Are your old computer games worth a fortune?

If your friends and family ever told you you were wasting money on video games, you can now have the last laugh - some of those games could be worth thousands.

Most of the really valuable old games run on mainstream hardware, such as Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the NES, Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, 32X, Master System, Mega CD and Mega Drive.

However, there are also high prices for games running on consoles that appeared in the 80s and 90s such as the ZX Spectrum, Atari Jaguar and Neo Geo AES.

"It's astonishing and really interesting to discover how much these games are now bought for," says Will Thomas, managing director at LoveAntiques.com, which buys and sells old games.

"As antique experts, we of course know all too well that value is placed in the most obscure of things - however, I think it's wonderful that games many of us would have spent hours playing twenty years ago are still being treasured and collected."

According to the company's expert, the condition of the game - and of its packaging - are key.

Card spines must be intact, particularly when purchasing Sega Mega CD games - if they're missing, the value of the game can fall by up to 40%. Meanwhile, PlayStation One games need to be complete with the inlay, case, book and disc - all in good condition - if they're to get a top price.

As you'd expect, rare games are more valuable - especially those that didn't sell well at the time of release, such as Sega Saturn games, which were overshadowed by the release of the PlayStation One.

One-off special releases that were sold with merchandise are also worth investing in, such as Sega Master System's 'The Lucky Dime Caper' game, which came boxed with a T-shirt; this can be worth as much as £400.

And factory-sealed games are worth more than standard boxed versions, with a factory sealed version of Nintendo 64's standard 'Hercules' game worth £500-plus - five times as much as the standard.

But, adds Thomas, He adds, "Nostalgia has a big part to play in how much someone is willing to pay."

The 10 most valuable video games

1. Snowboard Kids 2 (Nintendo 64) £2000
2. Darxide (Sega 32X) £1200
3. Primal Rage (Sega 32X) £1000
4. X Zone (Super Nintendo) £850
5. T Mek (Sega 32X) £800
6. Viewpoint (Neo Geo AES) £750
7. Stadium Games (Nintendo Nes) £600
8. Cool World (Super Nintendo) £550
9. Fatal Fury Special edition (Sega Mega CD) £550
10. The Adventures of Batman and Robin (Sega Mega CD) £550