I don't really like source ports that add all that flashy unneeded nonsense. Most of the time it looks weird and out of place, like Darkplaces.

In case you're interested, I bought it from Id's website:

http://www.idsoftware.com/games/quake/quake/

For me personally I would get the disc versions of the games and run GLQuake with the nGlide wrapper. Works perfectly under Windows 7.

Steam games are only linked to your account. However some of their games have additional DRM from the publishers limiting the number of activations/installs, and this is usually mentioned on Steam's store page. I haven't heard of any games with a limit of less than 3 activations though.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 does not list any additional DRM, so you should be fine.

If the price is holding you back, then the Quake package goes on sale fairly often provided that you're willing to wait. On Steam, that is.
I think I picked it up for about 3-4 quid.

Agreed. I do think that Darkplaces is one of the better ones, though. It's quite impressive from a technical level, and usually looks pretty convincing. But in general, I don't understand why there's such an obsession with graphically enhanced ports. At least for games like Quake, where there's always going to be something really outdated that clashes with flashy effects or new textures. I much prefer for the game to look consistent, rather than having some parts look newer and some parts look outdated.

If you want to run Quake under OpenGL I recommend NOT using the official GL port. The GL port supplied by id doesn't render overbright lighting, fullbrights, and has some ugly pixel stretching.

Here's a page explaining it.

I just did a search, and used CD's of the original Quake are going for around Two or Three bucks. It is not like it is hard to find or very expensive......

Excellent advice, thanks! I've waited 15 years to pick them up again... I guess I can wait for the next sale! :)

They have Hexen and Heretic too. :-)

You read my mind!

Seriously, you guys, do not waste money on steam. I found the original disks on Amazon.com for less than a dollar. You can run it just fine in DOSbox.

As for quake II, you can get it for just as cheap, but I don't know what you can expect for Vista or win7. But the original quake should not be an issue.

I bought my most recent copies off steam, mostly because it was a ridiculous sale.

Just remember to factor in the cost of shipping and bear in mind that you'll be using a source port either way.

I just looked, and the cheapest one is 89 cents, and ships for four dollars. However, I once saw it for one cent, and $1.50 shipping. It does go down pretty far.

Steam and Ebay are the only two sites I ever see mentioned, and Amazon really deserves some recognition. It might not be a direct download, but if you can wait two weeks, you'll at least get a sound track, plus there's nothing harassing you to get more stuff from steam. No steam-style "recognition" or whatever it is either, I guess it's really down to what you're into.

For anyone looking to get into the old Quake/Hexen/Heretic/Doom games, I recommend this article:
http://widescreengamingforum.com/node/899