Top Freeware Games:
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Dink Smallwood (RPG): Originally commercial, this adventure/RPG finds a
pathetic farmhand developing into a great warrior. Sound typical? It's not. Try
a fantastic sense of humor, gorgeous graphics, and a long, involved quest. Get dinked!
- Betrayal at
Krondor (RPG): This first person RPG was originally released commercially by Sierra.
Their are multiple viewing options, countless weapons and items, the ability to sleep
and steal from villages...this is a fantastic game.
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Cult (Adventure): You must infiltrate a cult's compound and convert its members
before they get any ideas about Kool-Aid...This entails talking to demented members,
finding items, and manipulating switches. This game shines because of the goofy
dialogue and the maddening switch/key system. Repetitive, but strangely addictive.
Cult...Cult...Cult.
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Monster Manor (Adventure): Beautiful graphics abound in this adventure game, in which
you must exorcise all of the ghosts and goblins of the Manor. This one can be frustrating,
but it's definitely worth the download.
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The Quest (RPG): The graphics aren't much, and indeed I downloaded this and didn't
play it for several weeks. Once I did, I was hooked. Unlike any RPG you've ever played,
and extremely difficult. Choose one of four classes as you find the best combination of
potions, magic, and weapons to win. I haven't done it yet, but I keep trying, and I don't
even like RPG's much anymore!
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5star Free Lines (Puzzle): The music on this one is what stays with me, but the
gameplay and graphics are nice too. A thinking person's puzzle game, Free Lines forces
you to take your time with strategic moves as more and more balls clutter the screen.
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Marble Crazy (Puzzle): This is a near-exact clone of a great game that Microsoft
released with Windows 98 Plus. This is a puzzle in the same vein as Columns and Tetris,
except you must rotate a grid of Marbles such that 3 to 5 line up horizontally. Great fun.
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Dark Ages 1 (RPG): Think Dragon Warrior. This is a full RPG, quite similar to many
that were released on the old 8-bit systems. Worth a shot if you want to explore the
way nerd's used to waste their time. Reccomended.
- Win_Honte (Strategy):
Master the ancient Chinese game of Go. Featured in _A Beautiful Mind_, Go is a complex, challenging
strategy game that many mathemeticians prefer over chess.
- Moraff's Stones (Puzzle):
This oldee is a mind twister in which you must trade stones with several opponents in an attempt to get
the best hand. Like hearts, but more difficult and involved (and fun!).
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Top Freeware Apps:
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Opera 7.51 (web browser): The best (and little known) web browser.
Its features are too many to list here, but they include great speed,
myriad quick keys and mouse movements to open pages, the opportunity to
open 10 pages at once and still surf relatively quickly, easy resizing,
great integrated email, and...well, I'm out of space. Once you try it,
you won't believe you used the other guy for so long. Only 3.5MB!
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Atlantis (word processor): A free word processor, with many advantages over Word. Great for
multi-taskers: you can open 10+ windows at once, with RAM to spare!
- HotKeys (hotkeys)
It's all about speed. How many times do you open your web browser, or
your telnet client, or your word processor, by minimizing all of your
windows, and clicking on their icons with the mouse. Wouldn't it be easier to
just hit CTRL+W for word processor, and CTRL+T for telnet? Or hit F7 to
close multiple windows (like pop-ups). Free, and quick download too.
- IrfanView (image viewer):
So you're not ready to pay for Photoshop, but you want a better way of
viewing your family photos and web site images than through a browser,
and a better way of manipulating them than with Paint. Check out the free
IrfanView. A superb Photoshop alternative.
- SpyBot Search and Destroy (spyware removal):
Has spyware hijacked your computer? Get rid of most of it with this acclaimed software.
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Ad-Aware (Adware Cleaner): The most respected name in adware removal.
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Tera Term (telnet emulator) Better than standard Telnet, and free to boot.
- Ghost Script (postscript viewer):
Occasionally you will need to view a Postscript file. Ghostview to the rescue.
- dos4gw.exe (DOS game file): Several DOS games
require this much coveted, completely free file.
- CD Max (CD player): Want a simple CD
player that works, with basic features like repeat album, etc., without the bulk of a huge
program or the hassle of its attempt to seriously modify your system? CD Max is a great, quick
player.
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