There’s a plethora of music players to choose from, among which iTunes and Winamp usually have the upper hand. However, if you are curious enough, you might find that lesser known alternatives like MediaMonkey offer a reasonable amount of features and tools to organize and equally enjoy your music library.

MediaMonkey automatically scans your PC for all types of music formats. If you have playlists from other programs, it’s good to know that the application also adds m3u files, sparing you the pain of having to recreate them. The file explorer view on the left lets you easily navigate your music collection by categories like artist, genre or rating. You can convert tracks into any format you wish, depending on what size or quality of sound you’re looking for. MediaMonkey also lets you analyze and adjust the volume of tracks to increase your listening experience.

MediaMonkey has made its reputation on its advanced tagging management feature. Every time a track is added, the program will verify its tags. You can automatically fill in missing details with info from Amazon or Filename. The program can clean up your tags, move information into the correct categories and synchronize tags for selected tracks. You can also rename and move multiple files thanks to the auto-organize function. MediaMonkey also supports Winamp plugins and visualizations plus skins can be applied to spice up the interface.

If you want to make your own mix CDs, you’ll be happy to know that MediaMonkey rips and burns CDs and DVDs. Create a virtual CD of your favorite tracks and let MediaMonkey do its job. Budding DJs will enjoy the auto-DJ mode, which mixes tracks for you and the Party Mode, which blocks your configuration but lets anybody play their favorite tune. MediaMonkey’s versatility doesn’t stop there. The music manager also lets you synchronize with your portable music devices like your iPod or iRiver.

If you feel like completing your library with a couple of fresh albums you can browse sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble or AllPosters and purchase tracks. However, unlike Songbird, where you can type in a URL, browse and save your favorite music blogs and sites, MediaMonkey only allows you to browse their selection of online stores.

We were disappointed with the web radio selection, which only features Shoutcast and Icecast, and were surprised to see no sign of podcasts anywhere in the application. However version 3.0 is planning on incorporating this to the application.

Despite these drawbacks, we recommend MediaMonkey to anybody looking for a solid alternative to iTunes or Winamp. This original music manager is more than capable of organizing a very large music library and offers advanced tagging management rarely seen in other music applications. While the browser and web radio are fairly limited, MediaMonkey allows you to rip your custom CDs and connects to most portable music devices. If you really take a liking to MediaMonkey, cough up a few bucks and upgrade to the Gold version, which will open up all of the program’s functionalities like finding missing tracks or creating auto (smart) playlists.

Download MediaMonkey 3.0.5.1187 in Softonic

If you've never heard of it, then Gomoku is a classic Japanese puzzle game also known as Five-Stones, Five-In-Row, Five-In-Line, Tic-Tac-Toe, Make-Five, Renju, Gobang and Piškvorky.

The rules are simple - to win you must have a continuous line of five stones of the same color. Like in Connect 4 - the The line can be either vertical, horizontal or diagonal except there's 5 instead of 4 of course! You can select between wither the devil or an angel as your player of choice and can choose one of three strategies and 5 possible levels.

mGomoku features some very colorful graphics, some natty visual effects plus the sound effects aren't bad either. You can choose your level of difficulty although the higher levels are virtually impossible to master. It would have been nice if you could have a two player mode too but as it is, you'll just have to settle for playing against your PC.

mGomoku isn't the most original puzzle out there but it delivers more than a fair few hours of entertainment.

Download mGomoku in Softonic

For a while now, computer users have been waking up to the real threats that exist while browsing the web. Every day, more turn their back on the established vulnerabilities of Internet Explorer and opt for the hottest open source project on the net, Mozilla’s Firefox. But there are plenty of alternatives that offer great features, and one of those is Avant Browser.

Based on Internet Explorer, Avant will import all your favorites automatically and also keep your settings intact. As such it makes a good alternative to the popular Firefox browser, which shuns all things IE, and may seem slightly too foreign from the conventions that many users have built up while using Microsoft’s browser. Although Avant Browser is based on the Internet Explorer engine, it doesn’t fall victim to the same security vulnerabilities (although no-one is claiming that it’s invulnerable), and while it’s at it, adds some great tools designed to enhance your browsing experience.

