In our household we have a hard time keeping goldfish alive--in fact, we just buried one last week. Instead of heading back to the aquarium store, however, I'm loading Animated Fish Desktop Wallpaper on the family computer. This wallpaper displays a lifelike goldfish right on your desktop--no need to worry about feeding it or keeping its tank clean.

Unlike some animated aquarium programs I've seen, this one doesn't display cartoony fish and cheesy aquarium plants. Your desktop turns into a beautifully rendered pool of water that you're looking down upon, and you watch a photorealistic goldfish swim from above. It's very clever, and very effective.

To install the program, download the executable file and double-click it. It will very politely ask if you want to replace your wallpaper background, then will do so. The other elements of your desktop theme--sounds, window colors, icons, etc.--are unaffected. To turn off the wallpaper, right-click the fish icon in your system tray and select Exit, then right-click your desktop and select a theme. The program will run automatically when you restart your computer (if you don't want it to, just decline when it asks to replace your wallpaper).

Animated Fish Desktop Wallpaper has found a home on my system. If you want to add a touch of whimsy to your Windows desktop, download this terrific freebie.

--Kim Saccio-Kent