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of their misery while playing Baldur's Gate. In time, he took pity on me and let me play on his souped-up computer. I chose to play a variation on an old friend: Final Fantasy VII. There had been six more versions! On Fridays, when William would be out until morning at the local club night he promoted, I would log on, and play until my eyes closed on their own. I felt young again, and, somehow, with it. Finally, I got my own computer, and discovered role-playing games and strategy games are my favorites.

But, as much as I enjoy playing, most of my life is not lived virtually. I have a job that kept me working 12 hours a day, and I feel guilty when I'm not working at my computer. Playing PC games just isn't an option. I also want to play some games that aren't available on PC. Sony Play Station seemed to be the best way to go, but surely it would just be another drain on my valuable time. How could I find a way to escape into my youthful pursuit, but be responsible enough to use my time wisely?

Then it hit me: why not get a portable game system? I could play it on the subway to and from work, when I couldn't do real work. I could even catch up on games that I enjoyed as a kid but never finished. Doing some research, I realized that Final Fantasy I & II and Road Rash, among others, had been revamped and were available for the Sony PSP. And the price tag was right: the system, accessories and a couple games would just about run me $500. I gave it a lot of thought, asking myself if it was really the right thing to do. It just felt right. I was going to do it.

Actually buying the system was an amusing experience. I walked into the video games department at my local Best Buy and found an employee. "Excuse me," I said, "where do you stock your Sony PSP systems?"

The employee, a young man who looked about nineteen or twenty, was immediately attentive. "Right over here, ma'am. Who are you buying this for?"

"For me."

He didn't respond so I turned from the racks of games and saw the look of surprise registered on his face. I guess that a 30-something woman buying a game system for herself was not a normal occurrence for this helpful employee. He recovered admirably, though, ushering me around the section and then leaving me alone to select the first games I would play.

So much to choose from! I have since discovered that specialty stores like Game Stop have more titles to choose from, especially the retro titles that I'm interested in, but I chose a couple games in franchises

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