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

If you're looking for an easygoing action game, one you can play just for fun even if you're not very good at shooters, you should definitely give Bloodmasters a go.

Featuring a top-down perspective like old style games, this action title enables you to fight against other players both in LAN and online battles that can take place in different maps. The aim depends on the type of game you're playing: Deathmatch, Scavenger or Capture the flag, either in individual competition or by teams.

The game's graphics are quite simple and the maps are ridiculously small, consisting mainly of a large room with corridors, stairs and dark spots where you can hide away from your enemies. There are different weapons and ammo scattered all over the map for you to pick up and use.

Bloodmasters lacks single player mode, which makes it quite limited in terms of gameplay. During our tests we could only find three online servers to play, but I guess the funniest way to enjoy the game is by fighting against friends on a local network.

Bloodmasters is an easy, old school multiplayer action game with an overhead view. Despite its tiny maps and basic graphics, it's loads of fun when played against friends online or in a LAN.

Download BloodMasters 1.0 in Softonic

I was never a SNES fan but I've got plenty of friends that rave about the time when the console really rocked and they stayed glued at it for hours.

Obviously, that all ended - not because they grew up but because Playstations and XBoxes came along. Now however, you can re-live those halcyon days with Mario and his friends via this emulator which reproduces the console in all it's glory. From Mario to Zelda, you can play it all with Snes9x. The emulator supports the decompression of ZIP files so if your ROM files are zipped up, it's no problem. Like playing on an original Snes, you can save games to restart them later, customize game controls and best of all, even link up with other users over the internet for some truly original Snes action. Probably the piece de resistance however is the fact that this emulator can actually improve the graphics via the "Super Eagle" screen filter. This basically takes all those classic blocky images, re-composes them, and smooths them out to give your games a more modern feel and look. This looks particularly good with Super Mario World and if you have a 3D card, you can even give the characters increased depth and definition without losing the original charm.

For Snes addicts, this emulator is an essential for reliving those glory days of Mario and Zelda without being told off by your mum for playing too long.

Download Snes9x 1.51 in Softonic

Resco is a popular mobile app developer that has now taken a step towards desktop computers by launching a pack of freeware games for Windows.

The Resco PC Game kit includes four popular games, namely Sudoku, Sokoban, a Bejeweled clone (Resco Diamonds) and a simple strategy game, Resco Defender. Sudoku is, according to my personal opinion, the best one of all four. It allows you to play sudoku at different levels of difficulty and even create your own puzzles. It also includes a great hint system in case you get stuck. I also liked Sokoban a lot. It features loads of levels to beat, a 3D view to help you find the exit to each level and the possibility to save the game to continue it later on.

As for the strategy title, the main problem is size. I know this is a mobile game port to PC, but there's no way you can play a strategy adventure in such a small window. It didn't matter that much for the two previous titles, but it does get quite annoying for Resco Defender. Finally, Resco Diamonds is a fairly good Bejeweled remake that manages to keep the same gameplay and addiction level. On the downside, I didn't like the graphics. I think I'm used to more cartoon-style colored balls that look way much better than those fake jewels.

Have some casual fun during a work break with this free game pack, but don't ask for anything else.

Download Resco PC Games 1.0 in Softonic

Battleships Forever is a new strategy game in real time that is focused entirely on space battles. It's distinguished by enormous ships and spectacular battle scenes plus some great gameplay.

You begin by choosing a number of ships from among a list destroyers, patroller or defenders. Each is composed of different "modules" that can be configured to obtain different advantages on the battlefield. From there, the whole game is controlled by using the mouse although there are hotkeys that allow you to issue orders to your fleet. The gameplay is simple but each mission is a challenge, because the artificial intelligence of the enemies and the size of some of the craft which you can also design yourself with the in game editor.

The graphics are a bit disappointing in that they are 2 dimensional but the sound effects, particularly explosions, make up for this

A great battleship game that will have space fans enthralled for hours.

