Playing games is fine and dandy, but what if you want to make one? Tucked into this month's disc is the latest version of the full Half-Life SDK for your modding and tweaking needs.

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock (not that there's anything wrong with that...), you'll know that Windows XP is on the stands. Check out the full review in the magazine, and once you've decided whether it's the right fit for you, make sure it's the right fit for your machine, with the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor. We've saved you the download time, and even made it portable--so you can test all of your non-networked machines.

The "changing of the guard" in the title refers to the disc-editor duties. Ed Champion has departed Maximum PC to pursue other interests, and he's handed over the reins. Got any suggestions for the disc? Hit the mail link on the bottom of any page and let me know.

Bill McClendon, Disc Editor