The nightmare before Christmas? Almost. In Christmas Crisis you need to help out Santa delivering presents by guiding his sleigh and dropping presents over houses, whilst avoiding jets and airplanes. The game is certainly a good idea for the holidays and an original adaptation of the Space Invaders style, yet Christmas Crisis is on the whole rather disappointing.

First of all, and this may sound cheesy, but I quite like when there's a little introduction to the game, or at least some sort of setting. Christmas Crisis drops you right in without any explanation as to why you need to replace Santa. There's only a small window to explain the controls.

Movements in Christmas Crisis are simple. Use your arrow keys to navigate your sleigh and the space bar to shoot the presents onto houses. On the whole though, they feel a bit clunky, and there's a little delay every time you move the sleigh. Christmas Crisis is a bit difficult and I couldn't manage to hit all the houses in the first level. Getting used to it doesn't take much though, but the increase of planes flying around as you pass levels does make it challenging.

Even though the game lacks an introduction, and controls are clunky, Christmas Crisis is an OK time waster for the holidays.

Download Christmas Crisis 1.2.3 in Softonic

Super Frog is a classic arcade game where you have to guide a frog across a busy highway to safety. This Christmas alternative to the popular game adds a bit of twist to it, with not only cars and trucks, but also candy canes and stockings coming into your way. After crossing the road successfully you'll have to make your way on a path and grab the present on the other side.

Christmas Super Frog is a fun timewaster but doesn't offer much more. First of all the graphics are really weak and the music itself gets annoying after a while. Even though the game is fairly easy to get used to, all you need is your arrow keys, it lacks any guidance for new users. We also thought the game got too difficult too early, as level 2 is already very challenging, with much more faster cars than the first level.

Christmas Super Frog is a basic time waster, fun for the holidays but nothing more.

Download Christmas Super Frog 1.9.1 in Softonic

Mystery Island II is fun game that combines elements of puzzle games, adventure games and science fiction.

The plot is thus - you are a Navy Seal currently serving aboard the USS Volarus when your submarine is destroyed by an unidentified vessel, probably a Russian nuclear warship. You escape the final blast and wash up on a tropical island. That's where your adventure begins. It turns out that the world has been invaded by aliens and it's your job to find clues and save the world from an alien takeover.

The island is littered with clues that eventually guide you towards the final defeat of the aliens. The games can be anything from puzzles to codes you must crack and locations you must find. In this way, the game is very similar to Escape From Monkey Island except with less detail and worse graphics. In fact, the graphics are probably one of the biggest letdowns although considering this is a pretty cheap adventure game, you can't expect miracles anyway.

Likewise, the sound effects are passable and you can choose from a gently paced one to one that's a bit more racy. Everything is controlled by the mouse with left and right movements indicating the direction you want the character to go and you wave the cursor over an object to see if it can be picked up or used or not.

All in all, this is a decent attempt at an original adventure game and if only the developers had had a bit more money to invest in it, you can't help feeling that it would be so much better.

Download Mystery Island II 1.8 in Softonic

Once upon a time computer games didn't have the luxury of fancy graphics to make them appealing to users. Instead, they had to rely a lot more on imagination and original ideas to entice gamers. I remember loads of text-based adventure games that had me gripped for longer than many of today's lavish productions.

Lost in the Pyramid recaptures the magic of those classics in the form of an imaginative quest in which you star as Indiana Bones, a famous archeologist who has a dream one night about a pyramid. After waking up, you must go to consult a psychic who reveals where to start your mission, then it's off into the wild unknown to explore the mythical building of your dreams.

Along the way you'll need to make decisions based on the information presented to you on screen and your responses determine whether you score points and progress to the next stage, lose points, or even lose one of your five lives. The control system is akin to most text-based adventure games, where you need to respond to a statement (e.g. 'Open the door?', 'Go to Africa?', 'Pay the psychic?') by clicking Yes or No (or 'What' to repeat the question).

The responses to your answers can be hilarious at times and this makes the Lost in the Pyramid great fun to play. Some of the put-downs and one-liners delivered by the computer are worthy of a Chris Rock stand-up show. Despite its humorous nature, progressing through the levels in no laughing matter, and some of the puzzles will take you quite some time to complete.

Graphically, the game isn't anyway near as bad as those famous text-based games of old on on the Commodore or Spectrum. There are colorful cartoon pictures along the way that illustrate what is happening, although I felt there could have been more of these, as some stay on the screen for a long time.

Overall though, Lost in the Pyramid is really good fun, and is a big enough adventure to keep you captivated for ages.

Download Lost in the Pyramid 1.2 in Softonic

There was a time when point & click games were really popular, but now it seems that they're not that trendy anymore. However there are companies like Frogwares that still believe in this genre, and keep on publishing conversational adventures.

