April 2008

Phun is a 2D physics simulator. That might not sound too exciting, but start playing around with it and expect to lose many hours of your life!

You can get an idea of its capabilities from the following video:

Phun is available for Windows and Linux and the author hopes to release a Mac version at some point. Even if you’re not really into physics, I’d at least give this a try. I bet you get hooked.

Great news for chess fans is that Fritz, the fiendishly good chess program, is coming to the Nintendo DS later this year.

IGN reports that:

Developer Shan Blue and Spanish publisher Gammick are teaming up to deliver a new chess game to your DS this fall. Called Fritz, the portable past time promises to “deliver the full power of chess at the highest level.” A coach will be included, offering advice and clues to become a chess master.

“Fritz not only plays well, it teaches, walks one through and helps by adapting itself to the strengths and needs of each player,” says Sergio Rincón, director of Gammick Entertainment.

I’ve been a long time player of the PC variant and it’s a great tool for developing your game.