Ive read in most places that meta tags nowadays hold little or no weight, but I notice in the source code for buycheapsoftware.com they have:
< meta name="author" content="buy cheap software">
< meta name="description" content="buy software, cheap software,discount software,software sale,office,windows,xp,vista,2007,2003,microsoft,s erver,cheap,norton,antivirus, internet security,symantec,adobe,corel,cheap bargain software,byu,Norton Antivirus,MSDN,buy online,cheap software store,CA,90292">
< meta name="keywords" content="buy software, cheap software,discount software,software sale,office,windows,xp,vista,2007,2003,microsoft,s erver,cheap,norton,antivirus, internet security,symantec,adobe,corel,cheap bargain software,byu,Norton Antivirus,MSDN,buy online,cheap software store,CA,90292">
< meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
< meta name="revisit-after" content="1 days">
< meta name="page-topic" Content="software">
< meta name="audience" Content="Computer Users, IT Purchasers, IT Developers, IT Managers, Programmers, Information Technology">
< meta name="copyright" content="buy cheap software">
< meta name="page-type" Content="software">
< meta name="Classification" content="software">
< meta name="DC.Title" content="Buycheapsoftware.com">
< meta name="DC.Creator" content="buy cheap software">
< meta name="DC.Subject" content="software">
< meta name="DC.Description" content="software">
< meta name="DC.Publisher" content="Glen Durrant">
< meta name="DC.Contributor" content="buy cheap software">
< meta name="DC.Date" content="2004-04-04">
< meta name="DC.Coverage" content="Software">
< meta name="DC.Rights" content="buy cheap software">
< link rel="stylesheet" href="data/buycheapsoftware.css" type="text/css">

Does this help the site achieve the #1 google ranking for "buy cheap software"? Is it worth using so many meta name tags to drive home a particular phrase or keyword, even to the extent of naming your css file after your keyword or have they just gone OTT in their optimisation?

No. The meta tags used on this site do not cause it's rankings.

Have a read here: META Tags - Metadata Elements
It has a list of all the Dublin Core (Not the Dublin Ireland Spire) Meta elements and what they are used for.

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Ok thanks. That expains what all those DC tags are. I suppose they get their high ranking because of their domain name and the words "buy cheap software" used as anchor text in their backlinks? Also, their title tag "BuyCheapSoftware - Cheap software at Buy cheap software. Windows software, Microsoft, Intuit, Symantec, Adobe, Norton, Trend. Low prices." is that too long/borderline spamming? Does mentioning the keyword 3 times help or would they be better off just mentioning it once?

Most probably because Goolge thinks that people might be performing a navigational search when they type in that phrase.

Of course the overt spamming of their META may have some affect on other engines...

Mention keyword once IMO. Or maybe use a variation as well. God from what you write here it sounds like a really spammy site. WIll take a look if I get the chance.

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Internet Consultant Ireland | Search Engine Optimisation Services
Catering Company Dublin - My sister's handmade canape company!

Spammy it may be but it seems to be working, buy cheap software is a very compeditive search phrase, but they've easily got #1 and #2 with google and i was wondering if it was partly down to the repetitive "cheap software" in the source file. Like is it worth having all that DC meta crap even if it just gets you a few hits from less major search engines?

They have an 8 year old domain name, DMOZ listing and sitelinks (A good indication of Google trust).

Their domain name is also key to this.

ReC meta tags, I doubt they need any of those few searchers from smaller engines.

true.

8yo domain is certainly going to help.

redfly knows it, by the sounds of it.
The last year alone has had many changes; something established, can get away with murder, so to speak. Start off, and see.

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