From Screen Savers & Themes

9 Great Holiday Downloads

Feeling stressed? Worn out from all that holiday shopping and gift wrapping? Take a few minutes to play one of these Christmassy games. And don't limit your decorating to the tree--we have classy Windows 7 themes for your desktop.

From Desktop

Free Software Worth a Donation, Part 2

We often think of software as either commercial or free. But there is another category of software: donationware. It's given away for free, in the hope that users will donate to support the application or a cause the developer wishes to bolster. Part II covers the lesser-known gems. For well-known software and some great reasons to donate, read "Part 1."

From Images

Free Software Worth a Donation, Part 1

I turn to the same software time and again. Some I did not have to pay for, thanks to the generosity of hard-working developers who share their creations for free, asking only for a donation from those who are willing and able. I looked through my Start menu and taskbar for those applications I take for granted all year long. If you're already using these, now is a great time to support them or their causes. And if any are new to you, you're in for a treat.

From Utilities

PCWorld Reviewers' Favorites: November 2011

What do hard drive utilities, virtual desktop managers, mindmappers, Windows 7 themes, and creative writing software have in common? They're all kinds of programs PCWorld's Downloads reviewers tried in November. This unranked chart shows some of their favorite finds.

From E-Mail

Add-ins to Power Up Outlook

Outlook may be the most popular email client on the planet, but that doesn't mean it has every feature you need. It could use help in a lot of ways, including cutting through email overload, killing spam, integrating with social networking services, and more. Here's the good news: Downloadable add-ins can help you do all that and more. Here are a dozen downloads--many of them free--to transform Outlook from just another email client into a communications powerhouse.

--Preston Gralla

From Utilities

PCWorld Reviewers' Favorite Files: October 2011

In October, our reviewers enjoyed utilities for everything from video file conversion to software updates to running Android apps on a PC. If you're haunted by regret at missing our Halloween fonts and other seasonal fun, it's never too early to bookmark them for next year.

From Screen Savers & Themes

Free Halloween Fun: Themes, Screen Savers, and Fonts to Ward Off the Holidays

It's that time of the year again, when days get short, nights get long, and Christmas seems just over the horizon. Perhaps Halloween is Nature's way of slowing the inevitable slide to the holidays. If you're planning a Halloween party instead of making your holiday gift list, how about printing out invitations in a Ghoulish font? And if you're busily hanging up paper ghosts and spider webs, don't neglect your computer: We've got several free wallpapers and desktop themes to choose from, including a festive Day of the Dead theme and mutant zombie-jack-o-lantern wallpaper.

--Kim Saccio-Kent

From Fonts

Say "Boo!" With Free Fonts for Halloween

Welcoming trick-or-treaters? Scaring off solicitors? These free fonts will please both the candy-and-costume crowd and the old-school ghouls. Decorate cardboard gravestones with inscriptions in Chinese Watch Shop. Set a classic horror movie poster in Ghoulish, or in the fearsome four of Sinister Visions Font Quartet. Tim Burton would love Romance Fatal Serif, and Tangle simply screams "haunted spaceship." Want bigger scares? Print red-inked window signs in Bat Country. Happy Halloween!

From Utilities

PCWorld Reviewers' Favorite Files: September 2011

After Labor Day, productivity is key. Our reviewers especially liked email helpers, a business-worthy uninstaller, and a cloud-based organizer. Even the less work-related software here, such as a video converter and an international disaster alert program, does its thing efficiently. And when you're serious about games, check out highlights from PCWorld's old-School RPGs feature.

From Adventure/Strategy

Classic Games in the Making: Old-School RPGs Are New Again

In the early days of computer RPGs, all it took was you and your PC to enjoy a good story and the thrill of success. Today, you may want to experience new games in the old style--and that's what we're talking about here, to varying degrees of "new" and "old." The games in this unranked list mix old-school gameplay with new styles and ideas. We tossed in one classic for reference. All are single-player and turn-based; no 20-man raids or button-mashing required.

--Ian Harac