As the Nintendo Wii's popularity continues to cause it to fly off the shelves, it's seemed like a worthwhile endeavor to put together a guide on downloading Wii games. After all, buying games from a legitimate store gets pretty expensive. Choosing to download you games instead allows you to save a lot of money and have a way to get new games to try out.

Downloading Wii games is a relatively new phenomenon. The majority of people who own Wii systems aren't even aware of how easy it is to get new games. When readers were polled about this, most of them know about downloading demos and music, but not all of them were aware that there were free versions out there. Most people thought that they could only get demos, partial versions or old games.

Fortunately, you can find full Wii games for downloading online, including the most popular ones and even new releases. There's an impressive selection available, and downloading can be dangerously addictive.

Here's how to get started downloading.

First, realize that you may want to avoid all web sites that advertise that they have free Wii Downloads. While there are plenty of them out there, there are reasons to skip them.

What you'll find when you take a look at these sites is that most of them are merely networks of files that users have uploaded. Anyone at all can add a file, and there's no moderation of submissions. Because of this, many files are infected with viruses, adware, spyware, and other malicious software. Other files claim to be top games, but are mis-named or corrupted.

Trying to use these sites is pretty frustrating, will cause you lots of headaches, and will even put your computer at risk of infection. You're better off avoiding them.

Instead, people who want to download Wii games should look into membership sites. These download sites offer specialty services, including unlimited downloads after you become a member.

Since these sites are run by people who want to make sure they keep their buyers happy, they regulate files to make sure they work, are clean, and download quickly.

How much these sites cost varies a bit, but the average is about fifty dollars. This one time fee allows you to have full access as a member. You'll be a member for the lifetime of the business, and are able to download as often as you want.

One important caution is that some fees charge a per download fee or monthly membership charges. They end up being a lot more expensive than one time memberships.

Worried that you won't know what to do to use your downloaded games? Don't be - you'll get good instructions and software to help you get everything up and running.

Better sites will also offer a guarantee. If you don't like what you're getting, just ask for your money back. Once you get used to downloading, there's a good chance you won't go back.