Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #451 issued November 2, 2007

Home > CFS Weekly Newsletter #451: issued November 2, 2007

Any Word All Words Exact Phrase

This electronic newsletter is registered – ISSN 1441-6840
Welcome to the CFS Weekly Newsletter.
The programs listed here are completely free for non-commercial use, even though some may be shareware or commercial products. None are time-limited and all are fully functional. If you know any that aren't exactly as specified, please let us know and they will be removed immediately.
If the link below does not work (does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid. Please use the CFS Site Search facility (above) to locate the program.
COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE

Medusa's Lair 1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Medusa's Lair is a 3D corridor-style first person shooter where you must fight your way through a large, cavernous den crawling with Medusa's evil spawn. It features good 3D graphics, a simple keyboard/mouse interface, 3 additional lives to get, and more. This is a basic, if still good, corridor shooter of the type popularized by Wolfenstein. You fight your way around a confusing and winding lair to destroy Medusa. Every time you kill one of Medusa's evil spawn you should grab the energy ball left behind when it dies – without that extra energy you, too, will die... The game includes an optional toolbar you can install when the game is first installed. Medusa's Lair is not a spectacular game of this genre, but it is highly playable and very, very addictive. If you enjoy shooters, this is one to grab. We liked! Access this 8.97MB download from: Win95 General Games

Psycle v1.8.5 – WinXP/Vista
Psycle is a modular music editor with a tracker-like interface. It features support for VST plugins, support for WAV & .IFF files, 64 tracks pattern editor (up to 1024 lines), 256 sequence positions, includes over 70 native plugins (generators & effects), offers Midi-in support, themes & skins support, and more. Unfortunately, CFS was unable to review this program. The author says that Psycle is an: "Open Source modular music editor with a tracker-like interface. It allows you to use different sound generators and audio effects and route them in any way you want. It supports VST plugins and has a native format too. It includes also a sampler to play WAV samples. MIDI input is supported as well for either editing or realtime usage. Psycle is a Music tracker (like FastTracker 2 or Impulse Tracker) combined with plugin modularity. It supports its own plugin API, the VST2 plugin standard, and a tracker style sampler playback." If you need VST support it requires a VST plugin bundle that is an additional 4.28MB. This is downloaded automatically as part of the full installation, or it can be downloaded separately. There is also a WinAmp plugin module which is an additional 262kB. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 4.04MB download from: WinXP Multimedia Programs

Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar v1.0 – WinXP/Vista
Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar is a retro RPG (role playing game) which follows the protagonist's struggle to understand and exercise the Eight Virtues to gain access to the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. This game was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and has been ported to Windows using the Nestopia Super NES emulator (which, we assume, is why it requires Windows XP). Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar will suit retro fans. It has VGA graphics but is so engrossing you don't notice the limited graphics as you become more and more involved in the game. The object is not to fight evil (like in Dungeons & Dragons) but to grow in virtue. Players choose their character type by answering a series of ethical dilemmas, and there are no "right" or "wrong" answers. Players must rank the Eight Virtues and, whichever stands as their highest priority, determines the type of character they will play. Once the hero has proven his or her understanding in each of the virtues, they must locate several artifacts and, finally, descend into a dungeon called "The Stygian Abyss". This is not your normal RPG and deserves recognition because it is unique in its concept. But it is more than that because it is a superb game. We loved Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar. It is a breath of fresh air in a gaming genre that has become somewhat stale – and this from a game that was first released in 1985 for the Apple II (the Nintendo version was released in 1990). It may lack the fancy 21st Century graphics, but it does not lack in gameplay or enjoyment. A game not to be missed! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 1.17MB download from: WinXP General Games

TopOCR v2.5 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
TopOCR is an OCR (optical character recognition) system designed for digital cameras. It can recognize 11 languages, output can be saved in various formats (TXT, RTF, PDF, HTM, MP3 audio, etc), text-to-speech tool, up to 99.8% accuracy with a 3MP camera, no page limits, handles images with mixed text & graphics, tolerates skew & uneven lighting, supports Smartphones, has a built-in word processor, and more. This is an amazing OCR tool that does not require a scanner as it takes a digital camera photo of text and converts it into an editable document. While we could not get anywhere near the 99.8% accuracy the author claims (ours was nearer 60%), this could have been because of the technical nature of the page we photographed. Still, it was no less accurate than we have experienced from professional OCR programs that used a scanner for the source. TopOCR has an impressive list of features, and can even be used to make free audio e-Books using the built-in text-to-speech facilities (OCR to MP3). If an OCR program that does not require a scanner is on your wish list, then TopOCR it what you want. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 6.92MB download from: Win98 General Programs

