themaskedcrusader.com

	Program:	Creeper World
	Company:	Knuckle Cracker
	Website:	www.knucklecracker.com           (Link to Demo)
	Price:	DEMO ($9.95 for full version)
	FSF Rating:

I know the series is called Free Software Friday but this game does have a Free Playable Demo. Two actually (see below for more information).

What Is It

Creeper World is similar to a traditional Tower Defense game, but with a twist - you can Move the towers. Basically each level, you try to fight off a killer gelatinous ooze and provide energy to charge special totems that, when charged, open a portal and provide escape. You really should play the demo to learn more about the game. It is a strategy game, so if you don't like that style of game, don't bother, but if you are strategically minded and enjoy a challenge where you have to think out of the box, then this game is for you.

Here is a recording I made of one of the levels:

What do I Get for Free?

The online demo is a flash based version of the game that is available to play at KnuckleCracker.com. You can also find it on addictinggames.com or even right here on TheMaskedCrusader.com. Included in the "Training Sim" are five levels that teach you the basics of the game. Then, once you have beaten those levels, head on over to KnuckleCracker and download the Demo. The download includes the first 5 levels of the full game, enough to get you hooked.

Why Pay?

First, the game is totally worth paying for. I plunked down my $10 for the game because I (a) wanted to play the entire storyline (20 story levels), and (b) I wanted to play the extra levels included (another 35 levels). That's 55 levels of fun for $10. Also, with the full version, you can make your own levels using the Map Maker, which is free, but you have to have the full version to play your levels. I'll be uploading my created levels to the KnuckleCracker site as well as provide you downloads of The Masked Crusader's levels right here on my site. 

Final Thoughts and Rating

I thoroughly enjoy this game and encourage everyone to play it and buy it. I am in no way affiliated with the dude that programmed the game, so I'm not plugging it to get something out of it, I just really liked it that much. You get 10 levels for free, which is more than a lot of free games give you. This game is totally worth the full 5 stars I've rated it. Now, go kill some creeper!

	Program:	Avast Antivirus
	Company:	Avast!
	Website:	www.avast.com
Price:	Free for home use or $40 / $60
FSF Rating:

This week, we take a look at, in my opinion, is the best antivirus program out there: Avast! Anti Virus. For years, I have used both McAfee and Norton solutions for Internet Security... that was until I discovered Avast!

What Is It

Avast is a full featured Anti Virus program that is free for Home use.  The free version is all you should need, with two considerations. Avast! provides full time virus and spyware protection for your computer, but the free version does NOT include a firewall.  The full suite does though. So, if you have a good firewall (either a good router or even windows firewall) you should be pretty good.  The second consideration is your personal web habits.  If you ever enter personal identifiable information on a website, you must be sure that the web site is running securely.  Be sure to check for https:// (note the "s") in the address before entering bank account, credit card or username/password information.  If it's just http:// (sans the "s"), the connection is not secure and your information is not protected. That being said, Let's look at Avast's features

Features

Avast Free Antivirus comparison chart is available here. According to the chart, the Free version provides continuous protection against Virus, Spyware including email protection.  In reality, it scans all web traffic for viruses or Spyware.  When it determines a website is infected with viruses, it pops up a warning, and shuts off the pipe.  The website stops loading immediately and your computer is protected! It's very cool. The Professional version ($40) includes a web sandbox where you can continue surfing sites or running software that Avast!  has flagged without fear of infecting your computer. That's cool and all, but if the site is infected, you probably don't want to be there in the first place.

What it does well

The application updates it's definition file daily.  The pro and full version claim that they have faster updates, but the free version running on my computer updates as soon as it sees a web connection.  When I connect to the public internet at the University or the Library, Avast automatically checks for updates and usually finds one to download. 

The suite continuously scans your computer for changes that could be hazardous. If you try to install a spyware program, it's blocked.  If you hit a site that is infected, it's blocked.  If your friend sends you a file in an IM chat, it scans it for infections - and if found, it blocks.  It's a wonderful piece of software.

It scans your email, your web traffic, your IM, your P2P software.  It protects file transfers from computers on your own network.  The free version is all encompassing and completely adequate for every day users.

What it doesn't do well

For the most part, the added features in the Professional and Full suites really aren't too impressive, except for the Silent Firewall that is included in the full suite.  I understand that it's a selling point for the full version, but it'd be nice to include it in the free version.  The other features in the paid versions I can do without.  

