Installing and Playing PC Games

Before you play a new PC game, you'll have to install the game software according to instructions. You might also, in some instances, need to keep the game CD in your PC's CD-ROM drive. (This is because many games access the CD to load images and sounds during the course of the game.)

You'll also need to have your game controller installed and connected, and then you're ready to play. You launch the new game from the Windows Start menu.

Every game operates a little bit differently. You typically are presented with some type of opening screen, sometimes in the form of an animated movie. Most games let you skip this animation by clicking somewhere (or anywhere) within the movie window.

caution

Don't be too quick about bypassing the opening animation, especially when the game is new. Sometimes information essential to the game is presented in this movie.

After you get past the opening, you might need to configure various parameters for the game. For example, you might have to choose a user level (try starting with "beginner"), enter your player name, and so on. You should also take this opportunity to read the game's instructions, either onscreen (sometimes via the Help menu) or in an accompanying booklet.

Many games let you pause or save games in progress, so if you have to stop for the day, you can start up again tomorrow in the same spot. To save a game, follow the game's specific instructions to save your particular game file typically by accessing some sort of "save" or "file" menu or function.

tip

There are several sites on the Internet that offer PC games you can download to your computer's hard disk and a lot of them are free! Check out Free Games Net (www.free-games-net.com), GameSpot (www.gamespot.com), Gigex (www.gigex.com), and Tucows Games (games.tucows.com).

When you're ready to start playing again, all you have to do is load the previously saved game. This is typically accomplished as the game is loading, or via some type of "resume" or "file" menu. After the game is reloaded, you can resume play exactly where you stopped the day before.