If you grew up in the mid to late 80s, like I did, then you have probably experienced the pleasure of playing classic MS-DOS games like Classic Concentration, Wheel of Fortune, and Bowling. As time has moved on, many of these games have become relics as operating systems, like Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X, become more advanced. Thanks to emulation technology, however, I can relive my childhood and play these classic games on my Windows 7-based laptop computer. And today, I’m going to show you how to play classic MS-DOS games on your Windows or Mac computer (this also works on Linux, too!).

Step One: Download DOSBox for Your Operating System. This emulation software recreates the look and feel of the classic MS-DOS operating system, but runs on Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, and numerous distributions of the Linux operating system. It is currently free to download at www.dosbox.com and is 100% legal.

Step Two:  Find Games That You Loved (or Still Love). There are numerous Web sites available that have classic MS-DOS games available for free and paid download. Just a few of them are:

• The DOS Games Archive:  http://www.dosgamesarchive.com
• Classic DOS Games: http://www.classicdosgames.com/online.php
• Classic PC Games – Abandonware & Classic Games:  http://www.classic-pc-games.com
• Over 500 DOS Games:  http://www.dosgames.com

On these sites, you can find a wide variety of the classic MS-DOS you grew to know and love. Among these titles, you will find Crazy Cars 3, Lemmings, The Incredible Machine, The Price is Right, Family Feud, Classic Concentration, and a multitude of others. Personally, I recommend any of the games based off of television series. All the fun you can have without commercial interruption (not only that, but they support multiplayer, too)!

Step Three:  Download the Games to Your Hard Drive. Most of these games are available in the ZIP format, which is compatible with both WinZip and WinRAR software. Upon extracting these archives, however, make sure that you unzip each archive to the same directory. This will make step four much easier.

Step Four:  Run DOSBox and Mount Your Directory. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Let’s say that you download the archives to C:\Downloads. All you have to do is run DOSBox and, when prompted, type mount c c:\Downloads. All you have to do is browse to the directory that houses your game, run the appropriate file, and have fun playing!

What were some of your favorite DOS games growing up? Please leave your thoughts and insights in the comments below!

If there is one constant in the universe, it’s that old-fashioned board games have always had a place in the American household. These games, whether they are classics like Monopoly or modern games like Deal Or No Deal, have managed to entertain players of all ages, despite their simplistic game play (in comparison to video games created for the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3) and minimalist story lines. Not to mention that board games have consistently managed to bring both friends and families closer together in ways that no other medium has even dared to duplicate.

From the time I was first able to read, I have enjoyed playing board games. As a matter of fact, some of my happiest childhood memories involve sitting around the living room at my grandmother’s house with copies of classic games like Monopoly, Clue, Battleship, and Sorry lying around. Of all the board games that have been released over the past 27 years (yes, I’m revealing my true age – so sue me), my favorite has been, and always will be, Scrabble from Milton Bradley.

Scrabble was my favorite simply because of the way it challenged me on the intellectual level. I was constantly having to learn new or longer words (which came in handy when I competed in spelling bees during grade school) which, despite my being at an early stage of development, expanded my vocabulary. Not only that, but it also gave me a sense of pride (and a load of laughs) to correct my family members whenever they used illegal word of misspelled everyday words. The only thing I didn’t like about the game: my stepfather always won.

So, what is your favorite board game and what did you like about it? Do you still play it to this very day. Leave your thoughts and insights in the comments below!

I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I do love my Nintendo Wii gaming console. With each movement of the Wii remote, I feel as though I am part of the game. And, with the recent price drop implemented by Nintendo, I think many more will come to love this gaming console, as well.

Oh, you didn’t know about the recent price drop? Seems the console has not been performing as well this year as it has in past years, and Nintendo will be dropping the price in an effort to revitalize interest, much like Microsoft did with the Xbox 360 and Sony did at the recent launch of the PS3 Slim.

In addition to dropping the price of their Wii gaming console, Nintendo has also revitalized interested in the console by licensing a large number of their properties, including the Mii avatar system found exclusively on the console.

One that managed to catch my eye while browsing online are the wedding cake toppers, available at CustomBobble.com. These adorable, and almost life-like, renditions of your digital creations can be yours for the relatively high price of $200 (anyone else find it ironic that having a Mii on your wedding cake costs almost as much as a Wii itself?). Of course, you can also pay more and add some extra features, like a voice recorder, the ability to change the clothing color (currently available in black and white only), and making an identical matching set for collection purposes.

Even though the cost is very steep, I would highly recommend this product to anyone who wishes to celebrate both their wedding and their fanboy status on their special day.

So, my question to you is this:  could wedding cake toppers and price cuts place the Nintendo Wii back in its place as “king of the gaming consoles”? Leave your thoughts and insights (as well as links to other unusual Nintendo licensed products) in the comments below!

Just a few short hours ago, I received a notification email from Microsoft that I had been selected as one of the few people to host an official Windows 7 launch party in my hometown. Not only does this mean that I’m going to be having a grand time when Windows 7 launches, but I’ll be getting a boatload of free swag to go along with it, including:

• One Limited Signature Edition Windows 7 Ultimate
• One Deck of Windows 7 Playing Cards
• One Windows 7 Poster
• One Windows 7 Puzzle
• Ten Tote Bags
• One Tabletop Centerpiece
• Windows 7 Napkins

The only question I have left is this:  what kind of party should I throw? Should I make it a live, in-person party, or should I host a live video party where you, the community, can be involved? Keep in mind that, if I were to choose the latter, nine of the tote bags and, quite possibly, the centerpiece would be given away as “door prizes.”

So, what do you think? People or live video? Leave your thoughts and insights in the comments below!