by Joyce Kohl
August 10, 1998
[NOTE: Freeware is free. Many programmers create applications which they distribute freely for anyone to use without cost. Freeware may be called "happyware" to "postcardware," "stampware" or any other name, but all may be used freely. The mini-reviews here on Go Inside will describe the program, give you the URL where you may download it, and sometimes include a screenshot where appropriate.
Although I have personally installed each and every program and found them to be compatible with my Windows 98 system, I cannot and do not make any guarantees that any of them will work on YOUR system. Before you install any of these, make sure you have your system backed up.]
Hangman Deluxe
An old favorite "pencil and paper" word game, Hangman Deluxe v1.0 for Windows 95,
includes multiple language modules from which to select. They are: Danish, Dutch, English,
Finnish, French, German, Italian, Latin, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swahili, and Swedish.
Installation is simple. Put the contents of the archive into a directory, then click on
the executable file.
To play, first select a language using the "Wordlist" Tab:
Finished, lost game:
One of the best things about this game is the ability to edit the word lists. Each language file is plain text. To add words, import the file into Notepad or your favorite ASCII editor, insert words of your choice, and then save it. You could even create new language files for different age groups or different levels of playing. Simply give them unique names and select the one of your choice from the wordlist tab.
SuperFred The DesktopBuddy
Get your copy of Happy Fred, one of the cutest
computer desktop toys I've seen! He walks, whistles, falls, sleeps, and does a host of
other inane things on your desktop. He's clumsy, he's funny, and he'll make you laugh.
Best of all, he's FREE. And there's no complicated installation. UnZIP (decompress) the archive into the directory of your choice. Double-click on the executable filename OR create a shortcut on your desktop.
Deactivate, choose to have sound or no sound, move him around or set fun levels for Fred by left-clicking on him. This screen for customizing pops up:
A few of Fred's appearances on my desktop:
Xmas Fred
This Santa Fred is another free desktop toy
from the same author. He's my personal favorite.
I lost count of all the things he can do. The antics of this delightful cartoon character, Fred, is amazing.
Santa Fred has a customizing box, too. Left-click on Xmas Fred to shutdown, move him, select sound to be off or on, and select fun levels:
And, of course, I have several appearances of Santa Fred captured for you from my desktop:
The author recommends that you do not tease more than 3 Freds at once to avoid crashes.
Copyright © 1998 by Joyce Kohl
"Go Inside" is a David Boles Trademark