I have just started playing Fallout 3 and I absolutely love it! I discovered it after having played Morrowind and Oblivion but I'd never encountered any of the previous Fallout games. I see you can pick up the old ones very cheaply so I am wondering if its worth giving the old Fallout 1 & 2 a go now or should I just continue with Fallout 3 and New Vegas and use mods?

you should give 1 and 2 a go.
Expect a totally diffrent gaming experience from fo3 though.

I still love going back to those games every now and again.

Honestly I bought Fallout 1 again, and I have the same problems I seem to have had back all those years ago. It just seems to lack flow. The quest tells me to go into Deathclaw territory, and I get killed right off the bat with my Merc friend, and Dogmeat... However the town I left I can literally kill everything that walks in it without taking any damage at all.

I just can't seem to figure out what the heck I need to do. I am sure I missed something, but damned if I know what. I guess what I am saying is you need to take notes, and figure things out on your own. Its a very different beast then FO:3, and NV. And I mean more then just graphics, and game play.

Fallout 1/2 are worth playing if your into classic gaming.

Yes absolutely Fallout 1 and 2 are still worth playing. That is, if you are all right with turn based games and all. I would recommend getting the unofficial patch for Fallout 2 especially.

My only advice (this is just my personal opinion), would be to finish playing Fallout 3 first before trying 1 or 2 though.

That may sound odd, but if you're anything like me, you'll be disappointed with what is lacking from Fallout 3 compared to the first two games.

Hell, I'm playing Fallout 1 again right now.

Very worth it. Just remember that Here and Now is junk, and Tag skills really matter.

Absolutely worth it; they are two of the top RPGs ever made. (They are not however, in any way 3d games, and you will certainly have to read through the manuals to get the most out of them).

Yes they are worth playing. You should play them and try Tactics as well. You can buy all three games together and for cheap. :fallout: