Ok, so you are willing to spend some money on your love ones, that's nice.

Here are some of the best ideas for under $50

Fun, fun, Fun and a great gift idea, not to mention how inexpensive they are. There are plenty of designs to choose from and they even provide the card for you

AtmoSphere

Koogh is another title from Artishock, and following their line of products, Koogh delivers another multi-player strategic board game. Koogh allows you to compete with you at your own game. almost everything is changable, starting with the shape of the board, the number of pieces per each player and their respective initial positions. This game goeas beyond the Chinese Checkers, although it is based on the same principle and the movements of the pieces are the same. You can design your own board layout and play against the computer knowing that you are playing against a program that was created before the actual board. Challenge is written everywhere here, including challenge for your own computer.

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Hi-Quality full featured, amplified computer speakers make an ideal addition to your PC or MAC computer. These magnetically shielded speakers will give a rich stereo reproduction to all your multimedia applications, games and more...

Macwarehouse

Maybe not in the Christmas spirit but certenly very good to kill stress and everything else that moves. Blood Bath, the critically acclaimed shoot-out for the Mac is now available.

Check out their web page at: http://www.uwgames.com for all the details. Or download the demo (for PPC or 68k) to see what all the fuss is about.

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Tired of shooting everything that moves? well maybe it is time for an old-fashioned strategy game. The folks at Artishock have created a game that is as easy to learn as Checkers, as challenging to play as Chess, and about as addictive as Tetris and Solitaire.

Strategram's goal goes beyond winning. You must truly beat your opponent. Blocking, attacking, and end-game tactics are all imperative. Besides playing with a buddy, you have your choice of 4 levels of computer opponents.

Download the trial version

Aladdin FlashBack is a whole new way to protect your files. Discover the power-and the time savings-of unlimited undos. Keep multiple of versions of your important files without gobbling up megabytes of disk space. Restore any file you've protected just by double clicking. No confusing procedures, no complex operations. It doesn't get any faster or easier.

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The World's First Internet Interactive Board Game

CHECK POINT is a series of "gimmick" road rallies you can run in the comfort of your own living room. These events don't involve driving skill, but the power of your mind to solve a series of logical puzzles. The LIVING ROOM RALLIES are designed as fun activities that will introduce 1 to 4 players or teams to the mental challenge of heads-up "gimmick" road rallying. They require no high tech devices... ONLY YOUR BRAINS. They will prepare you, however, for the ultimate challenge of the CHECKPOINT Internet Interactive Cyber Rally where you can compete with the rest of the world for THOUSANDS OF PRIZES WORTH OVER $20 MILLION !

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If you think Marathon is a game, you are dead wrong. Marathon is a culture, a philosophy of life, a gathering. "A first version of Marathon leaked onto the internet ... Within days the newsgroups exploded with discussion on the Beta" reads the Marathon Scrapbook. The numbers of fans and followers that this entertainment adventure has created can only be compared to the Star Trek phenomenon.

Marathon is incredibly entertaining. There are many different levels to play including several network options where you can play against or team up with other people on your local area network, adding a high level of leisure. But leisure is not all you get out of this box. Marathon the Trilogy includes a programming interface to create your own levels and scenarios. If you are worried about the kids (or yourself) wasting time plaing games, try running FORGE the powerful map-making tool used by BUNGIE to create levels for Marathon. FORGE will not only challenge your imagination but also your creativity and design skills. Combnine this with ANVIL, the editor that lets you create and modify physics, shapes, and sound files from Marathon enviroments, and you or your kid could be the next arcade millionaire.

The Marathon Trilogy Box Set brings all three Marathon games together in one affordable package, with tons of extras thrown in. Besides Marathon, Marathon 2: Durandal, and Marathon Infinity, you'll also receive a staggering 1200 maps, featuring never-released Bungie maps, and the winners of the Infinity Mapmaking Contest, The Marathon Scrapbook (a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Marathon games), Marathon collectibles like the Marathon 3-sticker set, and to top it off, the award-winning game that laid the groundwork for Marathon: Bungie's breakthrough Pathways Into Darkness.

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Get 30% off the latest Mac Books from Ventana!!

Simply go to http://www.vmedia.com/u/photog/mac/ and follow the ordering instructions. You will receive 40% off when purchasing 3 books or more if you mention the Evangelist offer, also for Macdirectory users.

Virtual Pool is probably the best gift for a billiards afficionado. It has amazingly realistic graphics and 3D animations and actually feels like being at your local pool-hall, except for the smoke The sound effects are so realistic that no matter where you play, you'll get all the attention you need and more. This is a great game to have in your PowerBook and enjoy airport-waiting times.

MacPlay promises that you will improve your actual pool play or your money back. And on my own experience, they really put their money where their mouth is because the game delivers what it promises. I consider myself a poor pool player, but after using the software my friends couldn't beleive I seldom play. Buy Virtual Pool and you'll impress yourself, guaranteed -- and that starts with "G" which rhymes with "P" and that stands for "Pool".

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Automate your own home. Turn your old Mac into a fierce security system. Don't miss our past review and meet your new in-house maid.

Sand Hill

Myth: The Fallen Lords is the first real-time strategy game with a real 3D ENGINE! This brand new product will be shipping in November so pre-order yours now. This is the game PC GAMES rated #1 in their fall preview and Next Generation magazine said would define the way we play games in the future.ΚΚ

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ClarisWorks for Kids, the first complete cross-platform productivity software solution designed specifically for grades K-5. The all-in-one writing, painting, graphing, list-making educational software for children offers a unique "family" advantage for students and teachers through compatibility with ClarisWorks 4.0, one of the most popular K-12 software solutions of all time.

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