Download Battleships Forever in Softonic

Get ready for Kong, an action game which can be played in multiplayer mode or against computer controlled bots from a top-down perspective. There are no tanks and soldiers here - only orangutans armed to the teeth. Depending on the mode of play you choose (deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag), the goal is different, but the means are always the same - a lot of weapons. These are of different types, such as lasers, rocket launchers or machine guns that can can be enhanced with various "power ups" that are distributed across each level.

Each level is full of new and surprising obstacles and objects to make your life easier or more difficult depending on the scenario. Although I never got to experience it, I imagine that the multiplayer mode with friends across the internet would also be a hell of a lot of fun in this game. The developers have purposely gone for a "Cell-Shading" technique which gives the characters a cartoon look and feel. The sound effects, especially as regards the weapons, are particularly good giving the game an extra touch of class.

For great gameplay, graphics and sound this game can't be faulted for hours of monkey madness fun.

Download Kong 1.0.1 in Softonic

The GameBoy has come a long way since we first saw that big white and grey block at the end of the last century. Its great, great, great grandson, the Nintendo DS is now even more powerful than the high-tech machines doing the rounds in the arcades of the early Nineties. In fact, it's so good that sometimes you'll want to play with it in the office, which obviously you can't. Well, actually you can. Actually you can't. Well, you sort of can. Let me explain...

DeSmuME is a Nintendo DS emulator that allows you to play games on your PC using DS ROM files, which you can download from the Internet. Trouble is, downloading these files is illegal, so on your own head be it if the FBI van rolls up outside your house. Legalities aside, this is a pretty decent emulator, which was orginally designed for games programmers to develop and test their latest creations. It can be a little tricky to set up, but once running you'll be able to enjoy a huge selection of games in ROM format. But if the Feds ask, don't tell them it was me who told you.

Download DeSmuME 0.7.3 in Softonic

If you grew up using a Commodore 64 then you surely must have owned the classic Boulder Dash game. If your parents were slightly richer and you had an Amiga, then you'll probably know it as Emerald Mine. Rocks'n'Diamonds is basically a clone of these games, charging you with the task of exploring endless mines to uncover precious jewels. As soon as you've collected enough gems you'll be transported to the next level. But don't expect to finish the game quickly because there are over 50,000 levels to negotiate!

The levels themselves get a bit repetitive but luckily the developer has included a level editor, allowing you to construct your own mines (if you have the patience for this, of course). The graphics and sounds are very plain but in terms of a retro experience it's a faithful recreation of the Commodore classic. And yes, it's still great fun to play.

Download Rocks'n'Diamonds 3.2.3 in Softonic

Turrican was a cult classic on the C64 and Amiga back in the day and now the program returns on the PC in this faithful recreation. The object is to navigate a space soldier through nine challenging levels, blowing away all manner of aggressive robots, attacking plants and avoiding dangerous traps along the way.

The game plays very well, allowing you to shoot updwards as well as horizontally. Anyone who's a fan of the original like me will be pleased with this recreation as the graphics and sound are very true to the Commadore classic, although there aren't that many new additions to enjoy. If you never experienced Turrican in your youth though, then you're in for a treat.

Download Hurrican 1.0.0.1 in Softonic

SoftCAT is a database program designed to help you organize your software. Not only will SoftCAT help you know what you have and where it is, but it will also help you keep track of important information like serial numbers, registration names, and other registration information. You never know when you need this information!

More than 30 data fields will help you track information like program title, version, publisher, platform, type (commercial, freeware, shareware, etc.), category (Desktop Enhancements, Games, Utilities, etc.), price, installation date, installation folder, product homepage, serial number, and registration name.

You can password protect your database to prevent unwanted users from opening your database. Use the backup function to make backup copies of your valuable data. SoftCAT uses pop-up menus for quick access and navigation. SoftCAT comes with a sample database to get you started and a comprehensive context-sensitive on-line help system.

SoftCAT is intuitive and easy-to-use, and you will soon find that SoftCAT is all you ever need to keep track of your software.

