BEST FOR: POWER

ALIENWARE AREA-51 M15X £2,054

www.alienware.co.uk

Gaming laptops are no lightweights: this Alienware, the most compact on test, weighs 7lb. The screen has a resolution of 1440x900 pixels and is relatively small at 15.4in but has vibrant colour and crisp detail. This machine is the most powerful, with a Core 2 Xtreme processor, 2GB of Ram, a 160GB hard drive and 8800M GTX graphics processor. The only problems? Slightly weedy sound and a big price.

Verdict: Good things can come in small packages.

BEST FOR: BIG-SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT

ACER ASPIRE 8930 £999

www.acer.co.uk

The Aspire is dominated by its huge 18.4in panel with the same 1080p resolution as a “full HD” TV screen, though you will have to turn Crysis’s detail levels down to medium before it becomes playable. It was the quietest laptop on test; add media playback controls, powerful speakers, a Blu-ray drive and a 320GB hard disk and you’ve got a great all-round entertainer.

Verdict: Underpowered but will still happily play most games — and it’s keenly priced.

BEST FOR: EXTRAS

ASUS G70S £1,559

uk.asus.com

The Asus looks every inch the hardcore player’s machine and has performance to match: the 17in screen is superb, the speakers are powerful, and it comes with a Razer gaming mouse. Under the hood is a Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of Ram, two 320GB hard disks and two GeForce 8700M graphics processors, making it speedy enough to outperform most competitors.

Verdict: A fine all-rounder, although some unnecessary flashing lights might not appeal to non-teenagers.

BEST FOR: SOUND

TOSHIBA QOSMIO X300-11S £1,189

www.toshiba.co.uk

Toshiba, best known for corporate laptops, has added a cherry-red finish and flame designs on the speaker grilles for its gaming versions. But the Qosmio is no speed demon: its CPU and GeForce graphics processor can handle the most demanding games only at reduced detail. Still, older titles run effortlessly on the 1440x900, 17in screen, and the audio is excellent.

Verdict: Hot-rod looks aren’t matched by performance.

BEST FOR: LOOKS

DELL XPS M1730 £1,859

www.dell.co.uk

This laptop is like Darth Vader — it’s shiny, black and oozes menace. The 17in screen has a 1920x1200 resolution, although it’s not in widescreen format. But despite the specs — Core 2 Duo processor and dual GeForce 8800M GTX graphics processors — it won’t run the toughest games on the highest detail settings.

Verdict: Looks scary, but its rival, the Alienware, is stronger in the Force.

Why play on a PC?

The PC is the hardcore gamer’s system of choice. Here are some of the reasons:

Multiplayer madness Although the PS3 and Xbox allow you to play some games online, the PC remains the only passport to massive virtual environments such as World of Warcraft. You also need a computer to get the most out of the internet components of more complex strategy games such as Spore or Civilization.

Gaming power The processors and graphics found in games consoles cannot be upgraded, but with PCs the sky is the limit. As a result, the PC is host to the world’s most graphically advanced computer game: the almost photo-realistic 3D action title Crysis.

True portability You can tote a PS3 in a carrier bag, but not the TV you’ll need to play a game on. All-in-one laptops like these not only pump pixels as quickly as most big-box PCs, but also offer true gaming-on-the-go. Bear in mind, though, that as laptops go, these are huge, with battery life of just a few hours.

Adaptability These are also, of course, high-powered computers, able to run any software you throw at them. You can’t edit a spreadsheet on an Xbox.

Fine control The controllers used with consoles are great for the likes of driving games, but for first-person shooters and strategy games the speed and precision of a mouse-and-keyboard combination are unbeatable.