Walkie Tonky 2.0.0.29 prototype-Kick and stomp your way through a cityscape

Walkie Tonky is a physics based scrolling 'walk 'em up', where you take control of a giant alien robot, intent on destroying human civilization.

Physics based games are ten a penny these days, but Walkie Tonky manages to to stand out of the crowd enough to check out. The simple and home-made feel of the graphics make it visually pleasing, and the gameplay is quite unusual. The scrolling never stops, so you have to make sure your rampaging robot doesn't get stuck. As Godzilla discovered, humans defend themselves with tanks, helicopters and jets, which can be picked up and thrown at them.

Control is with the mouse and keyboard, and takes a bit of getting used to. Once you have, it's pretty fun managing to keeping out of danger, dodging missiles, kicking tanks and buildings. If you have the impression this is an aggressive, violent game, it really isn't. The giant robot's gentle plodding, and ambient electronic music make it quite relaxing, in a chaotic way. This version has only one level, but completing it and beating the boss opens up a 'challenge mode', which adds some longevity to this free indie game.

There are some quirks in the Walkie Talkie engine - sometimes your projectiles get stuck on enemy craft, and amusingly you can catch some one the rebound and use them again.

Walkie Tonky is a fun and attractive game, though it's not long enough to seriously eat into your time.

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Monkey's Audio 4.03-Compress audio files without no quality loss

Monkey’s Audio is a lossless audio compressor which aims to reduce the size of audio files as much as possible without losing any sound quality. The program uses its own file format, .ape, which is known to have a better compression rate than the lossless FLAC format, but files tend to be larger than lossy compression formats like MP3 or AAC.

We recommend using Monkey’s Audio to compress audio CDs to your PC. Your songs will not lose their quality but will take up less space than if they were uncompressed. What’s more, Monkey’s Audio handles tag support, keeping all your file information, like artist name, track numbers and playing time.

Monkey’s Audio can decompress files back to their original type without losing any quality and the program features an option to verify the MD5 checksum of compressed files. Compressed .ape files can play in any of the major media players and the program can also install a plug-in to compress audio files directly from Winamp.

Monkey’s Audio is a great solution if you’re worried about losing any quality when compressing audio files. However, because it only compresses to .ape, you’re pretty much stuck with playing your converted files on your PC. To enjoy them on your mobile music player you’ll have to use another program, like dbpowerAMP Music Converter or Switch Free, to convert your audio files to MP3 or AAC, which remain the most widely supported audio formats.

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wReplace 1.2-Replace multiple text strings at the same time

'Find and replace' is a function I use a lot on both my word processor and plain text editor. This is why I was glad to find wReplace, a special editor that improves this useful function.

wReplace is a basic text editor – like Notepad – but with a distinctively enhanced 'Find and replace' tool that enables you to search and replace different letters, words or texts strings, all of them at the same time.

All you have to do is load the text file on the program's interface and click the 'Replace Many' button (or just hit F6). wReplace will then open a secondary window where you can start creating a list of all the elements in the text file that need to be replaced by others. When you finish the list, click Replace All and you're done.

wReplace comes in especially handy when you have a text file garbled with characters from a different language encoding systems (Unicode, Cyrillic, etc).

The only thing that annoys me is that you have to enter each element in the replacement list manually, as you can't copy and paste from the document opened in the program's main window.

If you use 'Find and replace' a lot in your text editor, you're going to find wReplace very useful.

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Internet Download Manager 5.15-A quick download manager compatible with many browsers

High speed Internet connections are quite common now but that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes need some help when it comes to downloading game demos, videos, MP3 collections and other big files. So, even if you’re enjoying the fastest router in the neighborhood, take a look at Internet Download Manager, because it really has a lot to offer.

This excellent app will take care of all your downloads from the moment you install it on your PC. You can add new download tasks from the program’s interface but the usual thing is to let it capture the links. This means that every time you click on a certain file type (which can be specified through configuration options), IDM will handle the download for itself rather than letting the browser do the job. It’s a really handy option because everything is automatic: no changing from one app to another, no copying and pasting links, just no hassle at all. Also, it works with all major web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.

Once IDM captures the link, you can either start to download the file right away or add it to a download list for later, which can be a good alternative if you need all of your bandwidth for the moment and plan to leave the computer on during the night. Downloads can be classified into custom categories right before starting them and can also be resumed if the connection is lost or broken for some reason.