The Flash blocker is an effective way to keep memory usage of the browser to a minimum or to simply cut out those over-elaborate ads that invade and take over many web sites. To appeal to a wider audience, there are quick links that let you quickly translate pages to a wide selection of languages, or you can customize the look of the browser using the many skins that are included by default. Of course, no modern browser could claim to be complete without tabbed browsing and Avant really delivers the goods with a system that allows you to even reload tabs after you’ve closed them.

In fact, this browser has some of the best extras that we’ve seen to date, in particular the system whereby tabs can be resized like normal program windows letting you display multiple site windows side-by-side, within one browser window. There‘s also a useful toolbar item that displays tags describing the page that you’re on. Click on a tag and you open a list of site that result from a search using that tag or keyword; brilliant! And the piece de résistance is an automatic session saver that lets you open up all the sites you were browsing when you last closed the program.

Avant Browser is relatively unknown as a mainstream browser and as such is not restricted from experimenting and taking the best ideas from the big hitters, as well as adding its own nuggets to the mix. What you get is a very impressive selection of tools in a browser that will even run your Microsoft update without objections. Definitely worth consideration if you are thinking of changing browser.

Download Avant Browser 11.7.15 in Softonic

Future Pinball is a real time Pinball Development System.It allows you to design and play your very own pinball simulation in True real time 3D. It uses Advanced Physics to provide the best possible Simulation of a true to life pinball machine.

Tables are built up out of Standard components (Plastics, Pegs, Bumpers, Lights etc..) which are placed onto the playfield via the Editor. Objects like Surfaces, Lights and Rubbers are shapeable within the editor and generated real-time when the table is played. Other objects (Bumpers, Flippers, Gates, Triggers, Targets etc..) use pre-made 3d Models
(of which there is a nice selection of each type).

The Table logic is scripted in Visual Basic Scripting (via the Microsoft Scripting Technology's built into Windows XP). Scripting is designed to be simple but flexible enough to allow a wide vararity of Original Games to be created. Only a limited subset of the Visual Basic Scripting Language is used as a lotof extra functionality is provided by the game engine.

Full Sound / Music Support is also provided with multiple Music Channels to allow cross fading.

Download Future Pinball 1.8 in Softonic

Real Desktop is one of those PC applications that aren't really that useful, but have such an attractive effect on your system that you want to install them anyway.

This app turns your Windows desktop into a three-dimensional environment where all your shortcuts look like small pieces that have been dropped on the floor – and they actually behave like that. You can move them, rotate them, lift them a bit from the floor and mix them all around the desktop surface. The only icon that remains somewhat apart is the Recycle bin, probably to help you find it faster.

This precisely the main drawback in Real Desktop: finding icons. The 3D effect is really amazing, as well as the icon behavior almost as Lego pieces. But having them scattered all over the places doesn't exactly make your PC easier to use – especially if you're anything like me, who likes to have as few icons as possible, and always perfectly organized.

With Real Desktop you can apply an amazing 3D effect to your Windows desktop, although you'll lose a lot of icon usability on the way.

Download Real Desktop Light 1.42 in Softonic

Some years ago ICQ was one of the most popular IM applications among Internet users. But when Microsoft launched MSN Messenger, many of these users forgot about their original IM client and joined a network that was growing very quickly. In the meantime, ICQ continued to be upgraded until finally reaching version 6, which sets a new milestone in the history of this classic piece of software.

To begin with, the installation process is fast and easy, the only downside being the fact that you must set ICQ Search as your web browser's default search engine, as there's no way of getting around this option.

This new ICQ boasts a fresh-looking interface which has been completely redesigned. Also, you can customize it with skins, although you'll have to download them because there's not a single skin included in the program. It does include, however, a very complete personal profile which you can fill in with all your information, including name, location, interests, spoken languages and a personal avatar that ICQ oddly refers to as "devil".

