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It was around 7 p.m. Monday when Gretchen Zavarella surprised fellow video gamers in the small encampment at the back of the Wal-Mart near Delmont.

Folding up her chair, Zavarella, 21, of Plum, announced she was leaving a coveted spot in line she held for about four hours, a spot that guaranteed her the right to buy a new XBox 360 video game system that would become available at midnight.

She did not have a change of heart, just a change of ambition. She packed it in after learning in a cell phone call that she had a shot at getting a rare premium XBox 360 game system, complete with a hard drive, elsewhere.

"We're headed to Toys 'R' Us in Monroeville," Zavarella said. "I've got a chance to get a premium system. They've got them, they wouldn't tell me how many but they said there's nobody in line over there yet."

It was a decision she knew would sacrifice time and comfort for her. She would be leaving the warm confines of the Wal-Mart, which is open 24 hours, and placing herself at the mercy of the elements outside Toys 'R' Us, which would not make its allotment of XBox 360s available until it opened Tuesday.

She rejected a suggestion that she wait in her car.

"I will be right in front of the door," Zavarella said. "I just hope it doesn't snow."

That pretty much said it all for the craze surrounding the release of Microsoft's newest version of its video game system. Such scenes were repeated at electronics and department stores throughout Western Pennsylvania. By yesterday morning, stores across the region posted signs indicating their limited supply of the system was sold out.

Shoppers started lining up at the Best Buy in Hempfield Township as early as Sunday night to ensure they would receive an Xbox system, which the store was to release yesterday at 9 a.m.

Tony Zappone, 17, of Latrobe, was the first in line. He secured his spot shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday.

"It was important for me to get one," Zappone said. "I just happened to be first. I love video games. I have every game system."

Zappone was ready to hunker down for the evening Monday.

"I got a whole gym bag of drinks and a garbage bag of food," Zappone said.

He felt the wait of some 36 hours would be worth it to pick up the gaming system considered to be the "next big thing."

"I'll jump for joy," he said.

Friends Matt Reese, 24, and Tim Mento, 25, both of Greensburg, opted to escape what they described as "chaos" at the Hempfield Township Best Buy and lounge in folding chairs between rows of DVDs at Wal-Mart, in Greengate Centre, also in Hempfield Township. They arrived at 7:30 a.m. Monday to be the first two in line.

"We are on break from college and this was a way to waste a day," Reese said. "We borrowed these chairs from the sporting goods department."

"Matt's girlfriend brought us lunch and my girlfriend is bringing us supper," Mento said.

James Maiolie, 20, of New Alexandria, arrived at the Best Buy early Monday evening. He thought about giving the system as a gift.

"My original intention was to buy it for my nephew and my little brother, now I think I want it," he said. "But it doesn't matter, we all live in the same house."

He said a blanket and pillow were being brought to him as he prepared to spend the evening Monday.

"I'm not leaving," Maiolie said, adding that he was prepared in case it should happen to rain. "This is a waterproof coat. I'll put it over my head."

Back at the Wal-Mart in Delmont, where only 16 XBox 360s would be available at midnight, those who remained in line passed the time talking and snacking.

"I'm just glad they're being civilized," said Travis Moore, a Wal-Mart management trainee from Carmichaels.

He and assistant department manager Jen Gill, of Greensburg, said that keeping order in these situations is no small concern. To that end, they made sure they were on hand at the layaway department to let XBox seekers know that the store's allotment of game systems was already taken. By 5 p.m. they had been doing the same thing with people calling the electronics department asking about the system.

"Our store, we only got 16 and some stores didn't get that many," Gill said. "My husband's a manager for Target and they only got 30."

Their allotment included only two premium systems, selling for $399 each, that include the hard drive for saving data, a headset, ability to play some older games and a wireless controller. The rest are bare-bones models that include the console, a wired controller and an AV cable, all for $299. Online reviews of the system claim its higher-quality graphics make games seem more like movies.

The enthusiasm of hard-core gamers and the eagerness of parents to please their children on Christmas doesn't entirely explain their willingness to wait in line for hours for an XBox 360. Gill noted that after this initial sale, there's an even longer wait because the game system won't be available on a larger scale until April.

Debbie Reed and her sister-in-law, Pam Ulisse, both of Saltsburg, claimed the two premium units in Delmont by arriving at 9 a.m. on Monday. Both of them said the effort was worth it to brighten their children's Christmas.

"Yeah, we've done it for every system for them," Reed said.

"We used to have to sit out in the parking lot," Ulisse said, recalling when the store was not open 24 hours.

But the two mothers had to call in reinforcements by the afternoon. They each summoned one of their sons, John Reed, 24, and Greg Ulisse, 20, to hold their places in line so they could do some other things, such as getting food. John and Greg, both avid gamers, said they didn't mind.

Down the aisle at the other end of the line was Jason Saxton, 18, of Export, who said he was relieved to get a place in line for the game system, which is a Christmas present to himself.

"I had to call my brother to come here for me because I couldn't get out of class," said Saxton, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh.

Why is getting the system so important?

"I would have to wait for the next shipment. I don't want to wait that long," Saxton said.

As for the possibility that the new XBox could disappoint him, Saxton said firmly, "It won't happen."

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