There are few things more annoying than shelling out your hard earned cash on a video game only to get stuck in the first few levels. In recent years many game publishers have actually made moves to dumb down their games and reduce the challenge. The ultimate aim is to make it possible for people of any skill level to complete the game. Naturally this leads to games that represent no challenge and thankfully the majority of games have not gone down this route. There is another way to ensure that you can complete every game you buy….use a walkthrough.

In the past gamers may have discarded a game they were stuck on if they could find no solution. Nowadays it is very easy to find video game walkthroughs online which provide step by step instructions to guide players through each level of a game. There are various types of walkthroughs and guides available including information about enemies, weapons, vehicles, cheat codes, hints and tips. For some genres of game where the missions are linear you can find detailed steps for how to beat the challenge and progress.

The most recent trend in video game walkthroughs is to provide actual game-play footage. People record themselves playing through each level of a game and then post the videos online so gamers who are struggling can choose the relevant section and watch a video which will show them where they are going wrong. One such website is the aptly named Stuck Gamer which provides walkthroughs broken down into individual chapters and allows you to stream the videos online.

Many people consider walkthroughs cheating but used sparingly as a reference resource they provide a valuable service. The Cheat show on G4TV is full of walkthrough type hints about various games. They are presented as a segment of the popular show but offered on the website as separate videos and so you can find footage with commentary to help you with a wide variety of popular video games.

You can also find video game walkthroughs on the ever popular YouTube website. These are also broken into individual chapters and sometimes they include commentary to explain the action.

The most common type of walkthrough is a written guide created by an amateur gamer who has beaten the game. You can find these types of walkthroughs on various video game related websites and the leading examples are IGN and GameFAQs. They also include their own in depth guides for big titles and these often include screenshots to help guide you through. Strategy Wiki is another good resource which is maintained by a group of active amateur gamers and provides detailed guides and walkthroughs for all the major titles on various platforms.

You will also find detailed information and walkthroughs sometimes with embedded YouTube footage on Mahalo which is a fast growing website. They offer step by step walkthroughs with a simple layout and also provide links to other useful resources.

If you prefer to be able to download your video game walkthroughs in PDF format and print them out then you could always check out Luna Bean. They offer lots of detailed guides and walkthroughs for various video games and they are detailed but they also have an associated fee. You can also get screenshot versions and they generally go into more detail than a free amateur walkthrough would. If you prefer having a hard copy you could always visit Amazon where you can order various official strategy guides and walkthroughs. They are generally about the size of a magazine and provide you with various tips and hints, secrets and walkthroughs.