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BTW, you can also try out C&C for free: http://www.trolllord.com/cnc/index.html

I've converted to Castles & Crusades by Troll Lord Games.
Back to basics: real roleplaying with an updated d20 mechanic and a simple resolution system for almost everything [ SIEGE Engine (tm) ].
It allows me to convert and or use 0E, 1E, 2E, & 3E stuff and play it so your old books are still good
You don't need minatures or maps and the having fun in the game comes first - the rules are not at all set in stone.
Rules lawyers and munchkins need not apply.
Rules light and very fast to play.
E. Gary Gygax actually worked for Troll Lord Games before he died and finally got a chance to release His Dungeon with them.

I'm teaching the 8 years old to do something besides sit in front of the TV this weekend, in fact.

http://www.trolllord.com/cnc/why_play_cnc.html

There alre a lot of free choices out there too, Basic Famtasy Role Playing, OSIRC, Labrinth Lords...
Why stick with WoTC with there are better, less expensive alternatives?

Just my opinion.

You could try Castles and Crusades.

From the Troll Lords site "A rules light role playing game of swords and sorcery with one of the fastest growing fan bases in the world. By utilizing the OGL C&C combines all the popular aspects of your favorite role playing game with an extraordinarily easy rules set. Same classes. Same races. Same attributes. Same monsters. Etc. Etc. Easier rules! 15 minutes to master the game, 15 minutes to make a player, years of fun!"

I have the core rules set and some of the adventures. For me it recaptures some of the feel of 1st/2nd Ed AD&D. I like the faster game play and the simplified game mechanic which allows more time for role play and story development (compared to the newer editions of D&D).

Don't forget The Forge, a great place to find off the beaten path games.

Oh, and, of course, Troll Lord games for those of us in the "get off my lawn" demographic.

If your cheap, you can wait a year until Free RPG Day

Of course, me? I prefer boardgames. (and card games).

Don't forget D20 variants that bring back the spirit of earlier editions such as Castles & Crusades

Or you could check out http://trolllord.com/ for Castles and Crusades. It is what D&D 3rd edition should have been. Modern gaming with an old time feel!

I'd recommend Castles & Crusades, a sort of stripped down version of the d20 SRD into something resembling first or second edition. Nicely streamlined with a unified rules mechanic. Gary Gygax was developing his old Castle Greyhawk dungeons into the 'Castle Zagyg' productline for C&C. Even though he's passed on, he'd written heaps of notes for it and the first boxed set should come out sometime this year. I've had great success teaching C&C to casual gamers who easily get bogged down by too many rules, but there's also enough substance there to occupy other gamer types, too.

1 - WotC has put out a "Basic D&D Adventure" type game or somesuch. It retails for about $20. There is kind of a love/hate relationship in the d20 community about this one. It's graphically the slickest, but most feel it's "dumbed down" in all the wrong places, and a lot of people dislike the miniatures tie-in (which the other two options don't have).

2 - Troll Lord Games has put out a "Castles & Crusades" type basic game - Link here the player's guide will run you about $20 and I don't know if they have the DM's guide out yet. Nifty nostalgia factor: Can get this in a "boxed set" complete with dice and crayon... a lot of people like this one.

3 - If you're willing/able to "print your own" there is a "Basic Player's Guide" PDF available at RPGNow.com (a mostly-PDF site). It runs about five and a half bucks. It's the cheapest option by far, but no DM guide here, either (though the author has said he is working on one). Most who have commented about the product on RPG.net or ENWorld.org have given it good reviews, too.

YMMV.