Valve is well known for games like Half-Life and for a small but powerful utility called Steam.

What is Steam? It's a utility that lets you download demos, buy games and keep up to date with the news from Valve. All you need to do is create an account using a valid e-mail address and once you've paid the relevant fee, access games like Half-Life 2, Counter Strike or Sin Episodes.

What's more, Steam will automatically keep all your games up to date meaning that you can enjoy gaming without worrying about having the very latest patch.

Download Steam v007 in Softonic

Kodak Easyshare is a digital photo organizer which gives you access to your Kodak Gallery and make use of Kodak's project and print services.

You'll find it offers what you expect of a digital photo organizer, such as being able to save your photos in albums and show them in calendar view, adding tags, easy transferring from your camera and sharing them with others via email or burning on a CD. You can also create a little slideshow to view albums in full screen.

I did find the application a little counter-intuitive, partly due to the color of the interface, which makes it difficult to set buttons apart. A simple action like adding an album, wasn't easy as it should be.

Although limited, the range of editing tools available was OK. You can enhance your picture, set the balance and add a few effects to make a little snazzier. Both the tips and online guide provided by Kodak are thorough.

You can use Kodak Easyshare without actually having a Kodak account, however you'll find many places in the application where it encourages you to do so. Your use of the application will also obviously be limited if you don't have one as you won't be able to print photos or create projects.

Kodak Easyshare is a digital photo manager, that gives access to Kodak services online.

Download Kodak Easyshare 7.0 in Softonic

particleIllusion lets you create any sort of particle effect easily. Whether you are looking for an explosion, flash, spray, drip or any other sort of effect, you should be able to find it in particleIllusion, which contains more than 1500 particle effects.

Even though the interface itself is a little counter-intuitive, adding an effect to an image or video is relatively easy. Load up your video or image in particleIllusion, select the effects you want and add them, play around with the settings until you have reached the desired result and render the file before exporting it.

The parameters give you a lot of flexibility, however I did find them a little difficult to work with, particularly the graph view.

Luckily particleIllusion comes with a full online tutorial to guide through every step and help you really become familiar with the program.

Although a little counter intuitive, particleIllusion is a great tool with over 1500 particle effects to add to your video or image.

Download particleIllusion 3.0.3 in Softonic

Soldat is a unique side-view multiplayer action game. It takes the best from games like Liero, Worms, Quake and Counter-Strike and gives you fast action gameplay with tons of blood and flesh. Soldiers fight against each other on 2D battle arenas using a deadly military arsenal. This is what multiplayer was invented for.

Download Soldat 1.4.2 in Softonic

They say old classics never die, and I guess this sentence could be also applied to some videogames.

Tetro Challenge is a remake of the popular Russian puzzle that features the same playability and addiction level as the original game. In fact I've had to force myself into writing this review before spending too much time testing it!

This colorful Blocks clone features several different gaming modes (Challenge, Destroyer, Panic and Bricklayer), a decent soundtrack and sound effects and quite a few challenges to keep you hooked for a while during a pause from work. So, depending on the type of game you choose, you'll have to fight against extra blocks, weirdly shaped pieces and other obstacles.

On the downside, I missed having two ways to rotate bricks like in the original game (in Tetro Challenge you have to choose between clockwise or counter-clockwise). Also, I didn't like the fact that the game opens up its own website every time you play it.

Despite these minor flaws, Tetro Challenge is a very entertaining, decent puzzle game that will keep you amused for hours.

Download Tetro Challenge 1.0 in Softonic

The N64 certainly wasn't the most successful games console, but it still generated a certain following, hence why emulators like Mupen64 can be found.

Thanks to Mupen64 you'll be able to load and play any N64 ROM on your Mac. The emulator is relatively easy to use and you'll find a readme file that comes with the download indicating the button configuration.

