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.

It honestly doesn't seem that long ago when I was hooked on Red Alert. I'm not a massive fan of computer games, but Red Alert was one the few games that got me interested. You could play as the Allies or the Soviets and built up an arsenal of weaponry to take on and eventually take over the opposition. You could play against one or more computer-based opposition and, quite frankly, playing as the Soviets was way more fun. Build a few Tesla Coils, a few tank and rocket launchers and you were guaranteed success.

EA's Command & Conquer Red Alert is now available as a free download. Even better, it's updated to work on both XP and Vista. With Red Alert 3 around the corner, give this old classic version a go. Ok, the graphics are very out-of-date, but it's still fun.

Command & Conquer Red Alert 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.

BMW M3 Challenge is a free game that will enable you to race the latest BMW M3 on the Nurburgring racing track. Compete against other computer-based cars or why not take the challenge and race against other computer users and become the fastest driver around the track. You'll be given various challenges that you need to complete in order to progress. To do this, you'll need to register at the BMW M3 Challenge website.

Modern gamers love to argue that their games are better than those released in the 80s or early 90s, although those games relied on gameplay rather than graphics to sell the concept to the gamer. However, there's still the option to go back and play these old games if you miss some of your old favourites. MAME 0.118 (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a game console emulator.

By using old arcade games data files MAME 0.118 will reproduce all those classic games from the various web archives. MAME can currently emulate around 4600 unique and classic games spanning over three decades. From the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and up to the modern day.

MAME 0.118 is a refreshing alternative to gaming which offers a vast array of easy to play, simple yet highly addictive classic games.

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.

WinLems is an updated version of the old game. Same graphics, sound and other factors, but updated so it runs in a self-contained window. It also ships with a basic level-editor so once you've completed the game, you can design your own levels, perhaps to test your friends.

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.

MAME 0.113 is an arcade emulator that enables you to play these old arcade games on your PC. MAME is a framework. On top of this framework you can find and use a software-based ROM from an old console or computer that will enable you to emulate the console. Sadly these ROMs aren't freely available, so don't ship with MAME. Once you've got your ROM, you can start obtaining old games and can turn your PC in to any old console.

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.

MAME 0.111 is the multiple arcade machine emulator that will enable you to emulate a number of old arcade machines or old computers. The only catch is that you need the ROM from the old machine, but they are separately available if you know where to look. Once you've found the ROM for the old arcade game, you can freely download old games and play them on your PC.

If you want to play games from the 80s and 90s, download MAME 0.111.

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.

Now, over 14 years later and we've found a much more modern and up-to-date version of the old SuperCars: Mini Racing Online. It uses the old top-down approach and enables you to race against other online drivers. As it doesn't require much bandwidth, you only need a basic Internet connection to play online.

It's an addictive game and also enables you to get involved and create your own tracks, then challenge other drivers to race against you, on your track. Download Mini Racing Online and see for yourself.

Console Classix is a downloadable client which allows you to access an online emulator. The client features a staggering collection of retro titles including almost all of the games on the past Nintendo and Sega platforms.

Upon downloading the client, you get every single NES game they have to offer absolutely free. For other platforms, there’s a $5 per month subscription fee.

Considering the sheer number of titles you will get for this price, the fee seems very reasonable, but for those of you who can't pay Console Classix offers another, more innovative way to pay. Send them enough old cartridges and they'll give you free access to their system.

So, is it legal to emulate published games? It's a good question - after all Napster had to pay a $26m settlement to copyright owners for publishing unauthorized music. Console Classix reckons that is – you can find out more here if you’re not sure.

More info and download here.