Hamburg  - Fans of computer simulation games will be happy to see the genre making a renaissance this season, even as a flood of standard games pours into stores to keep more traditional gamers happy ahead of Christmas.

Three new simulators are heading to stores this November alone, letting gamers pretend to drive fire engines or tow trucks or, in the case of Wheels of Steel, a lorry.

Software maker Astragon is most closely associated with simulators, having previously related titles that let gamers pretend to drive buses or be a farmer. It might not sound exciting, but the games have a following.

Now Astragon is coming out with a new trio of games. Its new tow truck simulator promises "realistic movements of the vehicles, cranes and wind" when players go about their virtual town picking up cars. It will be available starting November 16 for 20 euros (29.50 dollars).

Meanwhile, Wheels of Steel - Extreme Trucker is the latest instalment in its series of lorry-driving simulators. Players are challenged to negotiate paths in Australia or Alaska, starting on November 18 for 30 euros.

Action aficionados will find the third new simulator more exciting. The firm's fire company simulator is designed to pull players into "the fight against the fire." Scenarios include a massive car pileup in a tunnel or a fire at an oil refinery. The game is set for release in mid-November for 20 euros.

But players with more traditional gaming tastes won't be forgotten this season. New games waiting for installation on hard drives include Dragon Age: Origins and Ghostbusters.

Dragon Age already holds promise, simply by virtue of coming from Bioware, which always promises a minimum level of quality thanks to past hits like Baldur's Gate. Origins is typical of the company's fare in that it relies on building teams of virtual heroes led by the player to fight countless hordes of monsters. Action is conducted in dark surroundings where a player's actions hold consequences for the progress of the story. It is set for release on November 5 at about 50 euros.

Ghostbusters has no history in gaming, but plenty at the movies. It's been 25 years since the first film hit theatres and the game picks up where the movies left off with the ghostbusters on the trail of - what else? - ghosts.

The ghostbusting team is made up of familiar faces from the movies. The player fills the role of a new guy on the team. Dan Aykroyd, who played one of the original film ghostbusters, participated in developing the game. Players will be able to see for themselves if the game lives up to the hype when it goes on sale November 5 for about 50 euros.

Other manufacturers are using the season to show what happens when they have no new ideas ? they release games like Serious Sam HD, the same game as before, just updated slightly.

If the name sounds familiar, that is because the slightly crazy, but cool, game Serious Sam was released in 2001 by CDV. This new version just has significantly better graphics, as evidenced by the HD in the title, meaning it's the same game, just 20 euros more expensive. (dpa)