With my parents' computer beginning to fail (a 1996 era Pentium II 266 MHz with 32 MB of RAM (later upgraded to 128 MB)), I decided I would spring for a new computer for myself and give my parents my current computer since they only surf the Internet and send e-mail.  Now I'm enjoying the speed that comes from a Pentium IV 3.0 GHz CPU and 512 MB of RAM and with that speed comes a renewed look at PC gaming.  Figure that I've missed out on about five years of PC titles and you can see that I have some catching up to do.

Earlier this week I picked up Rollercoaster Tycoon 2: Triple Thrill Pack which contains the original Tycoon 2 and the two expansion packs.  I always liked the first game (it ran nicely on the old computer), and so far I'm enjoying the sequel.  Since I'm digging back through a few years of old titles, I've found a lot of what I want to pick up is on sale or clearance in preparation for new incoming games.  Next I plan to pick up the deluxe edition of SimCity 4, Psychonauts is on my radar although that is a newer title, and I know I'll snag Stargate: SG1 - The Alliance when it comes out. Electronic Arts has a number of interesting bundles (all four Need For Speed titles in a single discounted package looks promising), as does Sega's PC conversions of Sega Saturn titles.  Then, of course, there is Rollercoaster Tycoon 3.

Browsing the PC game shelves is like standing in line at a buffet: there's more to eat than I could ever have time for, but there are so many tasty things to try.  Keeping in mind that my interests skew towards single-player simulation titles and 3D adventure games, what's out there for the PC that I should try?  What's worth tracking down in the discount racks or on the New Release shelf?  Steer me in the right direction by commenting below.