Are you a gamer? Do you like free things? Of course you do!

We here at the Tech Deck are just like you: poor gamers looking for cheap entertainment. And nothing's cheaper than cost-free gaming. Each week, we'll bring you a title (or two or three) you can legally play at home without plopping down a single dollar. If you see games you think we should be featuring on the blog, email us at kiph@spokesman.com.

Back before digital distribution was a thing, most of us learned about new games that were coming out through the demo disc. Whether it was delivered with your favorite gaming magazine subscription or even a large Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza, the demo disc was a way to try a level or two of an upcoming title, giving players with limited resources the ability to pester their parents with some actual gameplay to back up their pleas.

That era of gaming is long gone, with playable demos now mostly relegated to gaming conference showroom floors. But those making the titles have fond memories of the demo disc, and that's the idea behind Haunted Demo Disc, which you can download and play for free on Windows-based machines by clicking below!

Download "PS1 Haunted Demo Disc" for free!

I only had time to play one game, the retro-inspired first-person shooter Effigy, but you can find reviews of most of the other titles up on Internet gaming websites. The download is a bit beefy at 5 GB when it's extracted, and once you select a game on the "disc" you'll have to go through some menu options before you can begin playing. But if you're longing for that old school, PS1 feel with some creepy themes mixed in, it doesn't get much better than this. Especially for the price.

What's your favorite demo disc? Do you remember playing certain games for the first time on those old cardboard-sleeved CDs that looked a heckuva lot like AOL demos? Check back next week for another free game!