This is the case of Dracula: Origin, a vampire game that follows the traditional point & click pattern and presents you with a truly Gothic adventure full of mystery, romance and terror, in a gloomy environment.

Though I personally don't enjoy this kind of games that much, I must admit Dracula: Origin looks pretty impressive. The game stands out for its highly detailed graphics in the design of characters and especially in the recreation of environments. The sense of realism makes the game experience even more pleasant and rewarding.

The story is also quite an interesting one. You play the role of Van Helsing, the famous scientific whose main aim in life is to destroy the so called Prince of Darkness. Your objectives will then be exploring all the locations you visit, talk to other characters, gather different objects and try to get hints from them all that could take you to Dracula. Like in similar adventures, gameplay is basically reduced to using your mouse to move your character, use objects in your inventory, talk to other people and other actions.

Dracula: Origin will surely please fans of this genre. However it also requires a lot of patience, so if you're not really into conversational adventures maybe you should look elsewhere.

Download Dracula: Origin Demo in Softonic

The Sam and Max series is one of the most entertaining game series out there and this latest installment featuring Father Christmas might be a bit out of season but still delivers some fun.

The game description goes thus: "He's the most ancient and powerful opponent they've ever faced, a hairy, bloated, pagan God - Santa Claus! With Christmas presents on the attack and carols of gunshots drowning out the bells, Sam & Max must storm the North Pole to bring down a less-than-jolly foe. Can the Freelance Police make sense of this Christmas conundrum in time to save the world's children from a holiday tainted by tears, turmoil, and Torture-Me-Elmer?" You basically have to get the two intrepid heroes to the North Pole to stop a crazed Santa from destroying everything with his explosive presents. The graphics are first rate as you expect from this series although the gameplay is a little stunted - it seems the developers have spent more time making it look good than making the game really challenging and playable. However, it is a lot of fun trying to get to the North Pole with all the obstacles the bearded one has left in your way and the sound effects are also excellent with realistic cartoon style voices and sounds.

Another great installment of the Sam and Max series although it could have done with a bit more focus in the playability department.

Download Sam & Max (201) Ice Station Santa in Softonic

Biblical scholars have long agreed that Moses was more than just a poor sheperd's boy. It is said that he was a natural scholar and that from an early age he devoted himself to unravelling the mysterious arts of alchemy.

Indeed, he read documents that even in those times were already very ancient - the scant remains of older, extinct civilisations. Amongst these documents, it is believed, lay the primitive blueprints for an awesome weapon...

Moses was able to construct this weapon. And when the Pharaoh refused passage for the Israelites out of Egypt, he unleashed it upon the Egyptians with terrifying effect. Ten Pharaoh capitulated. The Exodus began.

The weapon was the final and most terrible of the Great Plagues.

Uncannily, it seemed to be able to kill selectively, leaving the Israelites unharmed. The Egyptians called it - "The Angel of Death". Hundreds of years later, the secrets of Moses' deadly weapon that could destroy to order, were lost although the memory lived on.

Download Broken Sword: The Angel of Death Demo in Softonic

This English demo for the upcoming adventure game features the intro cutscene and the first section of the full version. "The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript" is the first ever game created about the life and work of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Players come to discover and delve inside the mysteries surrounding the hidden enigmas of the works of the great genius. "The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript" is a major investigation and adventure game, a thrilling mystical quest into the heart of the Renaissance.

Download The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript Demo in Softonic

I've never visited a fortune teller and this is probably the closest I'll ever get to one, and while it may not tell the future, it is a gripping mystery puzzle.

The plot is thus: Madame Fate, a mysterious fortune teller, has foreseen her own death through her crystal ball with only 24 hours before the allotted hour. You have to help her investigate the freaks at the carnival she works at to find out who it is who is going to kill her (in which case her crystal ball can't be all that good). The characters you have to investigate include such luminaries as Art the Carny to Lucy the Bearded Beauty - neither of which you'd like to bump into in a dark alley. The graphics and sound are passable but the best aspect to this game are the puzzles and the variation between them. Every scene is different so one scene may involve solving 10 puzzles while the next one could be a word puzzle such as hangman, revealing the hidden word or using appropriate words to describe characters in the game. In this respect, I can see that it could have a particular appeal to kids and could be a useful tool in helping improve their grammar and spelling. On the downside, this is a huge file for a trial - why the developers couldn't have reduced it for this demo I have no idea but it's worth it none the less.

A good game with some original gameplay but a shame the download file for this demo is so big.

Download Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate in Softonic

I'm sure the dream most CSI fans share is to be able to join Grissom's team and take part in their exciting adventures.

