Berlin - Most video games are so labyrinthine that, to the casual player, the games provide seemingly infinite room to explore. But truly dedicated gamers eventually reach a game's limits. While that once meant moving onto the next game, for many games that's no longer necessary.

"Create your own game" is the latest motto among game designers as brand-new games like Little Big Planet and other current titles are turning video gamers themselves into video game developers.

Christoph Adrian has been a gamer from the industry's infancy. In the 1980s, he was putting the joystick through its paces on the Commodore C64 - and even then, just playing wasn't enough.

Washington - Which version of Vista is right for your computer? Download and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
(http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/get/upgrade-advisor.a spx). This utility will help you determine which version of Vista best suits your needs, and it will tell you whether your existing computer is up to the task of running the version of Vista you desire. The Advisor works with Windows XP and Vista systems.

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Munich - The term gaming may sound like fun, but there's more work involved than you would imagine. The most important thing is finding the right computer to meet your gaming requirements.

All computers do not have the same functions and some simply will not cut it for serious gamers. More advanced games require constant hardware upgrades. Shoppers should ask fundamental questions about their hardware. Does the game require a computer that can render virtual worlds and breathtaking graphics? Or will an ordinary PC fit the bill?

"Most people don't need the most up-to-date computer with cutting edge processors and graphics cards," says Michael Wolf of Berlin's Stiftung Warentest, a consumer reports organization.

Actress Mackenzie Phillips who was arrested at LAX in August has pleaded guilty for possession of cocaine and heroin . She has been placed under drug diversion program since her arrest.  

Phillips is the daughter of John Phillips, who was a member of a pop group the Mamas and the Papas. Mackenzie has a long history of drug abuse. This also led to her Expulsion from "One Day at a Time" in 1982.

Los Angeles - Barack Obama has promised to increase taxes if he becomes president of the United States. But the really rich want change and many of them have said they are voting for the senator from Illinois.

Despite the tradition that says the country's wealthy tend to favour the Republican Party, there has been an unexpected swing ahead of Tuesday's election that favours the black Democratic candidate.

For starters, the country's two richest men, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, have already said they will vote for Obama. According to Forbes magazine, Gates - worth an estimated 55.5 billion dollars - contributed 2,300 dollars to the Democrat's campaign in the primaries.

Berlin - When Germans debate how to avoid a devastating financial crash, they are haunted as few other nations can be by memories of most of their money practically vanishing during the 20th century.

The people of Europe's biggest economy are "risk averse" as a result, according to Manfred Schmidt, a political science professor at the University of Heidelberg who has written extensively on German anxiety.

In 1923, the Great Inflation wiped out Germans' money for the first time. In 1948, most savings vanished at the stroke of a pen when the old currency was demonetized. In
1990, it was the turn of East Germans to lose half the value of larger savings.