For many, it's getting towards that fateful time of year again where exams are looming. If you're a student and are busy swotting (or at least, you're supposed to be) for your maths finals then take a trip to Softonic's Mathematics section, where you could find the program that makes the difference between getting an A or a B.

There's a multitude of helpful software on here, from simple chart plotters, such as the delightful Graph, to heavyweight apps that provide tools to solve complex equations. The number one application in this category Derive, is actually one of the most heavily-downloaded programs on Softonic. It helps you to get around tricky numerical and symbolic problems with the minimum of fuss, and is useful for a wide range of mathematical disciplines, including arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.

1. Derive - Powerful system for doing symbolic and numeric mathematics 2. Graph - Draw mathematical graphs in a coordinate system 3. Deadline - Solve equations and plot graphs 4. Geometry Calculator - Calculate and convert various geometrical values 5. MathWriter - Write mathematical, scientific and engineering equations 6. Basic Facts Worksheet Factory - Sharpen your times-tables skills 7. Math Practice - Demonstrate your great mathskills with this free software 8. Equation Grapher - Draw and analyse mathematical functions 9. Math Calculator - Calculate expression, derivative, root, extremum, and integral 10. 3DField - Convert your data into contour maps and surface plots

Hit or fold? There's an incredible number of card games for your PC, from playground favorites Marvel or Magic, to casino classics, like Poker, Rummy or Craps. Even though a lot of these can be played online in private games rooms, you can still enjoy a good card game without betting away your savings or spending a week in Las Vegas though.

We picked out 10 card games you can play on your PC, alone or online with other human or AI opponents. Depending on whether you're into more traditional games or if you want to try out something new you should check out the following list. We've selected the best and most downloaded card games. Let us know if there's one of these you like most or if you have a special card trick up your sleeve.

1. Marvel Trading Card Game - Card based strategy with all the Marvel superheros
2. Prime Poker - Texas Hold'em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha, this poker game has them all
3. Dream Vacation Solitaire - Play solitaire in an exotic surrounding
4. MTG Studio - Create your own deck of cards for Magic The Gathering
5. 32 Cards World Cup Edition - Can your team win the World Cup?
6. Slingo Quest - 60 exciting and original card games
7. Poker Supertars - Beat the pros at poker
8. Rummy 500 - Score more points than your opponent
9. Piquet - A game of declaring and pulling tricks
10. Telltale Texas Hold'Em - A poker session with some odd 3D characters

When online applications didn't exist yet and nobody talked about Web 2.0, you had only one way to create your own online presence. This method involved actually coding the webpage (usually in an HTML editor), optimizing some photos to spice it up (with the help of an image editor) and finally publishing it to the Internet by means of an FTP client.

Now the whole process is far simpler. There are many web resources which enable you to have your own personal webpage or blog online in just a few minutes and without the need of any technical knowledge. Have a look at this list and pick up the one you like best: either if you'd like to have a complete multimedia site or if all you need is a microblog to jot a few phrases down, these ten web resources will help you to go online in no time.

1. Blogger - probably the easiest and most popular blog service
2. Wordpress - another powerful and easy tool to start blogging
3. Twitter - the trendiest tool these days: just tell the world what you're doing
4. Jaiku - another miniblog tool for those of few words
5. Nowthen - capture your life as it's happening with your camera phone
6. Tumblr - tumblelogs: blogs made easy
7. Scrapblog - create stunning multimedia scrapblogs
8. Jimdo - design your personal webpage, fun and easy
9. Kyte - create and broadcast your own live TV shows
10. Zude - express yourself on the web with a multimedia website

Softonic is all about downloading so it's natural that we should pick out the quickest, safest and sleekest download managers for you. What you're looking for in a download manager is a program that will automate the process, relieve bandwidth usage and organize how files are being downloaded.

Most of the apps we cover here offer features like download scheduling, automatic disconnect after download, batch downloading and speed optimization. If you tend to install lots of new programs, games or videos and music it's probably a good idea to set one up on your PC.

