Gifts for Gamers Page 2 of 2

Nine Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Game-Loving Mac Users

For Strategy Gamers: Railroad Tycoon 3

One of the best games in that genre out this season is Railroad Tycoon 3 ( MacSoft ), which makes you an entrepreneur with a dream of creating a railroad empire.

Railroad Tycoon 3 sports myriad historical and fanciful scenarios for you to explore as you build your tracks, create stations, buy other businesses that will expand as your railroad does, and play the stock market. All the while you have to compete against other railroad tycoons, managing mergers and acquisitions until you’re at the top of the heap.

If you’re familiar with past Railroad Tycoon games, you’ll love the new 3-D graphics, improvements to track-laying, more sophisticated economic model and other improvements you’ll find in this all-new game. Rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB, Railroad Tycoon will set you back about $50.

For Wannabe Pilots: X-Plane 8

Flight simulators are few and far between on the Macintosh, but the $50 X-Plane ( Laminar Research ) would stand alone by any measure. The game has some of the most realistic graphics and physics we’ve ever seen in a flight sim on any platform. The depth and breadth of X-Plane’s customizability, from the number of planes that are modeled to the amount of scenery that’s been replicated, is positively breathtaking - and what’s more, the simulation software includes modeling tools, in case you want to take a crack at designing your own aircraft too. But all this sophistication does come at a price: X-Plane has a very steep learning curve and a quirky user interface that takes some time to get used to.

X-Plane is in a constant state of refinement and development—its developer is one of the more prolific out there, constantly adding new features and capabilities, fixing bugs and tweaking what’s there. So if you get X-Plane for someone this year, make sure to tell them to stop by the X-Plane Web site to download the very latest version to get the most out of it.

For First-Person Shooter Gamers Looking for Something Extra: Nostromo N52 SpeedPad

Thinking about picking up a game controller for someone on your list this year? First-person shooter enthusiasts will be the first to tell you that there’s no substitute for a keyboard and mouse—up to now, anyway.

The USB-based Nostromo N52 Speedpad ( Belkin ) takes what’s great about keyboard control and melds it with enough embellishments for gamers to really provide a useful controller for FPS fans. It’s a dedicated keypad with 14 easy-to-reach keys that can be programmed for movement, firing, and other features in your favorite games, using an OS X-compatible software configuration application that’s included with the device. A directional pad, scrollwheel, fire and function button round out the ergonomically-designed controller’s capabilities.

The only downside to the N52 is that it’s designed specifically to be used with your left hand - so if you’re buying gifts for a leftie who’s more likely to wield the mouse with his or her left hand, you might want to keep looking. The N52 SpeedPad lists for $50.

For Gamers Looking to Untether: MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse

It’s Mac gaming’s dirty little secret: a one-button mouse like Apple’s may be great for a lot of things, but gaming isn’t one of them. If your Mac gamer is still using an Apple mouse, help them out with something with more flexibility. Just about every Mac game out there, especially the games that have been ported from the PC, automatically support second or third mouse buttons, scrollwheels and other capabilities.

One of the hottest items on Mac gamers’ gift lists this year is the MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse ( Logitech ), one of the highest-precision cordless mice out there. It uses Radio Frequency (RF) to communicate with a base station that’s connected to your Mac, which doesn’t make it ideal for road warriors who want to play games on their laptops while traveling, but it’s perfect for desktop Mac gamers. It features rechargeable batteries, a built-in gauge showing you how much charge your batteries have left, thumb-button controls and other fancy bells and whistles. Expect to pay no more than $80.

For Road Warriors: Wireless Bluetooth Mini Mouse

PowerBook and iBook gamers who have opted to buy a system with an internal Bluetooth module would still benefit from a multi-button mouse. One of the better ones out there right now is the Bluetooth Mini Mouse ( Iogear ), which features two buttons and a scrollwheel. Unlike Logitech’s Laser Cordless Mouse, it uses the laptop’s built-in Bluetooth module to connect, so there’s no external base station to keep track of.

A sleek design and small dimensions make this mouse super-portable for gamers who are always on the go, and a power switch makes sure the batteries don’t get drained when the mouse is not in use. Speaking of draining the batteries, Iogear figured out a nifty solution to this problem: the mouse also sports a mini-USB jack on its top. Tether it to the Mac with a USB cable, and the Mac will top off the mouse’s batteries when they get low.