From the preferences you'll be able to choose from one of four resolutions, which is a good thing as Mupen64 first launches at a resolution of only 320*240. The application offers three texture cache size and you'll be able to activate fog, fullscreen, and both 2xSal and Bilinear filtering. From the options menu Mupen64 also allows you to limit the speed of games, set the audio and choose from three emulation cores. You'll have to restart the emulator for changes to come into effect though.

Mupen64 is said to work with plugins, but we could not find any sign of them anywhere in the program.

The configurations are a little counter-intuitive, yet if you stick to launching ROMs you'll find Mupen64 is a good emulator for enjoying N64 games.

Download Mupen64 0.5.1 in Softonic

Aero Fox is a theme for your Firefox browser which I am sure many of you will like. It adds a black, glossy style to your favourite browser, but apart from the main navigation bar and icons, it doesn’t change the way menus look.

This theme will probably look great with a Vista PC given the colours’ resemblance, but in computers with Windows XP installed, the blue bar at the bottom and at the top will not match at all.

What I also found strange is that when moving the cursor over an icon, instead of becoming brighter, as if you where ‘activating’ it, it becomes very dark, as if in some way you were switching it off – a counter-intuitive behaviour. Furthermore, if you have many bookmarks saved in your toolbar, you will have trouble finding the arrow which brings you to the links that don’t fit in the bar. That said, many users like it and it has become one of the most downloaded themes, so why not give it a try?

Aero Fox brings a black shiny look to your Firefox, and fits perfectly with Vista PC, but not necessarily with Windows XP’s bright blue style.

Download Aero Fox 1.0.5 in Softonic

Wouldn't it be useful to have a visual map of your thoughts, stating clearly what can support your view or what could instead be raised against it. Argumentative will let you built clear charts with thesis and counter thesis so that you can prepare your speech or develop ideas in a more effective way.

The application makes use of colours to clarify the diagram. Reasons are written in a green panel, objections in red one while the elements in support of both are displayed in a blue box. At any time you can add reasons, helpers or objections to make your graph as comprehensive as possible. Finally, you can export it into Word, Power Point or transform it into other formats using an XSLT style sheet of your choice.

Argumentative's concept is interesting and useful, but the way to design your thought diagram is not that usable. I wouldn't say it is difficult, but surely nowadays we have reached some standard for icons in order to move, add or remove things. I don't find it particularly quick, as one has to go into the edit menu, and then select the adding option just to insert a new panel. It's not really difficult but it would have made things much easier if there were an icon for these functions on the main bar.

Despite a raw design which slows the creation process, this free program can help you organize your ideas, thoughts and presentations thanks to its clear way of displaying arguments and objections.

Download Argumentative 0.5.43 in Softonic

WildRename is a file renaming tool that enables you to rename multiple files at the same time, therefore saving you loads of time and typing.

The program features a nicely designed interface, something I really appreciated as this kind of programs usually feature quite confusing menus. There are several renaming options, including the most basic ones (adding or removing characters) and also some advanced options such as changing case or replacing text strings by some completely new words.

I specially liked the possibility to simulate changes, so that you get a preview of how the new file names are going to look like before applying any definitive change to them. However this previewing option would be much more useful and effective if you could see it in real time and didn't have to actually process files.

Other interesting features in WildRename are the possibility to perform several renaming task on a row, save those tasks as a renaming job that you can use later on and also embed WildRename as a new command in the SendTo menu in Windows Explorer's context menu.

WildRename is a full-featured file renaming tool that will help you rename tons of files in just a few clicks.

Download WildRename 2.00 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

CATVids is a powerful database program designed to help you catalog and manage your video collection. CATVids works with all types of media, including DVDs, VHS tapes, and laser discs. It will keep track of not only your pre-recorded material, but also home videos and anything else you have taped. Using CATVids you can quickly catalog your movies by downloading information from the internet.

CATVids has a comprehensive set of data fields, enabling you to catalog a wide range of information: title, media format, release year, publisher, purchase date and price, current value, region, special features, production year, studio, rating, director, writer, cast and characters, synopsis, tape counter, recording speed, recording date, personal rating, keywords, and more.