As regards download speeds, Internet Download Manager does meet expectations, although it all depends on your Internet access. That is, don’t expect to download at the speed of light if you’re still using one of those old-fashioned 56K modems. Anyhow, IDM achieves quite satisfying download rates as a result of establishing multiple thread connections to servers. Also, it displays a small window with some interesting information about the download process: transfer rate, data downloaded so far, time left and a neat progress bar for each thread.

The program’s configuration menu displays a wide range of functions and tools devoted to handling your downloads, such as checking files for viruses directly from IDM with your own antivirus system or limiting the amount of bandwidth used by the program. There’s also support for server authentication and proxy, FTP and HTTPS servers.

The fact of the matter is, we couldn’t really find anything wrong with Internet Download Manager. It does its job and does it pretty well, so even if your Internet connection speed is far beyond the usual limits, you should definitely give it a try.

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ESET NOD32 Antivirus 3.0.684.0-Surprisingly quick, easy and secure antivirus

Some people prefer to have easier apps, even if that means that they have access to a limited range of tools.

This is the case of NOD32, an anti-virus tool that you may find simpler than other similar applications, but this simplicity is precisely the key to its success. In fact, NOD32 is one of the most popular anti-virus apps among computer users.

NOD32 is easy to install and launches without even restarting the system (something most anti-virus tools require after installation). The program has a simple, straightforward design, though you'll soon discover that this is actually the Standard mode display and that you can choose the Advanced mode if you prefer to have more options and tools at your fingertips.

The program includes basic anti-virus tools such as system analysis, antispyware filters, filters to exclude certain applications, a scheduling tool for automatic analysis and seamless integration within Windows Explorer. Being used to more complex anti-virus solutions though, I missed having an email and web browsing filter. Also, I found the Settings menu a bit too hidden and difficult to use. Apart from these small flaws, NOD32 is definitely worth a try, especially if you want to have a simple, hassle-free anti-virus that takes care of your system and doesn't bother you all the time.

NOD32 may be simpler than other anti-virus tools, but it's perfect for those users who prefer an easy, unobtrusive app even if they have to give up on certain advanced functions.

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Xfire 1.102-Slick messenger client for gamers

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ASAP Utilities 4.2.9-Add more than 300 functions to Excel

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iWebAlbum 2.0.2-Free web photo album generator

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MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab 14 (US)-Burn refreshed LPs, Cassettes and MP3s onto CD & DVD

Magix Audio Cleaning is a full featured sound app with which you can digitize your old vinyl and CD collection.

The program features a nicely designed interface with three top tabs referring to the three main steps you must follow: importing your music from any of the sources supported by the program, cleaning it from noises and cracks and finally exporting it to a digital format of your choice.

The first impression you get when launching Magix Audio Cleaning is one of confusion, especially in the Cleaning section. There are just so many sliders to adjust, buttons to press and options to be taken into account that you feel completely lost. Luckily there's a one-click cleaning wizard that does almost all the hard work for itself, as well as some cleaning presets that you can use to fix typical noise and cracking issues in old vinyl records and cassette tapes.

The program works very fast during the whole process and also includes an embedded burning tool with which you can create an audio CD or DVD once your music has been properly cleaned.

Rescue your old vinyl records and cassette tapes and give them a new digital life with Magi Audio Cleaning. It takes time to learn how to use all of its features but it's definitely worth it.

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InstantStorm 1.5.3-Create personalized Flash screensavers

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Deskspace 1.5.5.4-Virtual desktop manager with cool 3D effect

Desktop real estate can become a problem if you use windows a lot. Deskspace is a slick, flashy tool that gives you six desktops you can flick between with a beautiful 3D cube interface.

This 14 day trial version doesn't have all the features - you can't set particular programs to specific desktops in this demo - but it gives you a good idea of the benefits of multiple desktops. The 3D cube, activated with a hot key, and rotated with the mouse gives Deskspace its 'wow factor'. It's fast, smooth, great to look at and is sure to impress people!

With Deskspace you can open programs and files on different desktops (or deskspaces), meaning you'll feel less cluttered. The developers suggest assigning different desktops different tasks, and you could also set different wallpapers up on your desktops and change depending on your mood.

When inactive, Deskspace is surprisingly light on resources, but if you are using a lot of applications, activating the cube could push your processor a bit. Having six deskspaces will not solve performance issues - if your machine struggles with multitasking hungry applications, this won't help!

