I can not help you with games, but I can suggest reading a great book about Knoppix. O'Reilly publishing has a series of books called "HACKS". I've purchased 3 from the "HACKS" series "Network Security", "Windows XP" and "Knoppix". I've read the "Knoppix Hacks" and "Windows XP Hacks" both twice. I keep them close for reference purposes. They cost between $25 and $30 at Borders. "Knoppix Hacks" includes a copy of Knoppix v3.4.

It does not provide much information on how to configure your system for games, but it is loaded with over 100 Hacks you can perform using the Knoppix Live CD. I have tried to read the "Dummy" books, but have never gotten much from them. The Hack series from O'Reilly is different. Some of the Knoppix Hacks I found helpful are, "Fix your Windows Boot Sector", "Resize Windows Partitions", "Scan for Viruses", and "Reset Lost NT Passwords". I could continue but you get the idea. This is a very powerful tool. There is a section for configuring X settings.

You may want to research the WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator) application on Knoppix. You may find some helpful emulators at: http://www.linuxlinks.com/Software/Emulators/Microsoft/

XWINE
WINE TOOLS
VMWare

I have tried to use WINE, but have not been sucessful at getting it to work.

I take issue with your complaint for Windows XP. The problem you have is not with the OS, but with the fact that your disk is scratched. If you scratch your Knoppix CD, it too will not work. Will you bad mouth Knoppix also?

Personnally, I like knoppix. But, Knoppix is not for the faint of heart. I provide support to businesses and home users, and the people calling upon my services are not ready for Linux. I am not a novice when it comes to PCs, but this OS reminds me of my MS-DOS and Atari DOS days.

It's challenging and rewarding when I figure out how to create a complete image of my system volumn and how to restore a Windows' sysvol using Knoppix. Now if I could figure out how to make Linux write to an NTFS volumn reliablly.

Good luck with your challenge, and let us know how your LAN party works out.