Well, our Holiday Guides were so effective and so popular, that we figured we should do some more of these things. Therefore, welcome to the first of our Extreme Non-Holiday Shopping Guides. Because, let's face it, you have to buy stuff for people all the year round. And just like coffee, we'll always be there for you.

So above and beyond simple Recommendations comes...The Extreme Shopping Guide. Go to, go to.

This page is also available as a PDF file and a Palm format PDB file.

Heed my warning. Do not be fooled. Sure, they look like quaint little games--but these are really subversive mindbenders--and are powerfully addictive. You see, there's a reason three of them were chosen to be among the five Mensa Select-honored games this year (Quadtria is the odd game out, but it's no slouch either). First up--none of this cardboard fold-out game boards crap. These are wooden boards with elegantly simply pieces. You take care of these games and they will last you for a long time. Second, reading the rules a few times over, you think--oh, this is going to be easy. Wrong. You will be forced to think. You will be forced to strategize. And you will be forced, in many cases, to try and screw your opponent over. Sounds like something just up our collective alley, yes? For example, in Cityscape, you're trying to use different sized blocks to build a city that looks like your secret plan dictates--which is all well and good until your opponent starts counter-building to foil you. And Chinese Checkers is to the game Octiles what Pixie Stix are to crack cocaine. Get your pieces to the other side of the board first--again, simple--until you realize that the board you have to cross is a different whacked-out maze every game. We love these things. Any puzzle or game lover on your list will devour them.

There are many blind people we can look up to, because even in the face of impairment, they are able to transcend and achieve amazing things--amazing things for anybody, forget the lack of sight. For example, John Milton, who was able to remember wholesale entire bits of his epic poetry as he built the things. Or Ray Charles, who not only can jam like there's no tomorrow, but can steal a scene from Aykroyd and Belushi without a second thought. Then there's Zatoichi, the blind swordsman who can, with the help of his cane/sword, lay a samurai smackdown on your arse of biblical proportions. Home Vision Entertainment has done you the favor of releasing Shintaro Katsu as Ichi in all of his metal-slinging, lethal glory. For those who need their sword fu enhanced, they will be most grateful for a few of these discs.

Huge scads of points go out to Fox for their recent line of Studio Classics. You get exactly what the line of the title suggests: classic films. And some of these, with the sweet restored transfer, would be worth it with just the feature alone--but a-ha! They've actually gone out of their way to give you just about the full extent of bonus features possible on films of this vintage. For example, All About Eve brings you not one but two audio commentaries. Same thing with Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Day the Earth Stood Still is especially potent, due to its commentary with the director, Robert Wise, but also due to the hilarious Movietone newsreel that accompanies the flick. And hey, there's even an exclusive disc you can snag for buying three Studio Classics: Sunrise, which in 1929 became the only flick to ever win a "Most Unique and Artistic Production" Academy Award. Huge applause to Fox, because they've filled the desires of the classic film lovers on your list.

Ah, the animated Justice League. Mattel brings you action figures in the animated style that you've come to recognize--and they're fairly true to the series. Each comes with a nifty stand for the figure--and there are variants as well. Check out the Superman in a black. Kingdom Come-esque outfit or Batman in a totally black outfit with a silver emblem. Whether you've got a fan of the comics or a fan of the show on your lift--or both, a few of these will be just what Doctor Destiny ordered.

Our latest batch of National Geographic has a bit of a theme, dealing with diplomacy and/or the military--since one can and normally does lead to the employment of the other. And these are some choice titles. If you dig submarine movies--instant tension, just add water and lots of steel--then you'll certainly be intrigued by the tale of four real-life submarine disasters. Among them is the Kursk, the basis for K-19. There's also the history of the Pentagon, an interesting look at American foreign policy and the people who serve on the front lines of that particular conflict, and a search for Lt. Kennedy's PT-109--led by Robert Ballard. So you know they're not screwing around. National Geographic is always quality stuff, and these titles are no exception.

CrossGen is well-loved here, and it's not just because their quality factor is high. They do extremely cool things. Take Comics on the Web for example. Take a big stick and try to beat this--you will fail. For $20 you get a year of access to...231 online comics with more going up all the time. Some of them come with audio performances while you read them. Six different languages are available on the site (on some books, mind you--though that number is growing), you can flip through the books in either high or low quality--or just look at the inked pages. You can even blow the word balloons away and just dig the art. You can zoom in pretty much wherever you like and get info on the titles as you go. For $20 a year, you get craploads of content. So if you have a comic fiend you want to buy for and don't have a lot of coin--look no farther.

Ah, one of the fondest memories of my misspent youth: getting up at six every weekday to watch another episode of this epic anime monstrosity. It left an indelible impression on my young mind--characters died and stayed dead, there was an interracial relationship on the show, there was real danger and conflict. Granted, viewing the show now, there's a great bit of cheese too, but nothing that can't be tolerated in order to get to the good stuff. And these Legacy Collection sets from ADV? These are the great stuff. Two discs in each set of shows, one disc of gobs of extras. You get the feature-length Robotech II (and you can witness for yourself why we're glad it never aired), the funniest toy commercials on the planet, and the Codename: Robotech "pilot" feature that introduced viewers to the world they were about to witness. The hardcore can buy all the Collections, but your normal fan will want these three, which comprise the first generation of the show.

Back again, it's another brand of nirvana from Java of Evolution. That's right--this time around we've got some coffee for your mind, baby. And believe me, if you've read all the way down to here in the Guide, you could use a good mug of this stuff right now. With gingko biloba and, yes, more siberian ginseng, it's the perfect thing to get your addled brain going before work--or better yet, after it. Mix this with their Go J.O.E. for a little blend that will knock your socks off.