The Sandbox idea (included in Professional) is cool.  It lets you continue on a website that has been flagged as infected without fear of infecting your computer.  There have been times searching for information for school assignments that I'd hit a site that was a little off the beaten path and regular free Avast wouldn't let me view it because it was dangerous. With the sandbox, you'd be able to get the data for your term paper form the lesser know websites without fear of garbage infecting your computer.

Also, the one shield that is not included in the free version is the Script shield, which is included with the Professional.  This is an important shield because scripts on websites and in applications can do a lot of damage even though they may not seem like it.  Most people use JavaScript on websites to auto format information or to retrieve information from the site without having to reload the web page. But it must be mentioned that those scripts are actual code that can be executed, and programmed correctly can cause significant damage to your computer.  It might be wise to upgrade for the Script Shield if you are concerned about that.

Final Thoughts and Rating

All in all, the Free version does everything I need it to and at a wonderful cost.  I did mark the software down because some features that are included in the pay versions could be included in the free version, making it a that much better.  After all, most anti virus software companies - and most software houses in general - make the bulk of their money from professional enterprise entities, and not the onesie-twosie home users.  Don't let this deter you from checking out the free version.  It does require a quick registration from within the application, and the registration only lasts one year.  This is to ensure you always download the latest and greatest version, keeping your computer always up to snuff. This Great software is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.

	Program:	Auslogics Disk Defrag
	Company:	Auslogics
	Website:	www.auslogics.com/en
	Price:	Free (freeware)
	FSF Rating:

Our second installment is a free disk defrag utility that far surpasses the included Windows Defrag, the core of which was originally written by DiskKeeper back in the last 1990s.

What Is It

Auslogics Disk Defrag Utility doesn't do more than it's name suggests. It's a defrag utility that has the capability to defrag a hard drive, or multiple hard drives. It is the perfect addition to any Windows computer. The Windows defrag utility is very limited in its functionality. Basically, it just defrags - and now as well as other utilities.

Features

Auslogics Disk Defrag is a full feature defrag utility.  The software supports all the features of any pricey competitor utility.  The software can be themed to match your favorite disk defrag, It supports defragging of either a single file or the entire file system.  It also features Scheduled defrag and drive optimization to speed up access to frequently used files.

What it does well

It does everything well.  The defrag can be simple and run in the background or you can choose Defrag and Optimize which takes longer, but organized information on the hard drive to make your computer run faster.  My favorite feature is the scheduled defrag.  Click on Settings > Program Settings then click on the Schedule Tab to setup the schedule.  I run mine every night at 3:14 (because I'm a geek) and it does it's thing.  I also selected it to log what was defragged so I can see what was done.  I love how it works and couldn't be happier with a free software package.

What it doesn't do well

Nothing that I can think of.  I mean, it doesn't do your homework for you, but the User Interface is intuitive and the software is very easy to learn and use.  It was built to accomplish a single task and it does it very well.

Final Thoughts and Rating

I feel kinda silly plugging so hard for a piece of software like this, but this is one piece of software that is worth WAY more than the sticker price of $0.00.  You get a fully functional, elegant and professional utility for free. I don't have a choice but to rate this wonderful utility a full 5 stars!  So, go and get you some defraggin' software today (Link is above)

	Program:	CCleaner
	Company:	Piriform
	Website:	www.piriform.com/ccleaner
	Price:	Free (freeware)
FSF Rating:

In our first ever post in the Free Software Friday Series, I'll be Reviewing CCleaner. Hopefully you will comment and help me with the format of this series.

What is it

CCleaner is a utility for keeping your computer clean of temp files and other other data that can clutter up your computer.  It is available for the Windows Operating System only. The name stands for "Crap Cleaner", and that's exactly what it dooes, cleans up the crap on your computer.

Features

CCleaner has several features, and they are so much of a value that this application is usually the second one that I install on a computer after loading Windows. The features I'd like to highlight are:

1. It integrates with Windows Explorer. By so doing, you can run it by right-clicking on the Recycle bin and choosing the option "Run CCleaner". After you have configured it, you can run this and it'll go through all the different settings you have setup, keeping temp flikes and other garbage to a minimum on your computer.
    
2. The first option on the menu when you open CCleaner is the Cleaner functionality. The cleaner has the ability to remove all temp files from all internet browsers that you use, and supports all the major browsers: IE, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera.  It can remove all the internet cache, cookies, saved passwords, form values and all the other stuff that the browsers use. Each of these is individually configurable, so if you don't want to remove saved passwords, simply uncheck the box and it'll skip that part of the cleaning.
   
