Hamburg  - The principle of "higher, faster, further" seems to have been taken very much to heart by computer game developers. They strive valiantly in a never-ending quest for titles with better graphics, "never before seen" game play and everything else ratcheted up a notch over the last generation - at least in theory.

The reality is that many home PCs groan under the strains placed on them by resource-hogging games. And the much ballyhooed, new content often turns out to be much ado about nothing. Even the technology doesn't always work as planned for many new games. Yet there are alternatives: Many of the games currently touted as the hot thing will soon be discounted in just a few months - and have some of the glitches ironed out as well.

PC gamers with a taste for only the latest games are probably used to being a bit light in their wallets. That's because new titles usually cost around 50 dollars during the first few weeks after they're released, and they often require an investment in current hardware as well. In many cases, the gaming fun is relatively brief, with the entire game "played through" in just a few hours. The only option then is another investment of 50 dollars to install more current titles.

The alternative is patience. Those willing to wait a bit can save both time and nerves. Most newly-published games still have some rough edges in the form of programming errors, known as bugs. These require small programs to fix them, known as patches. Those who buy during the first days are forced to install patch after patch to get the game working right, but latecomers can usually simply install all of the previous patches in one rolled-up package.

Wait long enough and there's no need to patch at all because a few months after first appearing, many formerly hot games drop in price to 10 or 20 dollars, with all the fixes already on the DVD.

There are lots of titles to choose from in that price range, from recent hits to modern classics. Many gamers are currently waiting for the continuation of the Anno colonization series from Ubisoft, for example. Yet while the developers are currently tinkering away on Anno
1404, its well-respected predecessors Anno 1503 and Anno 1701 are both available for cheap.

In some cases they are even offered in bundled, special edition packages, containing not only patches but also game expansion packets that were originally sold separately.

Role playing game fans can also find lots of interesting titles from the recent past. The recent title Gothic 3 was considered by many a let-down in terms of gaming quality and bugginess. Yet its forebears Gothic and Gothic 2 are currently being offered for pocket change. While the earlier versions are noticeably less cutting edge in terms of graphics, they do run well even on average computers.

Graphics aren't everything, after all, as attested by the success of game maker Blizzard. The company is more than just World of Warcraft. Fans with a longer memory still speak fondly of classics like Starcraft or Diablo 2. Both titles are currently slated to receive sequels. Yet many retailers often carry the original titles, guaranteed to provide tremendous enjoyment for anyone who hasn't yet played them.

The same could be said for the upcoming title Mafia 2. Its predecessor Mafia set new benchmarks for atmosphere and staging of an action game, putting players in a US city back in the 1930s. When it first appeared in 2002, Mafia required a powerful computer. As with Gothic, however, almost any computer can easily handle its needs nowadays.

Those whose computers are considered peppy by today's standards will really be able to put the high-end games of the past through their paces now. The action game Bioshock, for example, lured players into an underwater, Art Deco-inspired world. The fascinating visuals only serve to highlight an unusual and effective story - and are now available for just 10 dollars.

The list of potential alternatives to expensive new games seems endless. Those waiting for the latest Empire: Total War can revisit still fresh older titles like Rome or Medieval 2. The same holds true for the legendary Lara Croft games and the many others as well. In other words, it's not always all about "higher, faster, further." (dpa)