1. Flashget - The fastest of all download managers
2. Download Accelerator Plus - Squeezes the best out of your Internet connection
3. Internet Download Manager - Works with all major browsers
4. Orbit Downloader - A light application based on P2P technology
5. Free Download Manager - A free and solid all around download application
6. GigaGet - Uses Net Grid technology to increase download speeds 7 to 10 times
7. Website Ripper Copier - Automatically download all content from a web page
8. WebZIP - Collect web content to browse it offline
9. GetRight - Compact but fitted with all the necessary download features

So, April Fool’s Day has passed for another year, but if you’re suffering from a hi-jinx withdrawal then don’t worry because there are plenty of apps around that will keep the fun alive all year long. Whether you want to play pranks on your friends or just amuse yourself with some amusing apps, check out the Jokes & Distractions section of Softonic.

Programs such as CrazyTalk and FunPhotor allow you to make animated characters of yourself and others, which are great for sharing with pals to raise a few laughs. Meanwhile, Funny Voice and MorphVOX are great for wind-up phone calls, as they let you distort your voice to confuse and amuse your victims. While we could never condone playing practical jokes in the office, tools like MboX and Desktop Fun are great for appearing to mess up a co-worker’s computer. It’s probably advisable to avoid using these on a Monday morning though!

1. Crazy Talk - Create animated talking characters 2. Voice Changer Software - Change your voice in all manner of ways 3. Funny Voice - Modify the pitch of your voice 4. Reallusion It'sMe - Full-body 3D character animation software 5. Soundy Mouse - Add sounds to your mouse movement 6. ZeallSoft FunPhotor - Put your face into fantasy and funny photos 7. Worms Screenmate - Put the funny little Worms characters on your screen 8. MorphVOX - Voice Changer Pro - Convert your voice into anything you want 9. MBoX - Stitch up your co-workers with this amusing error message creator 10. Desktop Fun - Apply wacky effects to your desktop

This Saturday sees the start of the new Formula 1 season in Melbourne, promising more high-octane thrills and spills than ever. This year’s competition looks like it might be pretty interesting thanks to a host of new drivers and cars, plus the departure of the win-aholic Michael Schumacher.

If you’re anything like us then once you start watching the race you’ll get the sudden urge to get into a car and drive it very quickly. The trouble is that, unless you want to wave goodbye to your driving licence, this isn’t really possible. However, you can get your fix of adrenaline using your PC by downloading one of the many racing games out there.

Things have come a long way since the days of Out Run on the Sega Master System, with titles such as Need For Speed delivering a realistic driving experience at trouser-wetting speeds. That’s not to say that simple motoring games aren’t still great, as proven by Softonic’s number one, Drag Racer. Here are the most popular games in our Driving Games section:

1. Drag Racer - Pimp your ride then race against other vehicles 2. Rig Racer 2 - Compete against super trucks 3. CrashDay - Drive, fight and compete in this intense racer 4. GTI Racing - Drive 10 generations of VW classics 5. Racer - Cross-platform 3D racing simulator 6. Need For Speed: Most Wanted – Become the most notorious driver 7. TrackMania - Design and race on impossible circuits 8. Championsheep Rally - Have fun with this cute sheep racer 9. Need For Speed Carbon - The most customisable Need For Speed yet 10. TrackMania Nations - Impressive free online racing sim

I can imagine you right now: sitting in front of your computer, drifting from website to website, not knowing exactly what to do. Enough! We have the perfect solution for you. Get on the move and have a look at our games category, where you'll find plenty of game demos and full versions you can download and play on your computer. But if you're looking for something simpler, check this list of 10 online game we've prepared for you. Ranging from logical puzzles to absolutely absurd time wasters, you're sure to find your perfect pastime for the weekend. Don't forget to post your highest score in comments!

1. Ball of Bastards : soccer seen from a hilarious perspetive
2. McDonald's Video Game : a mixture of fun and criticism
3. Linerider : a simple yet addictive physics toy
4. Dots : who hasn't played this classic pastime during a boring lesson?
5. Mr Picasso Head : make your own cubist self-portrait
6. Hewitt : a nice point and click adventure
7. Sobics Brick Game : simple addictive color puzzle
8. CatchThirtyThree : how fast can you click on 33 numbers?
9. QWERTY Warriors : the faster you type, the more enemies you kill
10. Throw Paper : a true time waster

In this era where every waking moment of your life seems to be captured on a digital camera, it’s a good idea to sort yourself out with a graphics editor in order to ensure that your images are in immaculate condition. There are plenty of software tools around that allow you to tweak your pictures to make them clearer, sharper and generally more lifelike than the original shot.

