Definitely one of the best "all-in-one" software collection ever released, Friendlyware is a great collection of 30 excellent BASIC programs, ranging from applications, to different kinds of games. The applications include an eye & hearing test, personal biorhythms, and a suite of useful personal finance applications such as amoritization calculation, breakeven analysis, and more. Roughly half of the programs included are games, ranging from simple parlor games such as tic-tac-toe and hangman, to more complex games such as golf and othello. One of the best things about Friendlyware is that it has great educational content. Released back when the computer was not yet a commoditized "household appliance" it is today, Friendlyware can be considered a marketing package that tries to convince people of the merits of getting a PC ("hey, this can help you your personal finance and have fun too"). The "Introduction" section contains a well-written introduction to computers, from describing the basic hardware, to how software works. Even without the intriguing historical context, Friendlyware remains a great 'grab bag' suite of ASCII games and applications that remain both useful and fun to this day. Two thumbs up! (as a side note, I had a hard time categorizing this on the site, so I have decided to put it under "Puzzle" because most games in Friendlyware are definitely not DOOM ancestors ;)) Reviewed by: Underdogs |