Mac game maker Freeverse Software has long supported the Mac with a wide array of fun casual games, from the arcade-style WingNuts to card games like 3D Hearts Deluxe and Burning Monkey Solitaire 2. Now Freeverse is the latest game maker to partner with Apple’s subscription-based .Mac service to offer up some free games.
.Mac users can now download Freeverse Deluxe Board Games, which Freeverse sells separately for US$19.95, for free. The collection was just recently released by Freevese, and comprises eight popular board like Chess, 7th Fleet (a Battleship-style game), Mancala (the African game of cups and stones), Checkers (or Draughts), 4 In a Row (a Connect Four-style game), Reversi, Tic Tac Toe, and Go (surround your opponent’s pieces to win).
All of the Freeverse Deluxe Board Games titles include multiplayer support through Freeverse’s own free online game matching service GameSmith, which also offers ladder-style rankings for serious players and “Emotidoll” technology, which lets you communicate with your opponent using some pretty descriptive body language instead of the customary smileys. All games also include a single player mode that lets you compete against the computer (except for Go).
What’s more, .Mac also now provides users with access to downloads of 3D Hearts Deluxe and 3D Spades Deluxe, Freeverse’s shareware versions of the popular card games Pitch and Euchre. If you like them, your .Mac membership will net you a special member’s discount on the boxed versions — $14.95 for either one, a 40 percent savings off the regular $24.95 price.