Demo game -- Red Ace Squadron Pro

I normally stick to freeware games and utilities for my reviews, but I greatly enjoyed Red Ace and the demo has quite a lot of missions, so I decided to make an exception.

Red Ace is an WW1 arcade type flying game, rather than a simulator. So is easy to learn, using just two buttons and the mouse. There are three training missions and ten full missions that follow a simple story line, five as the Allies and five as the Germans.Once you complete all ten missions, you can play the master mode, which is the same missions, but with more enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns.
The graphics are definitely not cutting edge, but they do the job and look quite nice (imop). As my computer is well above the graphics requirements, I did try setting the graphics detail higher. But for some reason this made the plane much harder to control, so I stuck with the default settings.
There does seem to be a slight problem with the menu screens. My mouse pointer was very jerky, which made selection a bit tricky, but that may be an issue with my computer.
The sound effects are reasonable, with some engine noises, firing and crashing effects. The background music is stirring military music.
I managed to complete all ten missions on the easy setting (enemy planes can take more damage and go faster on harder settings) and most of the master mode missions.The variety of missions kept the game interesting and the dog fights were the best I have played, with the enemy planes moving more naturally, rather than just going in circles after your tail, as is often the case in flying games.
A thoroughly enjoyable demo, I was even tempted to buy the full game but managed to restrain myself. Should you succumb, the full version has 14 more missions and a multiplayer online mode, which I would love to try.
Demo -- Download size 16.1Mb -- Price $19.99 -- Windows 95b / 98 / ME / 2000 / XP
http://www.smallrockets.com/

Free -- Ashampoo Magical Uninstall.

Most software automatically provides an uninstall link, or an entry in Windows add/remove utility, so that you can remove it at a later date. But although these uninstallers do a reasonable job, they often leave behind the program folder, settings files and registry entries.Magical Uninstall attempts to address this problem, by monitoring your system immediately before and after installing software, this enables you to remove software at a later date, without leaving a trace.
Magical Uninstall starts with Windows and runs in the system tray. It will automatically detect any software you run, with "setup", or "install" (you can add other names) in the name and offer to monitor the installation.You can also manually start the monitoring process.Magical Uninstall first creates a "snapshot" of your system and then you install the software.Magical Uninstall will then create a second "snapshot". By comparing the two "snapshots", Magical Uninstall can create a log file of system changes.

Magical Uninstall can then use the log file, to completely remove the software at a later date.You are given the option during uninstallation, to create a reinstallation file, of the software you are removing, so that you can reinstall it at a later date, without the original installer.
Magical Uninstall works quite well, it's easy to use, with prompts at each stage and comes with a good help file. It successfully detected and monitored the test software I installed and later was able to completely remove all traces.However it does have a few drawbacks, deleted software is sent to the recycle bin and as the software is deleted file, by file, this means that the bin can be cluttered with hundreds of individual files, a nuisance if you need to search for something you have deleted by mistake (or perhaps it's just me that frequently does that!).Secondly the monitoring process is a bit slow and if you haven't got a lot of patience, you will soon get fed up waiting. For some strange reason it also monitored my "E" drive, which seemed a bit pointless, as you would normally install software to the "C" drive.
Magical Uninstall does a reasonable job and if you have the patience, will keep your hard drive neat and tidy. But in my opinion the freeware program ZSoft Uninstaller is superior, it can analyze an installation slightly quicker and also provides a superior replacement for the Windows add/remove utility.

Free (requires registration) -- Download size 5MB -- Win 2000, XP, Vista

Note: Ashampoo will send you regular email offers, but you can opt out.

http://www2.ashampoo.com/webcache/html/1/product_2_0803__.htm

p.s Somewhat ironically, when I uninstalled Magical Uninstall, it didn't remove all its own folders and registry settings.

Freeware game -- Go Up v1.0.

Go Up is a platform game, but with quite an original twist, to advance in the game, you frequently have to leave one side of the game window and enter the other side, often jumping up, or down, to a platform on the way.As well as this novel form of progress, there are the usual spiky objects to avoid, switches to trip, invisible blocks to find and coins to collect.




The game graphics are basic and the game runs in rather a small window, but you tend to forget that, as the gameplay is good.The background music can be turned off, which is just as well, as it gets very repetitive. The few sound effects are pretty good, with the exception of the mans scream as he dies, that gets very annoying and needs an off switch.The help file is currently fragmented, with bits here and there, it would be better as one comprehensive help page.
There are twentysix levels altogether. The main game has sixteen levels, plus five bonus levels, which are unlocked as your score increases.There is a challenge mode, where you have just one life to complete five levels. You can download extra levels from the authors web site, although currently only one is available.There is no level editor, which is a shame, as the game is ideally suited to user created levels.The levels get steadily harder as you progress through the game and some are quite tricky, with the most obvious path to take, not being the actual path you should take.Your game progress is saved as you complete levels and there is the occasional waypoint at the start of tricky sections.
Go Up is quite a good game, innovative and fun to play.I have got as far as level ten, on the main levels and unlocked three of the bonus levels (completed two). I found the challenge mode very tricky only reaching the second level!

Freeware -- Download size 2.3MB -- Win 98se, ME, 2000, XP, Vista

http://www.rutgerbevers.be/go_up_eng.html