Aspirin Protector v1.0.0.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Aspirin Protector is a medically-themed shooter where you must be quick to shoot the white platelets with the Aspirin tablets. It features 3 levels of play (each in a different part of the body), has excellent graphics, offers good educational information, and more. This is a novelty shooter which is branded "Bayer" (probably as a promotion for that company). It lacks depth if considered simply as a shooter but, as an educational game, it serves its purpose well. In this game, the white platelets in the blood that you shoot (using the mouse) have little legs on them (they look like white termites) and you must destroy them within a certain time period and within a predetermined number of shots (varies for each level). Graphics are good and, we have been advised, are medically correct (though simplified). You don't have to be very accurate with your shooting to explode the white platelets so the game is not very challenging. It is the medical theme which makes this game worthy of playing. Excellent as an educational tool, Aspirin Protector is worth grabbing. Access this 10.5MB download from: Win95 General Games

Clear Read-Only v1.1 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Clear Read-Only is a tool for clearing Read-Only file attributes. It features a "folder select" option, it has an "include subfolder" option, applies changes to files and/or folders, has full integration in the Windows Explorer right-click context folder menu, you can stop changing the read-only attribute while it is running, good Helpfile, and more. This is a handy little tool for clearing those often pesky Read-Only attributes that some files have. Point Clear Read-Only at files or folders and it will do its work in seconds. Most suited for use with batch clearing of this attribute in folders (specially with its recursive option), Clear Read-Only is a great little tool to have around that (a) doesn't take up much space (b) uses no on-going resources, and (c) is very, very handy when required. We loved! Access this 157kB download from: Win95 Desktop Utilities

Java Sudoku v2.0 – WinME/XP/Vista
Java Sudoku is a cross-platform Java-based Sudoku number game. It features 4 levels of difficulty (from Very Easy to Hard), print function, facility to add "pencil marks" (small numbers), ability to post game on a Website, game timer, and more. This is a simple version of this very popular numbers-based game. While it lacks some of the fancier bells and whistles found on some other Sudoku games, it includes the essentials. Because it is a Java applet it plays inside your Web browser and can readily be added to your Website as a game your visitors can play (good for keeping them on your site). Small in download size, never-the-less Java Sudoku gives you a terrific game that will keep you occupied for many, many hours. Grab it now! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95 or 98. Access this 36kB download from: WinME General Games

Reading Acceleration Machine v4.05 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Reading Acceleration Machine is a tachistoscope (rapid viewer) that flashes lines of text to the screen at a predetermined speed for vocabulary-learning, text-file viewing or proofing, speed-reading, rehearsal of texts for comprehension or memorization, and more. It features controls to vary the speed at which text is displayed on the screen (including adding a pause between lines of text, and/or adding a pause between each word), full customization (font, foreground & background colors, etc), numerous hotkeys, screensaver off button (to prevent activation while the program is working), works with any ASCII text document, optional random line display, text loop, limit displayed lines by specifying line numbers, and more. This is an awesome way of improving your speed reading, learning a language – in fact doing lots of things to help you improve your language skills. We would have liked to have seen a little more description within the program for each function – specially the slide controls which have no explanation except through the on-line help screen. There isn't even a label for these controls on the program's main window! However, with its excellent control over the speed of the displayed text, Reading Acceleration Machine is a terrific tool. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 520kB download from: Win98 Text Programs

Ultra Fighter v4.01 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Ultra Fighter is a vertically scrolling space shooter where you defend the Galaxy from the inevitable alien incursion. It features excellent animated graphics, fast paced action, lots of powerups, fullscreen & windowed modes, highly addictive gameplay, and more. While this may be "just another space shooter", Ultra Fighter adds a frenetic pace, terrific graphics, and lots of powerups giving all sorts of cool weapons plus a shield and other goodies. This mouse-driven shooter may not be unique, but it puts the well used parts of this genre together very well and makes a memorable game out of them. Anyone who enjoys a good space shooter will, like us, love Ultra Fighter. A great game! Access this 12.1MB download from: Win95 General Games
COMMENTS
We would like to thank the regular visitors to the CFS site who have told us their favorite freeware. If you have a favorite program which isn't listed on the CFS pages we invite you to share that information with everyone through this site and this newsletter. If you are an author of a freeware app (or would just like to suggest a program) and would like it listed on these pages, please fill in the Submit Software form.
If you enjoy the Completely FREE Software site please don't feel shy about letting others know.