Other features include custom data fields, a loan module (to keep track of videos on loan), flexible searching, a report designer, more than 100 pre-defined report formats, a HTML generator, pop-up menus for quick feature access and navigation, and comprehensive context-sensitive on-line documentation available at the touch of a button.

Download CATVids 7.23 in Softonic

Here's a lovely personal diary available for you to download. myDiary is a very simple application, but it's perfect if you are looking to write your thoughts during the day and then protect them so that nobody else can read them.

You can write on this digital diary, day by day, adding automatically the time of when you are writing if you wish and browse your posts with a calendar tool. You cannot write on forecoming days, and although this may seem a limitation, it's probably because a diary it's not meant to remember things to do, but it's just a way to express the thoughts or the considerations of the day.

Be careful when you access it for the first time to enter with the password you want to use because there is no reminder in case you forget it. There are four sweet themes you can choose from for the access page or you can add your own pictures if you want to personalise it more.

Instead of writing your personal life on full accessible blogs, counter the trend: write down your daily thoughts in myDiary and lock it so that nobody else can read your 'secrets'.

Download myDiary 4.0 in Softonic

If you think cooking is just a matter for people with lots of time and that ultimately it's just time taken to pursue other more 'intelligent' activities, you should think twice. Cooking is actually a creative task that stimulates all your senses and your brain. Where to start then?

Have a look at Easy Recipe Deluxe as it contains some interesting servings divided by categories and style. If you need a secure place to write down and catalogue your grandmother's secret recipes, try this well organized database. It has some extra features that allow you to create shopping lists based on the dishes you are going to prepare and you can export your cooking book in HTML or send it by mail to a friend.

The list of categories is huge and ranges from Appetizers, Breakfast, Microwave, Puddings up to Stir-Fry and Vegetable dishes. You can also choose a recipe based on the main ingredient, or from the Cuisine Style.
I liked the clear interface, the photo of the dishes and the possibility of adding personal comments on the instructions. What I found annoying is the impossibility of downloading new online recipes and the fact that there are no step by step images on how to prepare the meal. Where is the counter for calories then?!

Don't store your favorite recipes on paper when you can have them all well organized in a clear database although unfortunately, it's not a great source of 'cooking inspiration'.

Download Easy Recipe Deluxe 1.6.265 in Softonic

Systemometer is a unique monitoring tool that shows system activity and resources as a screen saver or a thumbnail window. It allows you to create different monitoring profiles out of the Windows performance counters available on your system or remote hosts. The interface displays the values of monitored parameters connecting all measured points in one polygon - a snapshot view that helps to read the overall system status at a glance. This method is also suitable for understanding load balance of a specific parameter (e.g. CPU utilization) among several items like computers or applications.

Different shapes of monitoring polygons draw visual patterns associated with normal or critical system states. One look at the screen will tell you what is happening with the system. The history of counter values can be recorded to the log file in either HTML or CSV format. Systemometer is helpful for system administrators working in Windows environment with network, printers, databases, Web servers, etc. It is a nice toy for your home office.

Download Systemometer 1.6.2 Personal in Softonic

Anyone who lived through the 1980's can remember the Rubik's cube phenomenon and if like me, you were totally rubbish at it, then unpack it from those dusty boxes and with this program, you'll solve it once and for all.

The program presents a three-dimensional cube which enables you to manipulate a Rubik's cube as you would in real life. You have to rotate the cube using Shift and function keys with the mouse which can be tricky but you soon get used to it. The point is that the computer can teach you how to solve a Rubik's cube in just a few minutes by showing you where it needs to go next form a certain position. The computer actually solves the cube by starting at the top right hand corner and then moving it in a counter clockwise direction. It then swivels the cube on a 360 degree axis to show you precisely where you should move next. It still takes some time to follow however because sometimes it's difficult to judge how the positions relate to real life so you'll have to spend some time carefully studying every move.

This is a complete cheat's dream although you'll be surprised at how tricky it still remains to solve the puzzle, even with the computer's help.

