Buying a computer game as a surprise for someone else is a snap: Find something with top reviews, plunk down $50 and you’re set.

Granted, “find something good and give it” works in theory but, when it comes to buying for tabletop gamers, there’s a hidden risk: You might have to actually play the game.

This year’s lineup focuses on stuff that you can be comfortable giving, and you stand a real chance of having fun even if you normally want nothing to do with funny dice games:

Know someone who thinks gaming only counts if it’s around the table, with friends? Now things get trickier if you’re actually trying to buy a surprise gift he’ll or she’ll like. Tabletop gamers are a bit finickier than your usual gamer and it’s all too easy to get something that might be a surprise but also not something the gamer particularly likes. To avoid such an act of despair, here’s a quick guide of sure-fire gifts to satisfy all but the most finicky of tabletop gamers:

This may be the best DS deal all week. Amazon and Walmart online is selling The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for a mere $18. The price at other retailers is still listed as $34.99. Do you really need a better excuse to buy this game?

We all have aunts and uncles who just don’t quite get it. They never stick to your wish list, and they never check Gamertell for sound advice. And so, you end up with “Scene It: Twilight” because “…that’s popular with you kids now, right?” Well, let’s turn lemon into lemonades, as your aunt and uncle would say, and put those exchanges (or gift cards) to good use on great Wii games you may have missed this year.

The holidays are fast approaching. No matter what you celebrate, whether its Christmas, Hannukah, Festivus or some other winter holiday, there’s a good chance you may be considering purchasing a video game gift for someone on your list. Or, perhaps you’re putting together a wishlist to give to other people, and you’re not sure what you should include on it yet.

Gamertell wants to make shopping for PSP owners easier, so it’s time to present the 2009 PSP game gift guide. There are 15 of the best PSP releases of 2009 listed below, separated by ESRB rating, to look through. There’s also a link to the Gamertell review of each game, if one of our writers has played it. You may just find a game that could make a great gift.

To make things easier on prospective buyers, Gamertell’s gift guide only includes PSP games you can purchase UMDs of. Most are also available on the PlayStation Store…

2D Boy is taking a different approach to celebrating World of Goo’s first birthday. Instead of receiving tons of presents, 2D Boy decided to give us World of Goo for a discount of our choosing.

This means we can pay whatever we want for World of Goo. We can theoretically pay anything from $0.01 to $1 trillion for this game. This deal will continue until October 19, 2009.

While dashing through my nearest Target store, I passed a rack stacked with tins in the underwear, er, pajamas section.

The tins, priced at $9.99 each, include a set of colorful men’s boxers that reflect the packaging: a Wii (as in the console), a red Guitar Hero guitar, black Guitar Hero speaker, an Xbox 360 controller, Super Mario Bros. 3 with Mario, the Superman logo and the Batman logo.

I did find a few listed on the Kohl’s and Sears web sites…