It is the desk clutter that's the clincher with Deskspace. Once you're used to having more than one desktop it really is hard to go back, and coupled with the sexy 3D interface this makes Deskspace a really attractive package.

Deskspace combines functionality and almost hypnotic beauty rarely seen in Windows. Check it out!

Download Deskspace 1.5.5.4 in Softonic

CintaNotes Beta M5-Organize your thoughts and notes with ease.

If you work a lot on your PC, you'll know how quickly your desktop can get cluttered. Collecting useful information and ideas can become a mess of browser tags, bookmarks and documents.

CintaNotes is a surprisingly neat note manager, a place where you can easily and quickly collect information while keeping your desktop workable. There are other options like sticky notes, but they can get messy and disorganized. CintaNotes works by highlighting text and using a hot key. If you're on a web page, just highlight a part of the text, tap Ctrl + F12 (this can be configured as you like) and a note will appear in CintaNotes. This note will include the text, plus the source, date and time. You can also automatically import anything from your clipboard, with Ctrl and V. Searching for a note is simple and in real time as you type in your search term, which makes finding information a cinch.

The interface is very clean and modern, and while it's not skinnable, you can choose the color scheme. You can to minimize CintaNotes to the system tray, saving more space. If you come to use it a lot you can close it to the system tray too so it's always to hand. This is a Beta version, so there may be more features to come. While it's not a huge problem, there is no image support - it currently only keeps text based notes.

CintaNotes is a really well realized note manager, and is a fantastic way to quickly store and retrieve ideas and information.

Download CintaNotes Beta M5 in Softonic

Save Images 0.5.1-Download all images from a web page in a snap

If you've ever tried to download all the images on a website, you'll have probably realized how boring and time-consuming this task can be.

Luckily you can now use Save Images, a Firefox extension that has been especially designed to download all the photos on in the website you're currently viewing. If the website doesn't have the photos, but links to them instead, you can also use Save Images to generate a list with links to them, and then download them all straight away. The extension can be reached both from the Tools menu or the context menu.

Save Images features a complete configuration menu that enables you to set filters, so that you only download images between certain size or dimensions, or even only selected formats. The extension can also rename images as they're being downloaded and manage duplicate files to avoid having several copies of the same image. If only you could save these settings as profiles to use them again later, then Save Images would be the perfect photo download manager!

With the Save Images extension you can have a complete image downloader within Firefox.

Download Save Images 0.5.1 in Softonic

Cobian Backup 9.5.1.212-Free, practical and efficient backup application

It's always a pain trying to remember to backup things so why not let an application take care of it automatically?

Cobian Backup works as both an application and service. The program is very light on resources for a backup program of its size and runs in the background very discreetly. it makes periodic backups but unlike some programs, doesn't seem to slow down your PC in the process. It acts too quickly to really slow down whatever you are doing although if it has to backup a very big file, you will notice some lag (more than 1 GB). The program only copies your files and folders in their original or compressed mode to another destination and does not perform any compression itself. This is to ensure that nothing is corrupted during the backup process but if you are backing up particularly large files, you might find this something of a problem unless you've got lots of backup space. However, there are limited compression and strong encryption methods available if you need to reduce the size of your files and protect them at the same time.

A very convenient program that backups quickly, quietly and without any further prompting from it's user.

Download Cobian Backup 9.5.1.212 in Softonic

DriverMax 4.8-Export and reinstall your PC drivers easily

Backing up your drivers is one of the best things you can do to your PC - if the worst happens, you know that you can always restore damaged and corrupt drivers in seconds.

In most cases when Windows is running slower, faulty driver installations are to blame. The problem is that Windows automatically stores versions of older drivers just in case you want to roll back but sometimes it these conflict with the new ones. Drivermax basically backs-up and restores driver in a very attractive and well presented interface. It has a powerful export wizard to help you export the drivers you need to backup by copying the required files to a folder or compressed ZIP file. After reinstalling Windows, the program can ensure that all drivers are reinstalled within 5 minutes according to the developers. While the process is nowhere near this quick - or straightforward because many drivers may not work properly first time round due to the special way they need to be installed - it is on the whole very easy to use and efficient. It certainly saves you the hours of searching and installing that you'd usually have to go through. The Import Drivers wizard is similarly straightforward and will take up to 10 minutes depending on how much you've got installed on your PC.

A powerful driver installation and restore tool that is easy enough for beginners and does the job in decent time.

