anathoth8, you're right, that is easier. You learn something new every day
Draco, when you say patches I am guessing you mean the timer fixes / bug fixes?
I think the easiest way is open the "zip" file that the patches come in.
If you use WinZip then highlight all of the files, and click on "Extract". If you do not have WinZip, then select all of the files and do Ctrl + C (or right click and say "copy").
In WinZip you can set the directory to where the files will be extracted. Make sure to put them into the directory of the game you are patching. Or, just copy the files and paste them into that directory. (You may also be able to drag and drop them into the directory.
It may ask if you wish to overwrite existing files, if it does, say "yes to all".
Note that if you have already started playing a game, you may have trouble with that saved character. Better to start over once you have installed the patch.
Ok so in short, open the zip file, copy all files, and paste them into the game directory. That should do it.
Hope this helps!