Hi there. For young 'Kevin', his graphics card must be at least 128Mb. Anything less will not play the latest games. Also must have at least 512Mb RAM or more. This is absolute minimum spec these days.
Standard kit on most new laptops now is a recordable DVD and at least 40gig hard drive.
I reckon you should walk into your nearest PC shop and ask the manager to cut a deal, £1500 for three lappies, one with the gaming spec noted above and I think you will be sorted.
Let us know what you eventually do and good luck!