This is precisely what you can do in CSI Hard Evidence, a point-and-click adventure in which you play the role of a newcomer in Las Vegas Crime Police Labs, who joins the CSI squad for an evaluation period. The game follows the traditional scheme in conversational adventures, with some cinematic scenes after which you take control of your character's movements. Graphics are just fine – not brilliant at all – and though CSI characters are recognizable, they're far from being perfect digital replications.

As for gameplay, I must say I found it a bit boring. Maybe because I expected something else, maybe because I'm too used to action-packed third-person shooters... in any case, CSI Hard Evidence develops at a slow pace, presenting you with searchable scenery and plain dialogs. Even the search for hints is too easy, as you're told which tool you need in each moment.

Despite being based on the successful TV show CSI Las Vegas, the game is too slow and ends up falling short of expectations.

Download CSI: Hard Evidence in Softonic

This is a White House mystery and no it doesn't have anything to do with an intern and a cigar. After they solved the last mystery, Sam and Max are called to the White House to solve a presidential mystery. They must face their worst fears with their usual cynical humor and, in this chapter, get a bit political.

The game operates in classic adventure game style with the mouse controlling everything from simple movements to the slashing and killing of enemies. The dog and rabbit detective characters make this game totally surreal though - it's hard to know whether the developers were on acid when they wrote this or just having a laugh. However, there's no denying that they've emboldened it with some stunning graphics and audio although non English speakers will be disappointed as all the dialogue is in English.

If you can imagine if Roger Rabbit met Cluedo you've got a general impression of what this fun and original game is all about.

Download Sam and Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die! in Softonic

According to the developers, back in 1993 Privateer was released as part of the Wing Commander series and became a great success in the gaming industry. Over 10 years later a small group of Privateer enthusiasts reintroduced the game with a new graphics engine and real 3D spaceflight.

Privateer was one of the first games in offering "open ended" gameplay (like Grand Theft Auto), when finishing the main plot, you can continue your game by exploring the rest of the universe. Privateer Gemini Gold is basically a remake of that game adapting it for today's faster machines and more demanding gaming enthusiasts. Key to this is that the game uses the 'Voxel' graphics engine which offers some spectacular angles and viewpoints of the ship and impressive graphics - much less blocky than usual 3D graphics.

Your role is as Grayson Burrows who inherited a small old scout class ship from your grandfather. Your task is to start over the 'Privateer' in a new and sparsely populated sector of the Confederation. Depending on what you want to achieve, you can take your chance and become a pirate, merchant or bounty hunter. You can upgrade your ship to conquer the galaxy but life is not made simple by other barbarians, pirates and evil commanders. It's good fun once you've mastered the controls although you can't help feeling that it's a poorer imitation of Wing Commander and lacks both the quickfire action, thrills and depth of it.

Download Privateer Gemini Gold 1.02a in Softonic

Fate by Numbers is a very original game developed by a group of four students as their graduation project for a Multimedia Design degree. They wanted to show that good games can be produced even with poor budgets.

Why is it original? Mainly because it's a full motion video game that mixes video recorded actors and 3D rendered backgrounds, and also because it's set in a futuristic metropolis with heavy 50's film noir influences. It's funny to see old Cadillacs flying among buildings like the spinners in Blade Runner.

The game is designed in the old point-and-click adventure style, which makes it somewhat slow to play. I guess I found it that slow because the intro and some other cutscenes seemed to take forever and all I wanted was to start playing once and for all.

Despite that, the mysterious, shadowy environment of the game is certainly attractive and the plot grips you from the beginning. Maybe the game's excellent soundtrack is part of the reason.

Download Fate by Numbers 1.0.1.0 in Softonic

While the so-called "point and click" adventures seem to be slowly falling into decline in favour of more action-packed videogames, there are still companies who believe these adventures are worthy.

This is the case of Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, a pure conversational adventure based on the works of Conan Doyle and also Lovecraft, something that will appeal many fantastic literature fans. The game features impressive 3D landscapes that get you immersed in 19th century London, together with a subtle background music that adds the final touch.

Playing the role of Holmes himself, you can move around the city, use diverse objects and interact with other characters. The game supports both mouse and keyboard, and I personally recommend the latter as the mouse feels a bit awkward. Also, dialogs may be a bit boring, but luckily enough you can skip them by pressing ESC and review them at your own rhythm in your inventory.

Download Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened in Softonic

If you've ever dreamt of becoming the next Ralph Lauren or Georgio Armani then this game could be the closest you get. Posh Shop offers you the ability to build a boutique, select your model, and put clothing collections together. The game controls are very simple, and it's merely a case of using the mouse to select the items of clothing before going on to sell them.