Generally speaking, ICQ 6 offers all the functions that we find in other IM applications, namely instant written messages, voice calls and video calls. All of these are complemented with a very nice set of animated smilies and the so called "Tzers" which are the equivalent to Messenger's "Winks". Chat sessions can be grouped together under the same window, which prevents your taskbar getting cluttered. ICQ allows you to start text conversations right from the contact list using the Quick message feature. There's also the option to send SMS messages to your contacts, but this is not available in all countries yet.

This new version promises to give you complete control over configuration settings. However, we must admit that we had some trouble in finding them, until we happened to click on the "Main" button on the interface. The configuration options are quite complete indeed, allowing you to change every single detail regarding sounds, notifications, privacy and security, message history, appearance and the program's general behaviour.

In all, ICQ seems to have developed a new version with a fresh redesign only to measure up to its main competitors but without really offering any new functions. Again, choosing ICQ (or any other IM app) ends up being just a question of which IM your friends use.

Download ICQ 6.0.0.7015 in Softonic

Alarm is a digital clock that you can set to display a message and play a sound whenever you want. You can configure and how the alarm sounds.

Options/Features:

• Shows the current time in configurable LED's
• Beeps or plays a sound (you can replace the default alarm siren)
• Plays music (you can use your own mp3, mid, wav and so on music files)
• Shows a small dialog or alarms you with a Full Screen Alert with your text
• Option to preview your alarm

Download Alarm 2.0.4 in Softonic

One of the traditions now associated with the coming of autumn is the release of two big football titles: FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer. As any fan of gaming will know, these two games go head to head each year, with PES usually coming out on top. The latest edition, PES 2009, will be a huge seller on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®3 consoles but how does it perform on the PC, a format notoriously unsuited to sports games?

I'm not going to lie to you: the PES 2009 demo for PC isn't exactly revolutionary when it comes to the old problem of porting console titles to Windows. All the old problems are there but the horrendously clunky controls (caused by lack of analog sticks) are the biggest barrier to enjoying what would, on the correct platform, be an enjoyable and well-designed game.

Another weak point in the PES 2009 demo is the lack of any game options whatsoever. With no way of adjusting graphics, sound or controls, the demo has a very rigid feel to it. Sound controls in particular would be a welcome addition, if only they allowed you to turn off the awful music Konami has selected for the menu and intro pages, and the tinny, poorly rendered chants during the game.

After selecting Exhibition mode (the only option apart from Exit), you're offered a choice of four clubs (FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United) or two licensed national sides (France and Italy) to pit against each other. There follows the usual tactical options screen, a brief summary of the (insanely crappy) controls, and you're straight into the action.

The first thing we noticed about Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is that the graphics have been improved somewhat since last year's edition - player models are smoother and more natural than previously, even if getting the players to go where you want is just as hard as ever. Other improvements include the general AI of computer opponents and the physics of the game, though we're only really talking about minor tweaks here.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is, in the end, a slight improvement on last year's slightly disappointing release. On the PS3 and Xbox, it looks likely to lose this year's contest as FIFA 09 has improved so much. On PC, and especially without a gamepad, its controls are so clunky and inaccurate that it's as much of a waste of time as Civilization is on a console.

In all: PES 2009 is worth a try but not highly recommended on PC.

Download Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2009 in Softonic

The Matroska format isn't particularly well known but it is growing in popularity despite a lack of support on popular games consoles Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

XenonMKV gets round this problem by allowing you to play videos in the Matroska format on the Xbox 360. It doesn't involve any lengthy or annoying transcoding however - only the video is downsampled meaning the video remains in perfect condition. This not only preserves video quality but makes it much quicker than normal MKV files.

Unfortunately, due to the makeup of the Xbox 360, the MKV files that are produced do not replay in surround sound which is something that Microsoft will have to address before you can do so. However, it's the video quality that you'll use for XenonMKV for because it's tailored for Xbox 360 video specifications.

