The World of Warcraft updating system is a standalone application that automates the task of keeping your add-ons current.

Anyone that has been playing World of Warcraft for any length of time knows how frustrating a new content patch can be. The scripting system in WoW is under constant modification to help add-on writers; unfortunately this does result in add-ons breaking quite often and requires them to be updated - a very time-consuming effort if you have more than a few installed.

WoWus was created to help alleviate the pains of keeping your installation in workable order; please see the Features section for further information.

Download WoWus 1.09 in Softonic

DirectX is one of the most powerful and problematic graphics engines and when it comes to gaming, can be a blessing or a curse.

A blessing because it allows such brilliant special effects and add ons but a curse because it is so prone to bugs and crashes. Construct allows you to create stunning DirectX animations and gaming add ons without causing too much of the latter. It's a WYSIWYG editor that requires a certain amount of DirectX programming knowledge but does not entirely exclude beginners. YIn fact, you needn't even take your hand off the mouse for the most part - you can simply drag and drop and manipulate your graphics in the way you want to with tons of options for specialists kinds of movements and objects. You can preview all of your creations in real time before you save them and save them directly to EXE files so they can be executed directly by others without the need to install the program. With advanced rendering effects such as motion blur, skewing and 3D lighting this is one DirectX programming environment to be reckoned with.

An excellent DirectX programming environment that's suitable for experts but also can be worked out by beginners.

Download Construct 0.96.2 in Softonic

Game Jackal has been designed to enhance your gaming experience in a number of subtle and not so subtle ways.

The most useful application of it for most gamers will be to avoid having to insert a CD-ROM when you are playing a game. You can create profiles on your desktop for separate games with "One-click" profile creation option. This involves right clicking on any game icon and selecting "Convert to Game Jackal Profile". The wizard them takes you through a process that means that the next time you start your game, you won't have to do so much clicking and exchanging of CD-ROM discs. This obviously saves time and wear and tear on your disks. You can use Game Jackal to launch all your games if you want using this option which is a nice way to tie them all together and see what you've got installed on your system. For parents however, the most useful aspect of Game Jackal is that you can prevent adult games from reaching young eyes. "Guardian Control" allows you to place limits on who can and can't use certain games and with games such as Grand Theft Auto 4 featuring some of the most explicit language and gaming yet, this is no bad thing.

For serious gamers or concerned parents, there's something for everyone in Game Jackal that will enhance your gaming experience or at least, set your mind at ease.

Download Game Jackal Pro 3.0.1.6 in Softonic

Quest Creator is a role-play game creator in which you can easily design your own adventures in mythical, medieval settings.

Using preset or custom characters, set up worlds in which you control the plot, action, and difficulty of the game.

A variety of graphic images are included for you to use with Quest Creator such as these enemies: slimes, orcs, goblins, ogres, trolls, skeletons, zombies, dragons, and many, many more.

You can play your own games or have your family and friends join in. Create your own fantasy world today!

Download Quest Creator 2.42.13 in Softonic

This has to be one of the most comprehensive programs I've ever laid eyes on. It's pretty much an entire entertainment solution ranging from gaming to a home entertainment centre. It features multiple emulators for gaming fans, music playlists, a fully functional Jukebox, Picture and Slide show viewer, Ebook and Comic Book reader, CD Player and CD Ripper with Automatic lookup of CD information and even a News Reader.

In addition, GameEx features a DVD Player with support for FFDSHOW which can also be controlled with a Gamepad, The Video module can also play DVR-MS using FFDSHOW (on Windows XP). Registered users can also use GameExtender which is like a networked LCD display for GameEx but for a real PC Display or TV, it can also be viewed through a web browser according to the developers.

For anyone that wants an all-in-one package, GameEx is certainly impressive although it packs a bit too much into one entertainment centre for my liking.

Download GameEx 9.37 in Softonic

After establishing a turning point in the history of videogames with The Sims, Maxis is back to present Will Wright's new project: Spore.

Spore has been under development for several years now, and it's supposedly hitting shelves next September 7th. This never-ending wait has created an enormous hype around Spore that we can now luckily soothe down a bit with the Spore Creature Editor.

First of all, bear in mind that this is by no means the complete game; it's just the editor part, where you create the characters that will later take part in the story. That said, and despite being only an editor, this demo is surprisingly fun.