Download SoftCAT Plus 3.11.2 in Softonic

What do you get if you cross Manga animation with a blistering martial arts fighting game? Super Dragon Ball Z. This classic arcade fighting game is based on the retro MUGEN graphics engine and will appeal to anyone who likes Street Fighter or Double Dragon.

In the start menu, you’re presented with several different modes. Arcade means you go 1 on 1 against the computer; in VS mode you take on a friend; Team VS lets you play various team-up modes against a friend; Team Arcade means various team-up modes against the computer and Team Co-op allows you to beat the crap out of the computer tag-team style. Finally, Training allows you to work on your moves and Watch mode allows you to observe computer controlled characters beat the hell out of each other in various modes. There’s also an options menu where you can configure such things as the level of difficulty, time limit, sound features and controls.

The game lets you take on the role of of almost 30 characters. Highlights include Chibi Trunks, Future Trunks, Normal Trunks and Mr Boo. As one of these fighters, you take on a series of martial arts beasts in an effort to win battle points and collect dragon balls. If you choose to take on a friend in the “VS” mode, make sure you’ve either got two joysticks or at least one whilst the other plays on the keyboard. For beginners, I’d advise going straight into training mode where you can practice some special moves which range from a simple karate-chop to a “fist of death” hammer blow which involves pressing at least seven different keys at once. Remember those old Amiga and Atari games where a special move literally involved snapping the joystick and you’ll get the picture. You can also customise your own player although it’s mainly limited to changing the name and colours here and there.

The game itself works on the basis of battle points - the more you beat-up, the more you win. Points give you access to a “skill tree” which enables you to pimp-up your character and give him/her some new moves. Along the way, you also collect dragon balls and once you have collected 7, you can call forth the “dragon of Shenron” which grants you a wish. According to the developers, this can range from adding a new move to your character to creating an entirely new one. The gameplay is just like a classic arcade game thanks to the ever-popular MUGEN graphics engine. The sound is also excellent with some classic satisfying retro kicks and punch effects. On the downside, it can seem a bit limited and boring compared to fighting classics like Street Fighter or Tekken but for a game that’s only around 30 MB , it certainly packs a punch.

Be warned also that although the developers claim this game works on all Windows platforms, some forums report that users with anything above Windows 98 have experienced problems starting the game. More advice is available from the developers’ website. In summary, a must have for any retro fighting fan.

Download Dragon Ball Z MUGEN Edition 2 in Softonic

Within a Deep Forest is a freeware 2D platform game for Windows, featuring challenging gameplay, beautiful music, an evil doctor, infinite cuteness, and a deep forest.

The story goes like this. Two attempts have been made to build a bomb, capable of freezing the entire world into ice. The first was a failure, and resulted in a living blue ball.

The second attempt was a success. Now the clock is ticking, and the world is in grave danger. That is, unless...

Download Within a Deep Forest 1.1.1 in Softonic

Simple Movie Database is a freeware program which keeps tracks of movies, series, documentaries and such that you have seen or have opinions about. You can rate a film on a scale from one to ten and write your personal comments and a review about it. The database has no problem handling tens of thousands of movies, basically it's almost unlimited. You can also export an HTML list of all the entries in your database, which you can then print or share with friends. Each movie can be assigned up to twentysix different genres anywhere from Action to Game-show. Other options include running time, year or release, director and actors. Needless to say, it has all the necessary settings to supply you with everything that you need to keep track of your favorite movies.

Download Simple Movie Database 1.0 in Softonic

The goal of Boppin' is to match Bopping blocks. To do this you must first pick up a block. Walk over the Sources, the locations where you first appear, to pick up Bopping blocks as they appear. Your character will automatically pick up the Bopping block.

To throw Bopping blocks, stop, hold down the action button, and then move the controller in the direction you wish to throw, either left, or right. You can waggle the controller left or right before you throw. To actually throw a Bopping block, you must release the action button. The block is thrown only when you release the button.

