Since I've been building the arcade machine (see the last 4-6 week's entries) I've been thinking about games that I used to play when I was younger. One of the things that really gets those brain cells moving are the sounds, the music. So I felt compelled to search the library catalog for the soundtrack to Tron, that 1982 classic from Disney. I put the transfer request in and I was very excited when I was notified that it was ready for pickup. However, instead of a CD, what the library handed to me was a 12-inch LP in a heavy media case. Turns out that the description just said "disc" - they left the compact part out. Even so, I think they need to come up with a better way of describing these things. Of course, what I really want is the Tron soundtrack on CD!

This weekend, most of America flocked to see the return of Jack Sparrow in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I'm guessing more than a few folks are out there wondering if they can take a little of that action home to play on their home PC. Well, the jury's still out on the officially licensed game, but one game that really brings all of that fun into a little silver disc is Sid Meier's Pirates! This is an updated version of Sid Meier's 1987 release (under the same title) and none of the gameplay that made the original so much fun has been interfered with at all. Raise a crew, pick a flag and start harassing other ships that sail the Caribbean. Bombard them with your cannon and fight ruffians with your sword (the sword fighting is a bit more hollywood than historical, but hey, it's a game). Search for treasure and win the heart of a pretty damsel. Yo ho!!