Gratis. Free. Such wonderful words. Both promise the immediate end of desire and the pleasure of imminent enrichment. Unfortunately, both are often misleading. Occasionally though, genuine bargains do exist. It's just a case of knowing where to find them. As Future Gamer do...
James Price

If Future Gamer were to tell you that by pointing your browser at a little-known site you could find independently-produced levels for the best action games, you could be forgiven for feeling sceptical. After all, there's always a hidden charge, right? And wouldn't these so-called 'levels' be little more than dire, unplayable efforts by clueless enthusiasts, or multiplayer maps useless outside of a LAN or Internet Deathmatch?

Wrong. For Half-Life devotees, the long wait for a sequel was briefly allayed by the release of the Valve's Uplink demo. A completely new level designed with newcomers and existing fans alike, it's twenty-or-so-minutes of pure, Freeman-flavoured joy. Amazingly enough, at the 3D Map Realm site, there are over forty other single-player Half-Life maps. Ranging from the sublime to the awful, all are accompanied with screenshots and a brief review. The list grows every day as more budding game designers contribute their wares.

Future Gamer's favourite is Freeman's Revenge, a large level set after Half-Life ends. The premise is that Gordon, spitting mad after the Black Mesa debacle, aspires to 'even' status by attacking another military installation. Naturally, there are odd things afoot in the new locale too. What exemplifies Freeman's Revenge is its excellent architecture and, believe it or not, the odd surprising visual addition. The F16 at the end, for example, is ace.