Spore Creature Editor lets you create just about any living being you can think of, no matter what size, shape or color it is. You can customize every single detail: body, arms, legs, eyes, horns, anything! Of course, this demo doesn't include all the elements available in the complete game but still, you get the idea.

After creating and coloring your creature, you can try it in the Test Drive mode: make it walk, see how it dances to different music styles, try different feelings to see how it looks when it's angry, happy or scared. You can even generate a baby-sized version of your creature to check how your descendants will look like.

The Spore Creature Editor enables you to save all the creatures you create and also share them with the Spore user community in the Sporepedia, though you'll need to register for free in order to use this feature.

The Spore Creature Editor is just that: an editor to create your characters in the Spore game. However it's really fun you use and lets you discover the potential of this game.

Download Spore Creature Editor in Softonic

World of Warcraft Burning Crusade is the long-awaited expansion for the most played MMORPG in the world. One of its greatest secrets was its cinematic intro sequence, now released by Blizzard.

Get ready to meet your enemies in a two-minute video that shows already known monsters and spells (like the murlocs or the polymorph sheep) and also some of the new features of Burning Crusade, such as the Draenei or the Blood Elves.

This video stands out for its high image quality and the excellent job done by Blizzard animators.

Download World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Cinematic Trailer in Softonic

Fraps is a universal Windows application that can be used with all games using DirectX or OpenGL technology. In its current form Fraps performs many tasks and can best be described as:

Benchmarking Software

See how many Frames Per Second (FPS) you are getting in a corner of your screen. Perform custom benchmarks and measure the frame rate between any two points. Save the statistics out to disk and use them for your own reviews and applications.

Screen Capture Software

Take a screenshot with the press of a key! There's no need to paste into a paint program every time you want to capture the screen. Your screen captures are also automatically named and timestamped.

Realtime Video Capture Software

Have you ever wanted to record video while playing your favourite game? Come join the Machinima revolution! Throw away the VCR, forget about using a DV cam, game recording has never been this easy! Fraps can capture audio and video up to 1152x864 and 100 frames per second!

Download Fraps 2.9.4 in Softonic

Imagine a huge games arcade where thousands of dedicated game players can gather to do battle. That’s what GameSpy Arcade attempts to offer in a virtual world where game is the name and variety is the aim.

GameSpy started life by simply helping Quake users find a functioning sever to log onto but today, it has developed into a world of gaming in its own right. The developer claims that millions of gamers meet online on GameSpy to play the hundreds of online multiplayer games and free demos it’s linked to. They also claim the all-in-one interface offers the fastest game servers available – up to 60% faster than in-game browsers. Plus, it already features integrated texting, voice chat and instant messaging – eat your heart out SecondLife.

After installation, the program scans your PC for any installed games you have and lists those which are GameSpy compatible. All the major games such as Counter-Strike and Age of Empires are supported. The key feature of GameSpy is the Buddy List, which means you’re almost always guaranteed someone online to play with or against (depending on how many buddies you’ve got of course!) Using an engine called ‘PlayerSpy’, it gathers together all those friends that are online. You can see which chat room they are in and what game they are playing. If you fancy dropping in on their action, just click on their location to be instantly taken there. You can also send an instant message, start a voice conversation or send a game invite.

The other key feature of GameSpy is a searchable server filter (SmartSpy) which enables you to find the right server for the game you want in seconds. Popular dedicated-server games like Half-Life have literally thousands of game servers available and SmartSpy helps you pinpoint the best one for you in a matter of seconds. Just select the type of game you want to play and GameSpy Arcade will download data from and ping only those servers. For those that simply like to keep abreast of the latest games, GameSpy also offers DemoSpy - a daily updated list of the latest releases, supplied to them by FilePlanet which saves you registering with the latter. This also includes a handy patch section to keep your games updated.

The drawbacks can be summarised in two words – advertising and resources. From the minute you open GameSpy you are bombarded with advertising from developers hawking their latest games, which becomes rapidly tiresome. In addition, GameSpy tends to be very heavy on your CPU. If you’re playing on an older machine, forget about running anything else alongside it – it simply hogs your CPU to deal with the heavy graphics.