XenonMKV is perfect for Xbox 360 owners who find themselves with a mounting MKV file collection that they've only been able to watch on their PC up until now.

Download XenonMKV 20080827_34 in Softonic

The VoIP protocol has caused a total revolution in the way people communicate on the Internet, and Skype is undoubtedly one of the most widely used VoIP clients you can find.

With Skype you can not only have voice chats on your computer – just like telephone, only for free – but also make real phone calls at much lower rates, using the so called SkypeOut service and paying with Skype credit. Besides voice chats, Skype also includes the standard IM functionalities (written conversations, emoticons, user avatars and so on) and also lets you have video conferences.

These video calls are precisely the main focus on Skype's latest beta version. The program's interface has been completely redesigned with video conferences on mind. This means it's been made wider (full screen, really) so that video fits in perfectly with your written chat, your contact list and a toolbar to manage conversation. Honestly, I'm not sure this is a big improvement; my guess is that most people still use Skype only for voice calls and will find the new interface too obtrusive.

The sound quality during our testing was perfect: loud and clear. Unfortunately we can't say the same from the video image quality. The fact that it was displayed at quite a big size made it look too pixelated. There was though one nice detail, and that's the ability to see your own video image built-in on your contact's video. Also, though this is still a beta version, I must say I didn't have any problems while testing it.

Other improvements in this beta are, among others, a call quality feedback indicator, the ability to turn alerts off, the possibility to group contacts and a new feature called Video in mood, which lets you embed online videos from Metacafe and Dailymotion in your status message.

Skype 4.0 Beta features a complete interface overhaul that now focuses more on video chats, and also adds some handy improvements to the way you communicate online.

Download Skype 4.0.0.166 Beta 2 in Softonic

When you extract audio from video there's usually an inevitable loss of quality but Pazera Free Audio Extractor extracts audio tracks from video files without any notable loss of sound quality.

Whatsmore, it converts to a huge range of formats including MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, FLAC, OGG and WAV formats. Pazera Free Audio Extractor also works with most major video formats including AVI, FLV, MP4, MPG, MOV, RM, 3GP, WMV and VOB. Alternatively, you can just use it as basic audio converter so you can switch between formats fairly easily and with rapid conversion times.

The program is useful for either novice or advanced users. Novice users are able to use predefined settings (known as profiles) depending on the type of conversion you perform. This means that you don't have to worry about setting the correct compression ratio or encoding algorithm to use as it's all done for you. However, if you do need extra control, you can access advanced encoding parameters as long as you know what you are doing.

Pazera Free Audio Extractor is not the most attractive looking converter or audio extractor but it handles a huge range of formats in double quick time.

Download Pazera Free Audio Extractor 1.2 in Softonic

We're not always as careful as we should be with out secret data. Some people even have the bad habit of jotting down usernames, passwords, PIN numbers and other sensitive data on a post-it note that they just leave lying around.

If this sounds like you, you'd better take a look at LockCrypt right away. This app can handle all your private data and keep it safe and sound in an encrypted database, either based on a TXT file or a MySQL document (which makes it suitable for both the beginner and the advanced user).

LockCrypt features a bunch of different categories for your information: credit card numbers, login data for websites, email accounts, doctor's prescriptions, etc. What's more, you can easily create your own categories and thus tailor the program to suit your needs. It also lets you export information to several different formats, as well as sync the database with and Windows Mobile and Java-enabled handheld devices.

As you can see, LockCrypt is not just a password manager; in fact its password management feature seems quite basic when compared to other similar tools. But the program makes up for it by offering you an additional Firefox add-on that enables LockCrypt to work better with the browser.

LockCrypt is a safe vault for any kind of confidential data. Plus you can manage your passwords in Firefox, and sync data with your mobile device.

Download LockCrypt 1.83 in Softonic

The worst part of buying a new computer is the fact that you have to backup your stuff in the old PC and move it all to the new one. Luckily there are some software apps that can help you with that.