Download Gestel Cube 1.42 in Softonic

This label software program enables you to create a wide variety of labels using text, pictures, boxes, ovals, lines, counters, and patterns in any font, color, or rotation. Visual Labels includes a comprehensive database of Avery label templates. You can create text in circles or partial circles. Several options are provided. You can set the number of degrees the CircleText encompasses, the starting angle, whether it is angled or mirrored, and what color it is.

Download Visual Labels 3.40 in Softonic

Customer Service is an increasingly important part of a commercial website's operations and the closer you are to them, chances are the more you will sell.

LiveZilla aims to help you achieve this by chatting with your website visitors in real time and therefore allowing you to provide live assistance when help is needed. The advantage is that instead of having to e-mail you -which customers frequently can't be bothered to do - they can instantly ask you and have a response within seconds.

To get started is relatively simple - you just need to upload the LiveZilla client configuration to the server of your webpage via LiveZilla Server Admin. Everything is taken care of via an easy-to-follow setup wizard so there are no technical obstacles to be worried about. Once done, you can communicate via instant messaging with users without installing anything else. They can even use webcams and send files to communicate with you.

The program also tracks stats on visitors arriving at your site, their country of origin and page visits although you'll probably have all of this taken care of by a decent stat-counter service anyway. For your security and convenience, you can also save common questions asked and send answers in one click including the sending of sketches and complex information.

If you have regular customer enquiries and want to be closer to your clients, then LiveZilla is an excellent business solution.

Download LiveZilla 3.1.5.51 in Softonic

Warzone 2100 is a real-time strategy game, developed by Pumpkin Studios (Archived website) and published by Eidos-Interactive. In late 2004 Warzone was released by its copyright holders, Eidos-Interactive, to the public under the GNU General Public License and the Warzone 2100 Resurrection Project was born.

Although comparable to Earth2150 in many significant aspects, it does contain some that are unique. These include various radar technologies, a greater focus on artillery and counter-battery technologies, more frequent in-game cinematic updates as gameplay progress, as well as a different vehicle design method.

Download Warzone 2100 2.0.10 in Softonic

TimeTracker is a Firefox extension that can help you to be a bit more productive.

How does it work? TimeTracker displays a tiny clock on the browser's bottom right corner with which it calculates the amount of time you spend browsing the web. This information can be useful to check how much time you really spend on the web or to cut down your procrastination time. What's more, if you hover your mouse over the clock you'll see extended data such as your total browsing time since the extension was installed or since the last time it was reset.

TimeTracker can be configured to ignore certain websites, so for example it doesn't count your browsing the company intranet as a waste of time. Unfortunately time is tracked on a general basis and not according to each specific site. Another feature I missed was the possibility of creating and exporting some more advanced statistics, but according to the author's webpage, both specific time tracking and advanced data are included in planned features for future versions.

TimeTracker helps you control the amount of time you spend browsing the web. Future versions will hopefully include extended functionality.

Download TimeTracker 1.2.2 in Softonic

Becoming pregnant can be a laborious process, not in terms of the act of intercourse, which is usually quite fun, but in trying to work out the dates when you are at your most fertile. What's more, it always seems that those who don't want to get pregnant are the ones most likely to conceive, such is the irony of life.

Personally, I don't ovulate but if I did then I reckon I'd find this program pretty useful. It can be used to show you which days are the best to have sexual relations if you want a baby. Consequently, if you don't want one then Ovulation Calendar Calculator lets you know the dates to avoid. The program presents information very clearly, and works by assessing your menstrual cycle and basal temperature to provide you with a percentage of likelihood of conception, even helping you create the gender you want.

Besides the fertility calculator, the application includes a number of other useful tools for if you strike it lucky. There's a utility for monitoring your weight, calories and excercise, along with a blood pressure counter and a special calming alarm that regulates your sleep cycle.

If you want to get pregnant or if you don't want to get pregnant, this application provides you with a definite advantage.

Download Ovulation Calendar Calculator 2.1 in Softonic