I always said old PC games had much better gameplay than today's generic console-style entertainment. Now if you're really into old games, here's muy list (you can find some nice things on ebay):
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Jagged Alliance
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Gunship 2000. Nice if you can plug a joystick inside your laptop. Works with USB joystick IIRC.
- early Jane's like
US Navy Fighters '97 or
Fighters Anthology. Works well in Windows (even XP), and not realistic enough so you can play without a HOTAS setup (which is IMHO impossible with your laptop).
- if you can stand playing these without HOTAS try
Total Air War or
EF 2000 V2.0. They're VERY rare even in ebay though and no, I ain't gonna' sell mine
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Jetfighter III is quite a nice diversion and still looks nice without 3dfx. Beware, won't work in XP!!!
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Fragile Allegiance. It's a VERY fluid and simple RTS (not CnC/WarCraft clone RTS), and HIGHLY ENJOYABLE (once you play, you will never stop). The simplicity and fluidness of the game made it an *IDEAL* laptop game. The interface is still manageable using trackball.
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Hyperblade. A nice action game pretty good for laptop due to its simple keys assignment.
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Heroes Might & Magic series would also make great laptop games, and don't forget
Age of Wonders series and its true precursor: Microprose's
Master of Magic
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Star Rangers. Pretty "light" compared to TIE Fighter, but still entertaining, 'coz it;s a space sim with an element of strategy (should I keep my wingman with me, sending her/him to protect the transport over there, etc), not to mention you can refuel and re-arm in the middle of mission (quite rarity nowadays)
- Another "simple" flight/space sims for laptop is
Crimson Skies. If there's a thing I'd love from Micro$$oft then it definitely is.
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Fallout series would make a good laptop RPG because due to its turn-based nature, you don't need to plug your mouse in.
- Same goes with
Ultima 6 and
World of Ultima series (
Savage Empire,
Martian Dreams, etc), but they won't work in XP.
And just FYI, these following titles won't work in Windows at all but they're worth your DOSing attempt (of course not with your laptop).
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Crusader series
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Privateer 2
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Ultima VII series
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Star Control 2
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Psychic Detective
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F-15 Strike Eagle III
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Task Force 1942