GameDrive

Despite the huge size of today's hard disks, most computer games still require the original CD to be present in the computer's drive in order to play them. Although we support the piracy issues behind this, it can be inconvenient. What's more, if the game is accessing the CD for large amounts of data, the game can slow down.

GameDrive creates an 'image' of a game's CD, meaning the PC can access all the required information directly from the hard disk. You can store as many images as you want, assuming there is hard disk space available.

However, there are two main drawbacks with this software. Many modern games do not actually leave very much data on the CD, and only use the disc to check that you've got a legitimate copy of the game. So, for GameDrive to be any use, it needs to work with the copy protection.

For the most part GameDrive worked well, allowing us to pack up and store the original game CDs away in a cupboard. However, some games, such as X2, are not supported, so it would be wise to check before buying the software. Continual online 'live updates' are available to remedy this, though. Registration for live updates is free for a year and costs $15 (£9) per year thereafter.

Contact: Softwair Publishing Ltd 0870 527 5186
www.softwair.co.uk