Awww darn you beat me to it... Not by much though...
Ok? It's not a race, we're all just trying to help out the OP here
Yes. Like iBook said, if you just want Snow Leopard, just getting the RETAIL version is fine but if you want iLife/iWork then it would be cheaper to just get the box set; it's up to you and what you want but I think you're just looking for the operating system to get you back up and running.
Exactly, if you want iLife and iWork go for the box set, but if you don't need them go for the retail version and save $100.