In summary, if you frequently find yourself without gaming companions, GameSpy Arcade is worth it for that reason alone – it’s a great way to make friends too. If however you’re dedicated to just one or two games and you regularly log on with others, the advertising and resource-hogging mean you can probably do without this.

Download GameSpy Arcade 2.05 RC1 in Softonic

After having already published two other trailers that gave us a sneak peek of the game, Rockstar offers now a third, longer video with many more details about the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto IV.

This 2-minute long trailer includes images from the game featuring known elements such as the streets of Liberty City, where the action takes place, and also new characters, new vehicles and a glimpse of all the new missions and submissions you'll be entrusted with in GTA's fourth episode. The video is presented just like a movie trailer, using cinema-like editing, transitions and even credits.

Although a video can't obviously capture the feelings you experiment while playing this game, it does help a lot in getting an overall impression that contributes even more to rise the hype around GTA IV, to the extent that even Nintendo lifetime fans like me might consider moving on to XBOX360 or even PS3…

Action cinema meets action videogames in this beautifully designed trailer where you'll get a preview of the all new Grand Theft Auto title coming next April 29th. If you're a true GTA series fan you shouldn't miss it.

Download Grand Theft Auto (GTA) IV Trailer Move Up, Ladies in Softonic

When you've tried every possible game and still don't find one that really makes your skin crawl, maybe it's time to start creating your own video games!

With Adventure Game Studio you can create your very own games from scratch, including every single element: rooms, characters, objects, dialogs and more. Though limited in genre (it only enables you to create point-and-click adventure games), the program includes highly detailed configuration menus and editors with which to create your personal adventure.

That said, don't think it's just a question of selecting a few basic graphics, writing some dialog lines and done. Creating games is an extremely hard task that involves writing a clear plot, having some skill in drawing characters and understanding how source code and scripts work.

Adventure Game includes both the game editor and a game engine, along with a debugger and compiler with which you'll be the first one to test your newly created adventure. Also, a complete Help section and a thorough tutorial will help you during your first steps in videogame creation.

Adventure Game Studio does help you create videogames, but you still need to have some background knowledge – or at least to be ready to acquire it.

Download Adventure Game Studio (AGS) 3.0.0 in Softonic

TeamTalk is a voice conferencing application, otherwise known as an Internet phone. The application allows you to talk to friends and colleagues using the Internet as audio carrier. With TeamTalk any number of people can participate in a conversation and is only limited by the bandwidth you have available.

Each user can choose his or her own audio quality which also determines the throughput required to each user. TeamTalk allows a throughput between 560 - 5850 bytes/sec. per user (so make sure those unlucky ones with a 56K modem are able to receive at your selected audio quality).

Download TeamTalk 3.4 in Softonic

Ventrilo Server is a utility that allows you to create a server for a voice communication program called Ventrilo.

To use it, simply decompress and run the ventrilo_srv.exe file at from that moment, you'll be given an IP address which you can your friends can use to connect to the server. The program offers excellent sound quality and os very light on CPU resources. It's an excellent choice for those looking for a simple no fuss interface (compared to the bloatedness of MSN Messenger) and is ideal for beginners because it's easy to learn how to use. The most commonly used features are immediately visible and can be activated with a single click of the mouse.

A simple and easy to use solution ofr first time IM users or if you're setting up a server for the first time.

Download Ventrilo Server 3.0.2 in Softonic

Using either the keyboard or the mouse to play videogames on your PC is not always the most comfortable option. Sometimes you'd love to use your gamepad but unfortunately not all games have support for them. Xpadder puts an end to this problem, allowing you to play PC games with poor or no gamepad support at all.

These are the features Xpadder has to offer:

• Full keyboard and mouse emulation
• No installation needed - run straight from the Zip file
• Add gamepad support to emulated, internet and DOS games
• Play multiplayer games with each player using their own gamepad
• Control video/music players using their shortcut keys
• Use a gamepad with a web browser or any windows application
• Rumble (force feedback) and advanced fine-tuning options
• Create and share any layout for any controller
• Multiple profile management using sharable files

Download Xpadder 2007-11a in Softonic

The first part of Sacred was one of best selling games of the decade and this trailer for the second part carries on the fine tradition that saw the first do so well. In the first part of this game, you are confronted with spectacular images and will discover some of the most exciting features of this sequel - new characters, new scenarios and two completely new campaigns.

