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A demo of the action/adventure game, Cold War, created by Mindware Studios and ported to the Mac by RuneSoft is now available for download from Macgamefiles.com. The 445 MB demo is available as an http or bittorrent download.

Cold War follows the story of a freelance journalist who finds himself in the midst of an international conspiracy that aims to control the U.S.S.R. Twelve hours after arriving in Moscow for a routine story, he has been stripped of all possessions, beaten unconscious and thrown into the KGB's political prison. Using only recovered weapons and improvised gadgets, he must now evade or overcome elite Soviet forces and defeat the conspiracy before he is sent to a Siberian prison camp or killed.

The Cold War Demo currently supports only Power PC-based Macintosh computers (the demo is NOT universal binary).

Note that the final Cold War game is universal binary and supports both Power PC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers.

MGF: Cold War Demo 1.0

Cold War

Buy Cold War

ClubMac has deals on a wide variety Mac compatible hardware and software products including: Daylite 3 - engineered for getting things done so you can focus your projects and prospects, from Market Circle for only $126.99!; design and print professional looking business cards with Business Card Composer from BeLight Software for only $35.99; get phenomenal effects for designers, photographers & special effects fans w/Xenofex 2 from Alien Skin for only $116.99; get total training for all Adobe CS2 products and Macromedia Flash Pro 8 w/Total Training for Adobe Design Bundle (13-DVD's & 4CD's) for only $1099.99!; get the professional choice for monitor calibration with Spyder2PRO from ColorVision for only $199.00! - after $60.00 mail-in rebate!; and much more.

J&R Computerworld has deals on a wide variety Mac compatible hardware and software products including: join one of the largest online gaming communities with World of Warcraft for only $36.99!; get the latest in the series of great strategy games - Civilization IV from Aspyr for only $49.99!; get up to 1440x900 resolution with the Samsung 19" widescreen SyncMaster 940MW display for only $329.99 - after $40.00 Main-in rebate!; for your laptop recording projects there is the MoblePre USB audio interface and preamp from M-Audio for only $149.00!; chill out with the Encounter 2.1 surround sound sound multimedia speaker system from JBL for only $89.99!; and much more.

MacMall has deals on a wide variety Mac compatible hardware and software products including: broaden your view with the 20" MultiSync 20WMGX2 LCD display/TV from NEC for only $769.99!; buy any Mac system and get a free Samsung ML-2010 B/W laser printer after mail-in rebates!; don't stress get the Microsoft Wireless Laster Desktop ergonomic keyboard and cordless mouse for only $89.99!; get comprehensive privacy protection with Internet Cleanup 4 from Allume Systems for only $29.99!; take advantage of all the latest Mac innovations built into Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 for only $45.99!- works natively on Intel-based Macs too!; don't just get the picture, take the picture with the Nikon Coolpix S6 slim-line 6-megapixel digital camera for only $385.99!; and much more.

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Macworld's Game Room has posted a review of the recently released Mac version of Legion Arena. The Roman Era strategy title utilizes elements of real time strategy and role playing as players attempt to build and train a successful fighting force. The Game Room gave Legion Arena a score of 4 out of 5 mice.

Once you’ve outfitted your soldiers (you can even customize the look of their uniforms—a surprisingly handy feature that helps you differentiate newer recruits from seasoned veterans in the heat of battle), you fight. To that end, you’re moved to the Deployment Screen, where you can actually position your units on the battlefield and give them orders—charge, advance, hold for a short time, or outflank your opponents.

You’ll need to pay close attention to the terrain and your enemy during these times—boggy ground will slow your men down dramatically, for example, while wooded areas may help disguise militia who can then burst forth and surprise the enemy. Over time, as you and your men build skills, you’ll unlock new formations and new types of units—heavy infantry, elephants and much more.

Macworld Game Room: Legion Arena Review

Freeverse

Legion Arena

Buy Legion Arena

Byte Cellar has posted a brief look at the Apple II Game Server, a Java application which allows users to run games on their Apple II computers without the use of floppy disks. Through the use of a null modem cable attached to a newer Mac or PC, the Apple II Game Server provides an easy way to access the classic games without having to make use of aging floppies.

Given my fondndess for the II, I do worry about my library of 5.25" floppies, most of which are over 20 years old. Only a few have failed, but finding floppies in really good condition is getting harder and harder. That's why I was so happy to come upon the Apple II Game Server. The Apple II Game Server is a Java (v1.5) application that allows you to send games from a Mac or PC directly to an Apple II by way of a serial null-modem cable. No other hardware required.

Once you get the Apple II accepting input from its serial port, the Java application takes over and spends about 15 seconds "typing in" the loader program which, when executed, establishes the datalink and presents the program chooser interface on said Apple II. For most of your library, floppies can be completely taken out of the picture. An excellent show of support for the retro scene by author Brendan Robert, self proclaimed Geek and Code Slinger.

Byte Cellar: Apple II Game Server

Apple II Game Server Website

AMD's recent acquisition of video chip maker ATI has caused quite a stir in the computer industry. One ZDNet columnist's take on the news is that Apple may dump ATI for nVidia. ATI chips are primarily used in the current Apple line-up with nVidia cards only being offered in the PowerMac G5s. It has even been rumoured that the ATI x1600 and x1800 series cards would appear in the upcoming Intel Mac towers that would be announced at WWDC.

Jason D. O'Grady writes:

Will Intel allow Apple to continue to working with ATI on graphics after the company becomes wholly owned by rival AMD? I think that we'll probably see Intel gently "suggest" that Apple switch to another vendor for graphics technology in 2007. Once the dust settles I bet that all Macs from here on out will ship with graphics from either Intel or NVIDIA.

If Apple goes with NVIDIA, hopefully Intel and Apple will support their SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology and add the SLI connector to the motherboard. SLI takes advantage of the increased bandwidth of the PCI Express bus and allows you to scale graphics performance by combining multiple NVIDIA graphics cards in a single system.

Will Apple dump ATI for nVidia?

Macologist has posted an informative article on adding an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer to your existing ATI x800 video card.

As video cards get older they also become noisier. Sometimes using a can of compressed air will blow out any dust and debris that has been clogging the fan itself, however it won't help the aging ball bearings inside. Macologist has posted numerous steps with pictures to show you how to add this modification.

The only thing left to do was to install our newly-improved (and silenced!) X800. The G5 is now as quiet as when it came with the stock 9600, and most importantly, the X800 and case temperature is cooler. Not bad for $35 and an hour's worth of work.

Installation of an ATI Silencer on a G5 Radeon X800

Arctic Cooling: ATI Silencer

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