Aside from functioning as merely a photo optimisation tool, many graphics app are designed to get your creative juices flowing, allowing you to produce digital works of art without you needing to be an expert. Adobe’s Photoshop has been the leader of the pack for some time, but the program has now spawned a series of worthy clones that you can pick up much cheaper, or even for free. Here we round up Softonic’s top ten graphic editing packages to help you make your photographs all the more memorable.

1. Adobe Photoshop CS2 – Professional desktop imaging 2. ArcSoft PhotoImpression - Blends powerful photo editing with project templates 3. Adobe Photoshop Elements - Perfect, transform, organize, and share your photos like a pro 4. Ulead PhotoImpact – Complete digital imaging package 5. The GIMP - Create and alter photos and graphics manually or via scripting 6. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite – One of the most complete graphic editing tools 7. Paint Shop Pro X – Complete graphics editor for all levels of ability 8. Photobie - Image editor that supports layer and has a range of filters 9. Saint Paint Studio - Complete paint package for creating and editing images or animations 10. PixBuilder Studio – Graphics editor with many functions and tools

While sites built with Flash may always be to everyone’s liking, when you stumble across sites such as Viva Voodoo! you remember why it’s become a popular platform. The authoring tool gives you the power to conjure up spell-binding animations, games and immersive online applications. As connection speeds improve, Flash sites are able to load much quicker, making it now a truly viable alternative to HTML and CSS.

Of course, it takes hours of practice and dedication to be able to develop truly gripping Flash sites, and the cost of the Adobe app often puts people off. However, you shouldn’t be dissuaded from working with Flash because there are plenty of alterative programs that let you create animations without having to learn Flash itself. While these apps don’t contain nearly as many creative tools as the Flash authoring tool, they certainly allow you to design eye-catching presentations and animations.

1. Trendy Flash Site Builder: create professional quality Flash sites 2. KoolMoves: produce animated pages and banners 3. Flash Slideshow Maker: make animated photo slideshows 4. Amara Flash Photo Animation: transform your pictures into Flash animations 5. Selteco Flash Designer: Flash animation creator with effects templates 6. Amara Flash Slideshow Builder: produce captivating photographic slideshows 7. Zinc: build Flash-based desktop animations 8. Wondershare Flash Album Studio: apply cool themes and music to your photos 9. Text-Osterone: more than 200 animated text effects using Flash 10. Instant Demo: Screen cam creates Flash with MP3 sound

During the last few months we've witnessed the progressive development of web applications as a perfectly valid alternative to traditional desktop software. Online bookmark managers, photo organizers, word processors and so on have entered the flow of our daily tasks to such an extent that some people have definitely switched to them and forgotten about downloading and installing apps.

Whilst it's positive to have different alternatives when deciding which software to use, we always run the risk of getting too involved with those eye-catching Web 2.0 style web apps. And then, if our Internet connection goes down, we'll have nothing to do except wait for the router lights to turn green again.

While we're still connected, here's a list of ten online applications we thought you might find useful. Feel free to try them and decide if they're good enough to replace your current desktop tool.

1. Helipad: flexible web notepad
2. Traineo: online weight loss and fitness tracker
3. Picnik: edit photos online in your browser
4. Extratasty: share cocktail recipes online
5. Comeeko: create your own comic photo strips
6. Bubbl.us: mind mapping online application
7. Meebo: instant messaging everywhere
8. Ninjawords: ultra-fast dictionary
9. Imagination at work: free-hand drawing
10. Buxfer: track shared expenses online

Health is definitely one of our most important worries in life. It's the first thing you ask for when beginning a new year, when having a baby, when meeting a three-wish lamp genie. It's therefore worth remembering that you can also use your computer to help take care of your health.

There's a wide range of software programs which can help you acquiring healthy habits, dropping the bad ones and improving your quality of life in general. So move on! Take a look at these applications and start taking better care of yourself right now. It's never too late and your own PC can make it easier than ever.

1. Homeopathy : learn more about alternative medicine.
2. Workrave : remember to take pauses at work.
3. Open Fitness : manage and track your workouts.
4. Kelpiesoft Food File : food database with calorie checker.
5. Body Mass Index Calculator : calculate your ideal weight.
6. Food Additives : find out exactly what you're eating.
7. RSI Warrior : prevent repetitive strain injuries.
8. Quit Counter : some help with quitting smoking.
9. Free Biorhythm Calculator : for your emotional and physical well-being.
10. Weight Tracker : take control of your diet's progress.

