The market for online game stores is booming. Sales figures from Steam and Direct2Drive prove this beyond a doubt. Therefore, it doesn't really surprise that others are trying to enter that market as well. The latest competitor to enter the arena is the Xfire game store.

Founded in 2002 by Dennis Fong, Max Woon, David Lawee, and Mike Cassidy Xfire started as a free IM service and game server browser for gamers around the world and currently has more than 14 million registered users.

"Xfire is a free application that combines multiple gaming tools into one powerful tool to alleviate the need to run multiple different gaming related programs. For instance, Xfire allows you to chat with your friends, see what games they are playing, what servers they are playing on and join them instantly with one click. Xfire also allows you to show off your gaming skills by capturing screenshots and videos and uploading them to your Profile page on the Xfire website."

The store is currently it is available in the EU, UK, US, and Germany - prices are comparable to other online stores.

Here is how it works:

• Buy your games online in complete security (128 bit SSL encryption)
• Get your personal download links and activation codes via e-mail
• Get links and codes for all your games at any time from your account

• Download your game as many times as you need to
• Of course, you can always save a backup of your game onto a DVD or a hard drive

• You can uninstall and re-install your game on the same PC as many times as you may need to.
• You can automatically activate your game on any number of PCs within reason.
• The number of automatic activations varies between games depending on the game publisher's DRM policies. If you reach this number, it can easily be reset by our customer support

• A license system that is both modern and legal
• The ease of playing your game without a CD or DVD in your drive
• The security of being able to re-download and re-install the game any time you want
• Fast and free delivery
• Customer support available 7 days a week to help with any queries (supporteu@xfirestore.com)