I've been playing computer games off and on since I was 10, and am among the first generation to grow up alongside the genre. As a result, gaming is a regular entertainment for me (and not a particularly guilty one, either).

If the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term "video game" is Pac-Man, munching his pixellated way around a neon maze, you've got a little catching up to do. As the gaming genre has developed and matured over the past thirty years, so too have the games.

Here, for example, are a few of my current favorites -- each of which defies the idea that computer games are mindless diversions.

Three quick points. First, these titles are not appropriate for children. Most gamers now fall between the ages of 25 and 35, and these recommendations reflect that.

Second, I much prefer computer gaming over the various consoles. Computers are generally more powerful, have mouse and keyboard control (better for everything but sports and platforming games), and have a more mature catalog. If you want to spend an hour playing Madden football on the couch with your friends, the Xbox 360 will do nicely. If you want to relive the fall of Constantinople, you're going to need a computer.

Third, because of the graphics-intensive nature of these games, you'll need a little muscle in your computer to run them. That five-year old Dell probably won't hack it. It's always wise to check the system requirements on the side of the box before you purchase a game; you don't want to pay for something you can't run.

With that, the recommendations. I strongly suggest you watch the trailers (press "HQ" for the high quality versions). They'll give you a good sense of each particular title, and will also provide an eyeopening look at how far gaming has come from the days of Space Invaders.

Crysis

The year is 2020, and an archaeological team on a remote island in the Philippines has been captured in a surprise military take-over by North Korea. You and your special forces unit are sent in to rescue them, and to secure their dig site. Unfortunately, whatever they were excavating turns out to be more frightening than the North Koreans.

Crysis is a first-person shooter -- an action game that plays from the immersive first-person perspective. You have a lot of freedom in the game: Crysis drops you in the middle of an enormous island, gives you tasks to perform, and then lets you approach each problem the way you'd like. Helping you in that effort is your nano-suit -- a piece of high-tech body armor that also enhances your performance in various ways. If you want blurring speed -- you can set if for that. Feel like throw things around, like the Hulk? You can set it for that. Would you prefer to increase your body's defenses, to make yourself near-bulletproof? You can do that too. And if you'd rather sneak around the shadows and carry out your missions with stealth, you can set it for that, as well.

The strategic possibilities are endless. When you combine that with Crysis' engaging sci-fi/horror plot, the result is an excellent game.

Mass Effect

If you've been hankering for a good science fiction epic, and the Star Wars prequels didn't do it for you, there's always role-playing masterpiece Mass Effect. The game is set 200 years in the future, and upstart humanity has taken its spot alongside the other life forms in the galaxy. The story is long and complex -- a bonafide space opera -- so I won't try to summarize it. But suffice to say, the designers have created a world full of fascinating races, cultures, geographical and physical features, and plenty of political intrigue.

You play as Commander Shepherd, a veteran officer in Earth's military; you have the freedom to choose your character's gender, appearance, backstory, and attitude, and the game will play out dynamically around your choices, creating a deeply cinematic experience. If you want to be a Luke Skywalker-esque paragon of virtue, you can do that. Of course, you might also choose to play it a different way -- say, as a tough and violent Sigourney Weaver-type anti-hero. The game, dialogue, and plot will shape itself around that as well.

However you approach the game, Mass Effect is a beautifully imagined and executed space epic... and the sequel will be coming out in the fall (part of an eventual trilogy).

Medieval 2: Total War

While I enjoy Crysis and Mass Effect, my life's first love is history, so it's no wonder that I have a special fondness for this last title.

Are you a fan of sprawling historical battle scenes in film? Have you worn out your DVDs watching and rewatching the battles from Braveheart, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven? Well, you're in luck. Medieval 2: Total War combines grand strategy with huge and realistic battles to create a game of unparalleled replayability. Choose from dozens of nations or kingdoms -- try to improve the fate of the Holy Roman Empire... expand the conquests of the Ottomans (or hold them off as the Byzantine Empire)... continue the Crusades as the Kingdom of Jerusalem... or see if the Highland Scots can create their own European empire.

Most of the game plays out on a vast map of Europe and (when historically appropriate) the New World; imagine a greatly-enhanced mapboard of Risk. There you conduct trade, diplomacy, and espionage... spread your distinct religion... build cities and castles... and create and move your armies. This part of the game is turn-based, so you have plenty of time to consider your many options.

But once two armies meet, the game moves to the immense and historically-faithful battle fields. There, your two armies clash in amazing cinematic detail. Thousands of soldiers appear on screen at once, and the combat is suitably brutal (avoid this game if you winced through Braveheart's battle scenes). You have complete control over all your combat units, and can pause the game at any time to study the field, give orders, reconsider decisions, etc. The result combines the realism and depth of a table top wargame, with the cinematics of Gladiator.

Each kingdom has its own culture, religion, building styles and options, and combat units -- all realistic to the era. The result is a game that never gets old. When you finish playing as England, you might give Sicily a shot... or the Kingdom of Venice... or the Papal States... or the Mongols... or the Mayans. It goes on and on.

Medieval 2 is part of a much larger Total War series and the newest iteration, Empire: Total War, is actually the best of the bunch (it simulates the imperial tumult of the 18th century). But for a lot of Catholics, the Middle Ages is the place to be. And for that, you cannot beat Medieval 2: Total War.

I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's recommendations as well.