One of them is FEBE, which stands for Firefox Environment Backup Extension. As it name states, this Firefox add-on lets you create a backup copy of all the important information in your browser (bookmarks, extensions, preferences, themes, cookies and more) and restore it in a different location, all in a very easy way.

With FEBE you can then have a perfectly synchronized copy of Firefox in each one of your computers, be it your desktop and laptop or home and office computers. It's also a great tool to have a backup copy of your browser just in case it crashes or if you want to test new versions without taking any risks. And if you can't be bothered creating a backup copy by yourself, use FEBE's scheduling tool and let the extension take care of it.

FEBE is seamlessly integrated into Firefox interface: open the Tools menu and you'll be able to access the extension's options menu and main functions. The only drawback we could find to the extension is the sounds played by the program when displaying any warning: they're a bit annoying so remember to turn them off in the settings menu.

If you want to have a complete backup copy of all your Firefox data or need to move Firefox settings from one PC to another, this is the tool you're looking for.

Download FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension) 6.0.3 in Softonic

Just when you thought another variation on Pong! wasn't possible comes Space Ping Pong - a psychedelic space-age version of the classic game.

Space Ping Pong is basically Pong! with psychedelic music, weird and wonderful graphics but with the same addictive gameplay. There are two modes of gameplay - against the computer or against a friend although you both have to use the same keyboard.

In this demo version, the maximum you can score in one strike is 7 points. The graphics basically look a more blurry of the original Pong! but the gameplay is virtually identical except there's a few added sound effects. The problem is it doesn't really add anything to the original except some slightly more colourful graphics.

Space Ping Pong is probably only appealing for all those hardcore Pong! fans that just can't get enough.

Download Space Ping Pong in Softonic

As one of the mainstays of the instant messaging world, Yahoo! has finally decided to drag itself onto the VOIP bandwagon with the launch of this Voice version of its popular client. As well as offering free PC-to-PC calls and cheap PC-to-phone (landline and mobile) calls, the program throws in all the usual over-the-top gadgetry and gimmicks we've come to associate with Yahoo! Messenger.

As we've seen before from programs that try to be all things to all people, there's always a danger that things can get a little out of hand for the user, and this is the territory that Yahoo is entering with this latest incarnation of its messenger. It's true that the voice facilities in the program are top-notch, delivering crystal-clear clarity for most calls to PCs and phones. It's also true that the application boasts a bevy of interesting and innovative features, such as the ability to play games and listen to online radio together, send animated, talking emoticons, and quickly share files and photos simply by dragging and dropping them into the chat window.

Although, in the main, these features are good for a laugh, we did have a couple of things that we'd like to raise if we ever met Mr Yahoo! Firstly, we like the games but they lack instructions, so sometimes it can take a while to figure out how to play them. Also many of the so-called 'Audibles,' which are essentially animated, talking emoticons, are a little vulgar to say the least, and not really suitable for anyone with a reputation to uphold.

There are plenty of ways to customize the client to suit your mood too. The main interface is fully skinable, and you can also change the way the chat window looks by selecting from dozens of themed 'IMvironments', which certainly helps to inject some variety into your chat experiences. You can also build your own avatar – a process which can take hours as you carefully select the right haircut, clothes, sunglasses and even breed of dog to have sitting at your side in your IM profile.

Individually, these features are both innovative and compelling, but ironically they combine to contribute to the downfall of Messenger for Voice. The fact is that all of these options serve to swamp the interface and if you have a lot of the features running at the same time it's often hard to find even the text window. While it's fun and novel at first, the messenger very quickly becomes an irritant more than anything. Our advice – stick with Skype.

Download Yahoo! Messenger with Voice 9.0.0.1912 in Softonic

If you have a large collection of videos on your computer and a video-capable portable device, you may find this app quite useful.

Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate is a simple, straightforward tool that enables you to convert video files between a wide array of formats, with special attention to mobile phones, handheld gaming consoles and multimedia players such as iPod, iPhone, iRiver and Zune. All supported formats are presented to the user as profiles that you can simply choose from a drop-down list.

