Software

It’s time to get into survival mode as you need to escape after being washed ashore on a mysterious island.

From the printed page to the computer screen comes a murder mystery from the fertile imagination of a best selling author.

While hardly the sexiest of products, database software does have an important task to fulfil especially when it is available in cross-platform format.

While listening to commercially created music is a popular pastime, have you thought about creating your own compositions?

Just the thought of the difficulties that could ensue following a hard disk failure should be enough incentive to encourage users to consider taking precautions and follow the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared”.

Mixing together match-3 action, strategy and a storyline that involves dragons, magic crystals and user-selected wallpaper offerings, a new game published by Alawar has been taking over my game-playing time.

Conducting a web search for “Ancient Secrets” could well result in hits relating to hygiene and gift products, exotic cooking, nasal cleansing, bikini waxing or even Mayan civilisation. However, in this case, “Ancient Secrets” is a game developed by GameHouse.

With most All In One or Multi Function units coming with bundled OCR software, is there still a place for a standalone suite not tied to a scanner. For any user who takes time to train for near perfect results the answer is yes.

The Hidden Object game format continues to be a popular genre with software developers and the game playing public. Various types of storylines have been used to package the concept of finding items that have been positioned in a range of locations and graphical scenes.

Starting life as a Shareware product, Paint Shop Pro has developed into a full featured graphics product.

This product arrives with the claim of being able to “back up and recover your hard disk with ease” and is made up of one, two and free (no that’s not a misprint) elements. For more information about this product from Paragon, read on…

For its latest game, Enkord has delved into the fascination that the ancient Inca civilisation had for the building of pyramids full of passageways and secret chambers. Entitled Inca Tomb, the game requires the player to explore a series of Inca pyramids in order to reveal what is concealed in each one.

Each year my car sets out on its annual pilgrimage for its service and MOT testing. Generally this is the total requirement necessary to ensure I have twelve months of trouble-free usage (petrol, road tax and insurance cost issues aside). I just wish I could say the same for my computer system.

Considering the importance of having an up-to-date backup, it is not surprising that there are numerous products developed to carry out this task. One such offering, aimed at the home user, is Acronis True Image Home.

War and diplomacy often go hand-in-glove when nations start to expand their territorial boundaries. Put your strategy acumen to the test with a collection from Paradox Interactive.

Like a car, your computer can benefit from a session with a mechanic such as a package available from iolo

For a number of years Roxio and Nero seem to have been playing leapfrog as their burning/media creating software has fought for supremacy. I recently took a look at the latest Nero 9 product and now it is the turn of Roxio Creator 2009.

While you may not be able to call on the resources of a Spielberg or Lucas, your computer and appropriate software will give you the opportunity to wear a Director’s hat.

Starting in Victorian London of 1889, The Clockwork Man is a hidden object game which has been developed by Total Eclipse and is published by GameHouse.

Better known for its puzzle centric titles, Enkord has come up with a new game that sets you the challenge of bringing peace to a series of islands.

While some titles, passed their first flush of youth, tend to reappear on a budget label, others become part of a collection such as this offering.

While the idea of Nero playing the fiddle as Rome burned is a matter of conjecture; Nero, that is the company formerly known as Ahead, has certainly been busy working away at developing the latest version of its flagship product. This is Nero 9.

It would be appropriate if I could begin this review by relating the dream I had last night. Unfortunately, try as I might, I have no recollection of the dream or even if I dreamt at all.

The Internet can be a vast treasure chest of information and resources but it also has the capability of being a mine field for the unwary. It is best to be well protected when on surfing sessions.

Mix fantasy, role-playing, turn-based strategy, warfare with the opportunity for marriage and divorce within a single game and the result is King’s Bounty: The Legend.

It was just over a year ago when I last took a look at Corel’s VideoStudio product. That was version 11 Plus which introduced a number of new features. Since then the product has been further enhanced.

I have been told that a sea voyage can be good for your health. But presumably the type of voyage that is involved in Sea Journey does not fall into this category.

This is a powerful product and also needs a beefy machine to run it. However for those who need the ability to manipulate to the nenth degree there is not really a serious alternative. Apart from maybe the more expensive Extended edition.

Not to be confused with a 50-year old hit of Sir Cliff Richard, Move It is a new product from Nero, better known for its disk burning technology and software.

From its early beginnings with flip-books, animation has developed into a skilled art form that can take full advantage of a computer’s processing power.