"orange box" is the name of the boxed set that contains the latest half-life games, team fortress, and portal. Even with all that, it costs about as much as most other single title releases. Portal is also sold by itself but it still costs about $20 if I recall correctly.
Portal is... well, you'll need to search online. Go to EA games or the Steam website and check out the trailer. It's sort of a puzzle game but it uses the half-life game engine including (if I recall correctly) it's physics engine. The trailer should tell you everything you need to know. If you need to know more, a google search for portal will give you more info than you can ever possibly read.
The game is fun and fairly short. People who are *good* at first person shooters should be able to finish it in one marathon session. People who have played shooters before should be able to finish it in two or three sessions. But even someone who hasn't ever played a first person shooter game should be able to complete the game.
It looks good even on relatively old hardware (it looks great on my 6800GT vid card) and it's all indoors.
The game is a bit twisted but not in a gross or sicko manner. The game has gained a near cult-like following because it's very nearly unique and intelligent. The only game I can compare it to, and even then it's not a direct comparison, is the original MYST.
