Freeware or free software - whether it's a hot new developer aiming to make his name or an established production house letting loose their classic productions one last time, decent Freeware is loved by all. The problem is: how do you seperate those shining stars from the black holes that you wouln't want even if you were paid to take them? That's what we're here for - each week we'll be bringing you those priceless gems that we uncover in our sometimes painful quest to bring you the best.

Audiogalaxy Satellite - BETA

AudioGalaxy Satellite allows you to download MP3 music files, with a pile of extra add-ons. This software will automatically select the fastest download for you (based on someone's location and how busy they are), provides auto-resume, uses very little of your computer's processing power, and has some great little port security features. AudioGalaxy Satellite is only slightly more difficult to use than other programs like Napster, but the extra abilities it has more than make up for this. Definitely a BETA version worth getting involved with and providing some constructive feedback on.

Jackalope Audio

Jackalope Audio represents what could very well be the future of music and is the first application to actually take the term 'file-sharing' seriously. No more downloading tracks illegally, no more drawn-out court battles, simply listening to someone elses music - there ain't no harm in that. You see Jackalope Audio streams your MP3 collection to others users on the net and vice versa, and provided you have the required high-speed connection this system works a treat. Setup is a breeze and the IE-based interface lets yoursearch and play tracks, create playlists and bring up info on artists and albums with the click of a button. Admittedly Jackalope is in its infancy meaning the user base isn't huge and sometimes the connections were a little haphazard. These are only teething problems however and as the user base grows and bandwidth gets larger Jackalope will be a much more attractive option than the slow-and-illegal nature of file sharing and the can't-please-everyone nature of net radio. Superb.

Cult

Imagine crossing Ultima with Crystal Caves you'd be half way there. (There is another game that more accurately describes it but the name escapes me for the moment.) Anyway you're a cop and you have to solve puzzles and get keys to open doors and talk to people. Graphics and sound are okay but it's a little hard to move the character on slower machines as the key response isn't that great. Otherwise it's quite fun, and it's free, so give it a go!