Fun Stuff Tips

Shareware Board Games

There are hundreds of shareware board games, simple and complex, available for the Mac. My own personal favorites are:

Game of the Winds: a matching game with Mah-Jongg tiles

Monopoly: the old favorite ... comes in several flavors, large and small

Yahtzee: Again, there are several different versions - a game I've always loved.

Parcheesi: I remember this game as "Sorry!" from my childhood; it's still fun to play!

All of these and hundreds more are available from places like ZDNet, MacShare and other shareware sites. And remember ... if you keep it, pay your shareware fee, OK?

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Diablo & Diablo II

My personal vote for "best RPG" for the Mac is Diablo II. It's fun, addictive, infinitely variable and challenging; it's also a great way to get rid of those after-work (or after-school) frustrations.

One of the best things about it is that the Mac and Windows versions integrate seamlessly. My husband (a PC user) and I play together in both online and TCP/IP games without a hitch.

The original Diablo is also a great game, and a good place for you to start if you're not familiar with this type of action/adventure/RPG. By the time you've made it through the levels to fight The Big Guy, you'll be ready to take on the more sophisticated and challenging Diablo II.

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Slow Motion Fun

In OS X, there are three small buttons in the upper-left-hand corner of each window. The yellow button in the center minimizes that window in the dock. However, if you hold down the shift key before clicking the button, it will minimize in slow motion. Try it with a QuickTime movie running – it's really cool!

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Sounds and Soundsets

Here are some Sounds, Sound Utilities and Sound sets that I can recommend from personal experience!

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Forest 2.0 from MacUnicorn Software
Shareware
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Forest plays nature sounds, bird chirps, crickets and others, as if you were walking through a forest. In addition to Forest world, you can also choose Garden World, Night World, or, my favorite, Storm World - with thunder and lightening.

In the preferences, you can choose random sounds instead of continuous sounds. You even have the option of building your own world by using the, what else, World Builder; however, this option is unavailable until the program is registered. (Tucows Review)

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MacThing 1.0 from ClixSounds
Freeware
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Introducing the Mac Thing collectible sound from Clixsounds, a hard-hitting, technotronic, pro-Macintosh production of true quality audio output from your Mac and external speakers.

It begins with a club-style bass beat backed by electronic melodies that pause after a measure, when a voice says, "It's a Macintosh thing, you wouldn't understand."

Then, it instantly bursts into a speaker-crushing bass frenzy backed by electronic melodies and orchestral punches, making for a spectacular climax of Macintosh proportions. (Tucows Review)

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Silver Soundset II 2.0 from Mac.com
Freeware
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Silver Soundset ll presents a silvery-sounding alternative to some of the more intrusive computer sounds that are available. Almost every time you make a move with the cursor, you're treated to a delicate sound that doesn't hurt your eardrums. It sounds like the plucking of harp strings or the jingle of tiny bells. (Tucows Review)

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Star Trek Soundset 1.0
Freeware
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"Beam me up, Scotty!"
"Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor, not a moon shuttle conductor!"
"Live long and prosper."
"Make it so."

Know a "Star Trek" fan? Are you a closet "Trekker"?
If so, you've got to check out the Star Trek Soundset. Enhance your Mac with sounds from the beloved sci-fi series.

Star Trek Soundset, the release version, works only under OS 8.5-9.

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Get all these sounds, sound utilities, and much more at Tucows!
http://www.tucowsmac.com/comsndmac.html

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Macintosh Gaming

"Mac Gaming" used to be an oxymoron, but the last few years have brought some terrific new games to Mac enthusiasts. If you're looking for some great new Mac games, check with Amazon.com!

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Using Your Mac as an Alarm Clock

Use the Auto Power On/Off Control Panel in Mac OS 8.5+, or the Energy Saver Control Panel in OS9+ to startup your Mac at a specified time in the morning, then load a music CD before shutting down at night. You'll wake to music!

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CAT.ppc

Everyone has seen or at least hear of the Virtual Pets ... little animated animals you have to pet, feed, water, brush and otherwise attend to.

If you have enough REAL pets to maintain, thank you, here's a low-maintenance kitty for your computer. No feeding, no grooming ... just an occasional giggle for you. This silly feline meows occasionally, purrs if you pat his forehead, blinks if you poke his eye, does spontaneous famous actor imitations, amkes occasional rude noises, and does several other goofy things. Definitely good for a giggle. Get yours at:

http://www.stimpsoft.com

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ClusterWorks for Magic Time!

If you're looking for something beautiful, relaxing, hypnotic, fascinating, enchanting and otherwise quite useless, you can't do better than ClusterWorks.

This is a gorgeous little piece of software that makes soothing tinkly music and lovely patterns on your monitor. Sparkling multicolored fountains follow the movements of your mouse, or you can just let it run by itself; it creates a beautiful fireworks display to its own accompaniment. Via a series of rather complex keyboard settings, you can make it do virtually whatever you want, changing patterns and tempo.

Just don't turn it on if you have anything else you need to do right away ... you'll be hooked!

Get it at: http://www.wonderlab.com

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iTunes Patch for OS8.5 and 8.6

Are you running OS8.5 or 8.6, but would like to take advantage of Apple's highly-acclaimed freeware iTunes? Here's a patch that will let you use iTunes for playback, and the management and creation of your own MP3 libraries. (Sorry, it won't work for CD burning, but hey ...) Get it at Worm in the Apple … along with some scathing remarks about Apple's software design philosophy!

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