well, the LCD looks great in some models better tan CRT these days
keep in mind the specs 400:1 at least, 25ms at most and 250 brightness or above

for games u should look for a refresh rate less then 25ms it is not perfect like crt but acceptable.

dont go for a cheap 18 inch go for a pricy 17 inch u ll be amazed by the difference in image quality

for me the samsung T series is the right one