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Having fun with Windows Vista!

Still remember the first time you got your computer? You were probably looking forward to playing games on it!

Despite the ubiquity of game consoles, the fact still remains that Windows is the most popular gaming platform in the world, thanks to unrivalled hardware support and great performance. Save trips to the gaming arcade and back - with Windows Vista, your computer is now capable of providing you with hours and hours of gaming entertainment.

The Windows Vista Games Explorer

Find fun fast with Games Explorer

It used to be the case all the time - games installing themselves all over the place, and you couldn't find them unless you dug deeper into your hard drive, which dampens all the excitement. With Games Explorer (new with Windows Vista), all supported games are now listed on a single, convenient interface. Besides enabling easier access to games, Games Explorer links you up to game-specific interactive content, such as player communities.

More realism with DirectX 10

DirectX 10 is the next-generation platform for PC gaming, and it comes only with Windows Vista. The latest graphic accelerators (such as the flagship NVIDIA and ATI offerings) take advantage of DirectX 10 to bring gamers the realism they have craved for since PC gaming became mainstream. Our testers have been lying deep in the trenches trying out the latest DirectX 10-enabled games, and boy are they impressed!

We rocked our test labs with Bioshock, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, World In Conflict, Gears Of War and Crysis®. Click on each game box below to read what our testers had to say!

Five boxes filled with DirectX 10 goodness

Everyone can play

If you have no idea what the last few paragraphs were about, don't fret, for Windows Vista has something for everyone. The good old favourites like "Minesweeper" and "Solitaire" are still around, now enhanced with special visual effects! Premium versions of Windows Vista get more fun, with the inclusion of "Mahjong Titans" and "Chess Titans". Users of Windows Vista Ultimate stand to go wild with Hold 'Em, a poker game included only with Windows Ultimate Extras.

More fun with Windows Vista (click to enlarge)

Keep fun in check

If you are concerned with your children's gaming experience, Windows Vista provides Parental Controls, which help parents set appropriate boundaries. To start using Parental Controls, simply create a new user account (or allocate an existing one) for your children, and adjust the options to your preference. Games can be blocked totally or "toned down", depending on certain settings which you can set. You can set specific days of the week and times you want to allow your children to use the computer. Web sites can be filtered as well, thus reducing your children's exposure to potentially unsafe content on the Internet. With Parental Controls, you can ensure a safe and appropriate gaming experience for your children.

Parental Controls in Windows Vista (click to enlarge)