   Beyond the cleaning of the browser, CCleaner can also remove Windows temp files, Prefetch data, hotfix installers and you can even configure it to remove the contents of any folder on the computer. It does a great job of removing all the files you don't really need
    
3. The second feature it has is a Registry Cleaner. CCleaner can scan your registry for unused or obsolete keys that are taking up space in your registry. Sometimes these keys in the registry can take up processing cycles and, if are unused or redundant, can slow your computer down. The cleaner can also create a backup of registry keys it removes so if the system horks, you can re-import the keys and try again. I, personally, have never had a computer crash because of registry keys that the cleaner removed
    
4. The third feature is a tools section. The Tools section has an Uninstall feature where you can view and uninstall any application on your computer. It is very similar to the Control Panel's Add/Remove programs feature, but it is better. Sometimes, the Control Panel's app cannot remove the reference to an app or perhaps you want to install an app and remove the ability to uninstall it. you can't do that in the Control Panel, but both features are standard in CCleaner .
   
   The second part of the tool section, you can view all the applications that start when your computer starts. You can then remove or simply disable applications that start with Windows. This is useful because a lot of spyware will put in files that start with windows and with the cleaner, you can remove those. Also, a lot of utilities start applications that you really don't need. For instance, Quicktime starts an app that can speed up the launching of a multimedia file, but if you only watch Quicktime movies rarely, you don't need this extra application always running on your system.
   
   The third part of the tools section allows you to remove System Restore points. Whenever an update is installed or an application is installed, Windows creates a restore point.  If you want to remove some of these restore points to free up precious hard drive space, the CCleaner is your tool!
    
5. Finally, in the Options part, you can choose how to clean up a computer. I won't go through all the options, but I will draw your attention to the Secure File Deletion section. When you delete a file normally, or remove it from the recycle bin, the data is not actually removed, but rather a miniscule snippit of information is changed that causes the computer to disregard the data, thus it is deleted. The Secure File Deletion capability actually overwrites the physical data on the file system, removing both the pointer to the data as well as the data itself. There are three different methods: The Department of Defense's secure wipe policy (DOD 5220.22-M - 3 passes), The NSA's secure wipe policy (7 passes), and the Gutmann policy (35 passes).  Each pass writes binary zeros over the entire patch of drive where the data from the file exists.
   
   When you remove a file using the recycle bin, simple and free utilities are able to restore the file and at least part of the data within a short period of removing the file. When using one of the Secure delete policies, the data is destroyed immediately and cannot be restored using either free or professional forensic software programs.
   
   Why is this important? Say you have an email that contains your bank account information, including bank name and account number. When you view that email on your computer, the data is written to the hard drive. You can't prevent this - it's how web browsers and email programs work. When you close the browser, the data remains on the drive. If your computer is then stolen, the thief has access to your account information. Simply removing the internet cache from within the browser still leaves trace data on the drive which a thief can restore using either free utilities or professional forensic software package such as Encase. When you use the Secure File Delete functionality of CCleaner , the data is destroyed and cannot be restored by the thief. The secure wipe also can wipe the free space of a drive, securely removing any pre existing data on that drive that may have existed before you installed CCleaner .  It is an excellent way of removing data from old hard drives that are to be sold with a used computer or scrapped and thrown out.

What it does well

The software does an excellent job of removing temp files, sensitive data and, in general, keeping your hard drive and registry free from unnecessary clutter that can slow down your computer. It is secure and is easy to use, and the price tag is just right: free!

What it doesn't do well

Deleting the gobs of files and temporary information creates holes and spaces on your hard drive. These holes are then filled with subsequent files on your computer creating fragments. Fragmented files slow down your computer and can even lead to data corruption. It is important to use CCleaner with a reputable defrag utility. Even if it's the included defrag utility within windows, but a professional (and possibly free) alternative is recommended.  Next week, I'll review a defrag utility that is free and supports scheduled defrag and works along side CCleaner to get the job done right!

Final Thoughts and Rating

I give CCleaner 4.5 out of 5 stars for it's capabilities. What it does, it does very well, but it does leave the hard drive open for fragmentation. Integrating it's capability into a defrag utility so they both accomplish their tasks in one software package would make it awesome. It's feature rich toolkit is a must for any Windows user.