There have been significant graphical advances in this sequel with new detailed surroundings and some stunning 3D visual effects that will test your graphics card to the max. One striking component of the graphics is what the developers call the unique "Gore Feedback", which displays the strength and power of the player's own game character. In addition to this, the missions are much more challenging and the virtual world's twice as big.

Sacred 2 is an excellent follow up to Sacred and will delight most fans of the original with increased action, monsters, scenarios, weapons and overall fun.

Download Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Trailer in Softonic

D3DGear is an advanced DirectX & OpenGL utility. It automatically measures Windows 3D game frame rate, and displays it on screen. D3DGear also is a screenshot capture tool, it captures 3D game screenshot and saves a screenshot in popular image format. With D3DGear, you even can record 3D game into AVI movie while you are playing game.

To use D3DGear, simply launch D3DGear prior to start 3D game, the frame rate of 3D game will be automatically measured and displayed on screen; capturing screenshot will be as simple as pressing pre-defined hotkey.

Download D3DGear 2.03 in Softonic

Gatherer is a plug-in for World of Warcraft that will make your herbalist or miner life much easier. This little tool tracks the location of mines and herbs in the game and then displays an icon on the map so that you can find them faster and more easily.

Gatherer records all data on its own database, including the quality of each mine or herb found for later reference. This information will be very useful to improve your gathering skill and consequently earn more money by selling minerals and herbs.

If only it could be both herbalism and mining a bit more fun, then it would be just perfect!

Gatherer helps you find mines and herbs in World of Warcraft, improving your skill faster and making you earn more money

Download World of Warcraft Gatherer Addon 3.00 in Softonic

Let me see: you're a hardcore gamer. You've tried every single FPS published in the last five years. You spend hours training with your clan every day. But have you ever tried designing your own games?

This is precisely what you can do with FPS Creator, an excellent game editor that enables you to create your own FPS adventures in a very easy way. No programming and no 3D modeling required! The program's interface does take a time to get used to, but you'll be creating your first levels in no time. Also, don't panic if you see no help available inside the program: look for the PDF user manual inside the game's folder.

FPS Creator includes a wide selection of 3D elements to recreate the game of your dreams: rooms, corridors, doors, decoration and more. Everything is taken care of, so for example, if you put a lamp inside a room, the editor will automatically control light dynamics.

But the best is yet to come: a single click will drop you inside your own creation after rendering it in 3D. You'll be able to walk along the rooms and corridors you just designed to adjust the last details or simply have fun with your own game.

Download FPS Creator 1.0 in Softonic

Specially designed for the re compression of PNG captures, MNG animations, ZIP and GZ files, AdvanceCOMP is a development of the AdvanceMAME project and is designed to re compress your collection of ROMs.

This is a particularly good compressor because of the 7-ZIP algorithm it uses for compression. The 7-ZIP standard is a lossless compression standard and is the real stand-out feature of this suite. In particular, if you work with PNG files regularly, you'll find this is one of the best quality re-compression tools you can use. PNG was initially intended as a superior, patent-free replacement of GIF. Unlike other lossless compression schemes, PNG compression does not depend solely on the statistics of the input. However, a good PNG compressor must be able to take informed decisions about the factors that affect the size of the output which is something that AdvanceCOMP does very well.

There are other similar tools that do the same job such as PNGCrush but few do it as efficiently, quickly and with such high quality output as AdvanceCOMP. It's just a shame that it can't re-compress other image formats as well.

Download AdvanceCOMP 1.15 in Softonic

Remember the good old days when computers had x86 chips and MS-DOS was the central operating system for everyone? It did seem like you needed much more technical knowledge to properly use a computer.

DOSBox allows those of you still nostalgic of that not-so-long-ago time to emulate games and applications that ran under DOS. Obviously you will still need to remember all the basic DOS commands, to mount and launch applications or simply search through directories.

The DOSBox website provides a big list of all the games that can be played under DOS but does not include download links. You'll have to search the web to find them.

The advantage DOSBox has over other emulators is that it doesn't limit itself to games. Remember a great application you used to run on DOS, years back? If you find it, there's a good chance it will work in DOSBox.

DOSBox can emulate any game or application that used to run under MS-DOS. You'll need to be comfortable with DOS commands to use DOSBox though.

Download DOSBox 0.72 in Softonic