More on that later. But we do get just about everything a gamer could want: