Test whether you system can run a game, before purchase
Only a few years ago you had to upgrade your PC every year to keep up with the latest version of Windows and the most popular games. These days you can use a system from a few years ago and it will be fine for most scenarios, apart from the very latest games. These games require the latest graphics card. However, before you go out and buy the game you want to run on your system, it might be a good idea to evaluate how your components stack up against the system requirements.
Can You Run It? is an online scanning tool where you can select the game you are intending to purchase and then run an analysis on your computer. The report will show where your system may be lacking and, where a potential problem is located, you can try and remedy the situation - this may be additional memory or an upgraded graphics card.
Can You Run It? link.



Most of us spend time watching programmes such as Top Gear, but almost none of us can afford the super cars that they feature on these shows. They're immensely popular though, so there are obviously many people who want to drive the latest Aston Martin, Audi A8 or BMW M3.
Who said old games aren't immensely playable? You don't need a high-end graphics card or fancy audio to make game play more effective. Sometimes the simple games are the most fun. One of those games was Lemmings, which was a game where you controlled a number of lemmings and had to direct them, safely, to the exit. On the way to the exit, there are various obstacles and the point of the game is to save a certain percentage of your lemmings.
Are you one of those retro gamers who thinks that games back in the 80s contained better gameplay, were more addictive and focused on the player rather than the graphics? If so, you'll remember some of the classic games that shipped for the Spectrum, Amiga and the consoles during the last two decades.
Some of the old computer games are the best, certainly in terms of gameplay. Due to the lack of any decent graphics card, developers concentrated on gameplay, rather than the look and feel of their computer games. Therefore the games were fantastic to play and rather simplistic. However, simplistic can be better if you want a distraction from your work.
Only a few years ago (or so it seems) I was one of those people wrapped up in the many superb Amiga games which all seemed so addictive - the gameplay was paramount. SuperCars was one of these games and we could spend hours racing against other drivers with this top-down approach to racing. It was far more addictive than the usual racing simulators.