Over the years, computer games have proven to be a viable storytelling medium, as they combine the multimedia elements and production values of movies with the length and depth of written books - and of course, they're interactive, which ideally lets you experience the story in a game as vividly as possible. GameSpot's best-story award goes to the one game that's most striking because of the quality of its original story, its characters, and its storytelling techniques.

Continuing right where the original game left off, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn features a much more involving story than the first game. In it, your character must track down an enigmatic villain who literally intends to steal your soul. Baldur's Gate II manages to bring its rich Dungeons & Dragons setting to life.

Crimson Skies is set in an alternate early 20th century in which air pirates rule the skies. The game casts you as Nathan Zachary, who's particularly notable among their ranks. The game is a very impressive production in which the game's thrilling story unfolds in the style of an early radio drama.

In Deus Ex, you play as a bionic operative working for a government-sanctioned antiterrorist brigade. But you soon learn that your agency isn't what it appears to be. The game's first-person perspective complements the way the game's characters are able to realistically respond to your actions, making Deus Ex one of the most immersive games this year.

The fourth hilarious installment in LucasArts' highly acclaimed Monkey Island series details the further misadventures of the hapless Guybrush Threepwood. This time, Guybrush faces a twofold threat: the first, from a foppish governor elect who's trying to oust Guybrush's wife Elaine from her position, and the second, from an insulting Australian real-estate developer.

Funcom's epic adventure game stars April Ryan, a reluctant art student who discovers her latent ability to "shift" between her world, which looks like a near-future version of this one, and a parallel world filled with magic. She must overcome her surprise and her reluctance and eventually help restore these worlds to a balanced order.