Anybody who has an iPod knows that it's much more than a simple MP3 player. The new models let you watch movies or store your photos and you can make use of the space to store and carry with you your documents.

When you first buy an iPod, Apple recommends installing iTunes on your PC, to be able to manage and transfer your music library onto your mobile device. Sure, iTunes is a great app, at least it's where I keep all my tracks and download all my podcasts, but it isn't the only program that works with your iPod. There are many applications out there to make use of all the possibilities that your mobile device offers.

We've compiled a list of 10 Windows programs to diversify the way you use your iPod. Manage your content, convert video files, or transfer and read media files thanks to the following programs:

1. Anapod Explorer : Organize your iPod contents
2. Yamipod : Copy music from your iPod to your PC
3. Xilisoft iPod Video Converter : Convert any video file to the iPod format
4. River Past Crazi Video for iPod: Convert videos to play on your mobile devices
5. iPod Media Studio : Transfer DVDs to your iPod
6. Juice : Transfer podcasts to your iPod
7. Tubehunter : Download online videos to your iPod
8. Pod2Go : Read the news on your iPod
9. Virtual iPod : Transfer your music from your iPod to your PC
10. PodPlus : Use your iPod as a storage device

The Home and Hobbies category at Softonic is filled with all sorts of applications, from online auction managers and lottery calculators to diet and sports programs which monitor your health. There's also a fair amount of prank programs and more esoteric apps for fans of astrology and biorhythm analysis. If you're looking for a good time-waster or a program that steps away from the norm, there's a good chance you'll find it here. We conjured up a list of 10 programs which we consider out of the ordinary, and that you might find you like.

1. Crazy Talk : make your own walking and talking avatar
2. Auction Sentry : win online auctions at the last minute
3. Pepakura Designer : if you're an origami fan
4. Hair Pro 2006 Light : test out crazy haircuts on your PC
5. Room Arranger : redecorate your whole room without breaking your back
6. Lucky Days : pick the right day to play the lottery
7. Paper Airplane Factory : ever made a 747 out of paper?
8. Dr. Windows : set prank error messages on your PC
9. Everything I Own! : type up a complete inventory of your belongings
10. Funny Voice : play on the pitch of your voice

Let us know if there's a particular curiosity you're fond of...

After Elena's great article from the other day concerning the ten programs you immediately want to install on a new Windows PC, I thought I'd put together a similar list describing what I've installed on my brand, spanking new iMac. The funny thing is that in two weeks of messing around with my first Apple computer since my Mac Classic died twelve long years ago, I've actually only installed a handful of programs.

I think that this can partly be put down to the fact that I don't yet have too many 'essential apps' which I already can't live without. But at the same time, there's no doubt in my mind that the main reason for me only being able to name 5 programs in this 'Top 10' is that a Mac comes with so much basic lifestyle software built-in and pre-installed. Programs like iTunes, iPhoto, Dashboard etc. cover so many bases that they negate any reason for installing alternatives. Even my first installation, Firefox is more a matter of taste than anything else: Safari's a decent, robust browser.

Anyway, here are the first five applications I installed on my iMac:

1. Mozilla Firefox - the ultimate web browser (and I could even import my profile from Linux)
2. VLC Player - open-source video player with support for a huge range of codecs
3. Transmission - the number 1 BitTorrent client for Mac
4. CyberDuck - a quick and simple FTP client - essential for web designers
5. SoulseeX - connect to the Soulseek peer-to-peer network

Ok, so you've just reinstalled your Windows operating system. Your PC runs as smoothly as ever and now it's time to reinstall all those apps you use in your daily life. Each one of us has different favorite apps for different tasks and those are the ones that obviously get installed first. But everytime you reinstall from scratch there's a chance to discover new applications and who knows, maybe that new program you just tested earns a place in your favorites list.

Here's a list of the first ten applications everyone should install on their brand new - or freshly reinstalled - PC. At least, the ones I would install. Any other essentials we missed?

1. Firefox, the web browser
2. Picasa, the photo organizer
3. WinRAR, the file compressor
4. iTunes, the music manager
5. Nero, the CD & DVD recorder
6. OpenOffice, the open source suite
7. AVG, the antivirus
8. PhotoFiltre, the photo editor
9. Zoom Player, the video player
10. XP Codec Pack, all the codecs you need