We had the worst experiences with Ricoh's Media Master MP-6200S, a CD-RW drive, and MicroNet's Master CD Plus 4X12PC, a CD-R model.

CNN: IDG.net - Recordable and rewritable CD drives: Permanent, portable storage

If you're looking for a CD-RW drive to share with others, check out the external version of this drive, HP's CD-Writer Plus 7200e.

CNN: IDG.net - Recordable and rewritable CD drives: Permanent, portable storage

Net keeps its head afloat since the costs to run the free service are embedded in the retail CD-ROM price (plus selling a million copies of the game doesn't hurt), along with banner advertising and special promotions to make up the difference.

CNN: Online gaming: the state of the Net