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Maxthon 2.5.1.4751-Powerful tabbed browser alternative to IE

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RapidTyping 2.6-Learn touch typing with the help of this fun tutor

Rapid Typing is a fast and useful application that allows you to improve your typing skills, both in accuracy and speed. The interface is fairly clear, although maybe you will have to disable the aquarium animation set as default in the background as it can disturb you when concentrating on your exercises. You can do that, in the option menu, ticking the animation option and if you wish, choosing a background colour, although the white one, is probably the clearer.

When you start the session, simply type the letters you see on the screen, without looking at your keyboard. Exercises are increasingly difficult and test you on specific letters each time, until you are able to remember better what’s where.

If you don’t know which is the correct finger to use to press a letter, press the Show/Hide Virtual Keyboard button, on the far bottom of the main frame. You’ll get a representation of your hands, telling you with which finger you should use to press the key.
At the end of each session the program tells you how many mistakes you made and how fast you have been, showing you a graph of your improvements.

With Rapid Typing you can improve your typing speed and accuracy when using your keyboard with increasingly more difficult exercises. Although it’s very easy to use, it lacks of an initial explanation on how to position and move your fingers, so two-finger typers might have to look for an alternative training method.

Download RapidTyping 2.6 in Softonic

Lightscreen 0.5-Small and simple screenshot tool

Lightscreen is a free, simple and practical utility to capture images for those that don't want to mess about with post processing or resizing tools.

Lightscreen offers three ways to capture screenshots - full screen, active window, and an area that you can select yourself. All three offer you enough scope to capture just about any type of screenshot. You can configure the format, prefix and suffix of the file (numeric or date format) and specify the folder to save it to. You can also configure a hotkey to make screenshots instantaneous. There are also some other additional little additions such as control over image quality or you can also configure a delay on the screen capture if you're using the hotkey. Once configured Lightscreen becomes especially useful to make multiple catches because every time you press capture, it automatically saves a file with the filename, format and parameters that you specified. The slight downside is that you can only configure a limited number of formats to save screenshots in namely PNG, JPG; BMP, PPM, XBM and TIFF.

A free and easy screen capture tool that will appeal to fans of The GIMP or those that just need a simple screenshot solution.

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F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin-Brace yourself for an enslaught of terror

What can you expect from a game named F.E.A.R.? Well it's not going to be fluffy kittens and bouncing bunnies, I assure you.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is the sequel to the original first-person shooter that proved that action and terror can sometimes make a great combination. The second part retains this exciting mixture, which results in a both thrilling and frightening experience – especially if you play with headphones in a darkened room.

The story begins right after a huge explosion in the Auburn District in Fairport. Your team is scattered all over the city and your first mission consists on finding them. The game's environment is absolutely terrifying: darkness, tons of debris and an anguishing silence only broken by your own footsteps - and the voices of your enemies approaching.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin features incredibly realistic graphics, especially in the recreation of scenarios. This feeling of realism is supported by the fact that you can actually interact with objects, for instance, using broken tables to cover from enemy fire. Speaking of enemies, their AI is quite good and they will constantly hide and run from you. The act of killing them is realistic too, in the sense that a shot in the leg doesn't cause as much damage as one in the head.

Enemy soldiers are not your only opponent though. You'll also come across some scary ghosts that will suddenly appear out of nowhere and send shivers down your spine – not to mention the ghostly laughs and voices you'll hear from time time.

However, the most outstanding feature in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a kind of movie style that makes the whole game totally immersive. You'll watch short cut-scenes and images (like some sort of flashbacks) along the game, together with special movie-like effects, such as being able to trigger a slow-motion effect in the middle of an action-packed battle.

Though a bit short for such a heavy file, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is definitely an impressive first-person shooter where action and terror make the perfect combination.

Download F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin in Softonic

Speed Dial 0.7.2.9-Direct access to your most visited websites

Like most people, I visit many web sites over the course of a day but there are always a select few that I go to every day, sometimes even on several occasions throughout a 24-hour period. This handy extension for Firefox caught my eye as it allows you to access your nine most visited sites from one place, much as you do with the speed dial feature on a phone, hence the application's name.

Once you've installed the add-on, Speed Dial takes you to a web site where you need to enter your nine most visited sites. You're then able to access each of these with the click of a button on a pad. What's more, you can preview a thumbnail of each site via a tab in your browser. The speed dial function certainly helped me get to my favorite sites more easily, but I would have liked to see a function in the program that automatically recognizes the sites you're visiting the most and adds these to the speed dial.

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