You can only throw diagonally up left, or diagonally up right. This means that you have to play Boppin' a bit like pool or billiards...the secret is in finding angles to bounce blocks off of. Beware of floors, though, some are deadly and a Bopping block that hits a deadly floor will cost you.

Download Boppin 2.0 in Softonic

This anime style fighter is a superb freeware fighter that will take you back to the days of Street Fighter. With smooth graphics and controls that are easy to pick up, including of course, the fighter-specific special moves that you can perform using the right key combo. On top of this, the game includes a very infectious soundtrack.

Download MindArms 0.5413 in Softonic

On the surface of it you might wonder why you would need to download a program that records images of your screen, let alone pay for one. The irony is it’s not really until you’ve used one, especially a capture tool as slick as Mr Captor, that you realize how useful they can be. Whether you’re a developer or designer that wants to collect examples of cool designs from the web, or just someone who wants to make a snapshot of your desktop for reference purposes, this nifty app will sort you out.

Mr Captor’s interface can be customized to display small or large buttons, both of which create an intuitive working environment to perform your captures. This simple GUI hides a surprisingly large number of features that could lead you to think screen capturing was a branch of science. You can perform operations such as capturing windows, scrolling to capture whole web pages, and full screen capture. It’s probably best to steer clear of the ‘Hide Before Capture’ option though, as it creates a lot of confusion trying to switch between Mr Captor and the program that you’re trying to capture.

Unfortunately this isn’t a piece of freeware, though the developer includes just about enough to justify the cost. For instance, there’s a video capture tool which records movement on your screen, allowing you to record your computer actions or even garner video from streaming sources or games. While it’s easy to use, the video quality isn’t perfect and it’s unable to record sound at present. However, with additions such as Flash slideshow creation, colour sampling and an image gallery, Mr Captor is worthy of its place among the big players of the screen capture world.

Download Mr. Captor 3.33 in Softonic

123 Free Solitaire is a free high-quality solitaire card games collection. Download and play Spider solitaire, FreeCell, Klondike and many other beautiful solitaire games.

123 Free Solitaire features a winning layout, fast game play, rich sounds, extensive options, and quality help. Each solitaire has more than nine trillion (9,999,999,999,999) possible games to play, so the game remains fresh no matter how many times you play. Under Windows XP, 123 Free Solitaire is fully skinnable with XP Themes and visual styles.

Download 123 Free Solitaire 2006 - Card Games Suite 5.50 in Softonic

Create Flash and JavaScript effects such as slide shows, messengers, scrollers, games, Web navigation menus, and more with the click of a button. You can have a fully customized Web effect ready in less than 4 minutes and even send it by e-mail or create screensavers. It contains 40 customizable effects of which 17 are freeware effects and 23 are adware effects (these have a small link and delay at the applet initalization).

Download Advanced Effect Maker Free Edition 2.0 in Softonic

SoftCAT is a database application designed to help you organize your software. Not only will SoftCAT help you know what you have and where it is, but it will also help you keep track of important information like serial number, registration name, and other registration information. You never know when you NEED this information!

More than 30 data fields will help you track information like program title, version, publisher, platform, type (commercial, freeware, shareware, etc.), category (Desktop Enhancements, Games, Utilities, etc.), price, installation date, installation folder, product homepage, serial number, and registration name.

You can password protect your database to prevent unwanted users from opening your database. Use the backup function to make backup copies of your valuable data. SoftCAT uses pop-up menus for quick access and navigation. SoftCAT comes with a sample database to get you started and a comprehensive context-sensitive on-line help system. SoftCAT is intuitive and easy-to-use, and you will soon find that SoftCAT is all you ever need to keep track of your software.

Download SoftCAT 2.10 in Softonic

In Bug Squish, you must defend your arm from an onslaught of blood-sucking insects. Use your fly-swatter to squish them before they suck you dry.

This is a very simple freeware game based on the original Mac version. The insects swarm towards your arm in waves and its up to you to swat them as effectively as possible to prevent them from biting and sucking all your blood!

Download BugSquish 0.0.6 in Softonic