Taking Windows Game Advisor for a spin

Even though I've been with CNET for just a short while, I already have people pitching story ideas to me. While my brother was on his computer, he called me in and told me I had to do a story on what he was toying with. It turned out to be Windows Game Advisor, a Microsoft Web-based application that scans your hardware for free and lets you know whether your computer can handle the hottest games.

Video: Your very own video game oracle
Windows Game Advisor scans gamers' rigs. CNET's Neha Tiwari takes a look.

Now, I know it's been around for a bit, but it definitely is new to me. I enjoyed how it could help you avoid the stress of memorizing exactly what you have in terms of hardware. It also saves you some time and guesswork on your weekly EBGames trip (no more reading sides of video game boxes!). If you're a concerned parent, the site even shows you what the ESRB rating is for the game, which could be a great asset. As a gamer, I liked how they had descriptions of a large database of games as well as gamer responses and ratings.

However, as a religious Firefox user, I did not appreciate how the program runs strictly on Internet Explorer (though I am not surprised). Hopefully, there will be some user-beneficial changes with Windows Vista. For now, dust off that IE icon on your desktop, log on to Windows Game Advisor, and get scanning!