Dear Future Gamer

I'm not sure if it's possible for me to get a letter through with all the flaming I've caused, but if we could please put that behind us, I'd like to say that I must disagree with Michael Rosser in FG38, saying that independent retailers can go to Hell. He says that he prefers buying from large stores, which I seriously cannot understand. I know Future Gamer is mostly about games, but for PC gamers, there's also a thing called hardware (and for console games, the console itself, plus joysticks, memory cards, etc), and you're seriously getting cheated if you buy that in big chain stores.

Branded hardware is the same no matter where you buy it, and I recently bought an IBM hard drive from a small, obscure, 'one of those that pop-up everywhere only to shut down in six months' sort of stores, and I saved at least £40 from what it would have cost normally. Games are often a bit cheaper too, and you never see spontaneous price drops in large stores. Sure, it's something else when you buy used stuff, but hey, if you don't want your games used, don't buy them.

Alexander Møller

FG: Like everything, shopping around can be advantageous and independent retailers are certainly good places to look for hardware bargains. They're also more likely to have knowledgeable staff who can give decent, relevant advice. Support your local independent retailer, that's what we say.