The principle is that the faster you do this the more money you'll make for your boutique, and it certainly proves entertaing for a while, although the reptitive nature of the gameplay means it becomes boring after a while. Graphically, Posh shop isn't the most inspirational game you'll see, but if you're looking to run a pretend clothing line then this is your answer.

Download Posh Shop in Softonic

It's always nice when you stumble across a murder mystery game with a gripping plot, challenging gameplay and good graphics. Dead Reefs combines all of these things and more.

The story goes that the island of Dead Reefs was infamous for the wicked pirate inhabitants that would lure passing ships into the reefs, slaughtering their crews and looting their cargo as the ships would sink. One stormy evening, while on a fateful mission to a neighboring island, an ancient order of monks decided to set anchor on Dead Reefs to take refuge – only to fall victim to the vile pirates led by the corrupt island ruler, Baron DeSantra. After murdering the ship’s captain and searching his body, the Baron would discover an old relic far more evil than any of them could ever imagine!

Since that fateful night, a horrifying madness has been infecting the minds of the island residents, resulting in a murder every nine years. Convinced they had been cursed by monks the residents renounced their pirating ways but the massacres continued. Your role is as the ingenious investigator Amadeo Finvinerro who the King has employed to discover the source of all the evil.

The depth of this game is really impressive. It takes place over several decades and so it's a huge challenge to even approach completing it. As you pick up clues and talk to suspects, the mystery really gathers pace and grabs you. As detective, you are regularly challenged by unnatural events (ghosts, ghouls etc), riddles and death defying stunts. The 3D graphics are incredibly detailed and realistic (think Monkey Island) and the developers claim this is due to their Virtools engine.

If you like to get absorbed in murder mystery games, then you'll love this although prepare to spend a lot of time mapping out the island.

Download Dead Reefs in Softonic

Rats often get a bad reputation but Remy is a little different. He's a rat with a nose for cooking and guiding him around the kitchens of Paris is the name of the game here. You'd think this isn't going to be an easy task as rodents aren't generally welcomed into kitchens. Actually, it's a lot easier than you might think as this platform game is simple enough to be completed in a day. The controls are very child-friendly and the jumps and ledges are pretty forgiving.

That's not to say this a bad game though and the slick graphics and animation make for great eye candy. With the voices provided by the actual actors from the film and with a whole gamut of clips from the movie to unlock, this will bring a smile to the face of any fan of the movie. Although the game itself is a pretty bog standard platformer, there are loads of mini-games to discover which help to hold your interest and encourage you to progress. It shouldn't take you long to help Remy find his dream though.

Download Ratatouille in Softonic

OK, so the storyline is a little far-fetched - you take control of the cleverly-named Rickard Bronson and must save the planet from an afterlife in hell using nothing but your hot air balloon - but Afterlife actually provides you with hours of fun. It can take a little while to master your craft but the controls can be customized and after a frustrating couple of first levels, the game turns into an action-packed romp through the dimensions of hell.

Afterlife isn't going to win any awards for its graphics, and the blocky ghosts and badly-rendered fireballs aren't exactly scarey. However, there's a decent soundtrack of music composed by the software developer with lots of tunes that can be hand-picked by you. It's a highly original adventure game, that if you have the patience to practice at will become something you can come back to time and again.

Download Afterlife 1.7.1 in Softonic

Embark on Agatha Christie's great Nile adventure by assuming the role of renowned detective Hercule Poirot, seeking clues to a mysterious murder aboard a ship that's cruising the River Nile.

Find hidden objects, clues and the hard evidence that you'll need to question suspects and uncover the truth behind the Death on the Nile. Was it the obvious former fiance? Or the diamond thief? The answer may surprise you!

Download Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile in Softonic

Prepare yourself for an extraordinary journey like never before as you encounter the World of The Sacred Rings. This first-person point-and-click adventure is the sequel to Aura: Fate of the Ages.

Play as Umang as you awake and find yourself alone in a strange, dark and unwelcoming world. Clenched in your fist lies a series of rings – the Sacred Rings that grant the holder unlimited power and immortality. Quickly you realize that a rival clan has tracked you down and that they want the Sacred Rings’ power for their own evil purposes. You must protect the Sacred Rings and return them to the Keepers ... the only ones who will be able to watch over them.

This is what this game has to offer:

• Vast, rich environments to explore
• Easy to navigate mouse-driven, point-and-click interface
• Numerous original and creative puzzles to solve and challenge you
• Beautiful graphics and environmental interaction with immersive special effects
• More than 400 incredible locations to fully explore
• A variety characters to interact with
• An astonishing musical score with 8 varied themes to compliment gameplay

Download Aura 2: The Sacred Rings Demo in Softonic