There's also the possibility to create your own format profiles by tweaking a few settings, such as video size, image quality and sound quality, among others.

Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate also features a built-in video player you can use to preview the video you're about to convert. Sadly the program was a bit too unstable and crashed every now and then during video conversion.

Despite the odd crash, Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate is a handy video converter specially created for mobile devices.

Download Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate 5.0.98.0729 in Softonic

The iPod is a great music player but it's also a bit picky when it comes to supported audio formats.

iPod Audiobook can lend you a hand in these situations by enabling you to convert a handful of audio formats to MB4, the audiobook format supported by the iPod. This means that you can convert complete music collections to this format and have them synced to your iPod via iTunes in the blink of an eye.

iPod Audiobook is very easy to use, with a wizard-style interface to convert audio files. Plus it supports multiple simultaneous conversions and is also seamlessly embedded into Windows File Explorer. This means you can convert files right from the context menu, without having to open the program itself. With such a nice interface and handy tools, it would be great to have more audiobook target formats to choose from.

iPod Audiobook is a format converter specially developed to convert from a wide variety of sound formats to the iPod native audiobook format.

Download iPod AudioBook 1.1 in Softonic

REAPER (Rapid Environment for Audio Prototyping and Efficient Recording) is a powerful but sensible Windows application that lets you record, arrange, edit, and render multi-track waveform audio. REAPER provides an extensive set of features, but is a very small and lightweight application as the installer is less than 1 megabyte, and includes many effects and a sample project.

Basic features:

• Supports ASIO, Kernel Streaming, WaveOut, DirectSound for playback and recording
• Reads WAV, OGG, and MP3 files, records WAV files
• Lets you arrange any number of items in any number of tracks
• Supports audio processing plug-ins (DirectX and Jesusonic)
• Volume, pan controls and envelopes per track
• Multi-layer undo/redo support
• User creatable color themes

Advanced features:

• Unlimited bus support with collapsable bus views
• Item grouping
• Selection length granularity to ease in loop cutting
• An architecture that allows you to easily cut loops of many tracks simultaneously
• Support for plug-in generated media
• 64-bit floating point sample pipeline for high quality
• Advanced recording and monitoring options
• Options to build peaks for recorded files on the fly
• Controls for the user to specify where recorded files go
• Template support to make it easy to load a project template
• Input channel name aliasing

Download REAPER 2.55 in Softonic

liteRecorder is a simple sound recorder and editor in one that combines an elegant interface with easy one-touch recording.

liteRecorder works very simply, presenting you with the basics such as the number of channels, bitrate and ratio, type of file you want to save (WAV, WMA, MP3 or OGG) and recording time. You can set it to record over a given period of time, meaning that you can program it to record streaming audio while you sleep. For instance, you could record a streaming lecture while you're sleeping and then transfer the audio file to your iPod ready to listen to on the way to school or college the next morning.

The application can also be used to record Skype calls although it would be nice to be able to synchronize calls with when they start. If, on the other hand, you want to use it as a personal dicta-phone, you can chat away while you work, recording messages and memos that you can then e-mail in MP3 format.

There's nothing special about liteRecorder although it is a very well organized and presented application that fulfills just about any recording need.

Download liteRecorder 1.7 in Softonic

There's nothing more annoying than a DivX file that won't play or has been corrupted because of a virus or hard drive failure.

The good news is that you can repair some of these files with DivXRepair, solving issues such as image freezing, loss of sound and discolored pixels. Simply browse to the file you want to inspect, and DivX Repair will automatically detect and eliminates bad frames.

This searching process can take a while though and it doesn't always find frames that are damaged. If it does find the corrupted frames, it cuts out the bad parts and re-splices it together so that the frame may be missing but at least it plays properly. You may notice some slight interference in the image when this happens but it's a small price to pay for having a functioning file.

If your DivX files are corrupted or refuse to play, DivXRepair can help put them back together with minimal image loss.

Download DivXRepair 1.01 in Softonic