Sure, your Windows PC is chock-full of all the big mainstream programs--Office, Internet Explorer, PhotoShop, ICQ, Easy CD Creator, and the like. But did you know that there is a multitude of free and low-cost programs available via the Web, just waiting for you to download them? In this edition of Windows Advisor we take a look at three such programs, one fun and two extremely useful, all of which offer free or trial versions of their software and can be registered for less than Microsoft's least-expensive software suite.

Incredimail

Have you ever wondered why your e-mail looks nothing like the typical e-mail you see at the movies or on television? You know--when you delete mail, it crumples or shreds, and when you receive it the computer in question practically does handstands announcing it. And, of course, there's a reason for that. In Hollywood, everything is visual. It would make for a pretty boring movie to depict e-mail the way it actually looks--black text on a white screen, with very few bells and whistles.

Incredimail changes all that. The nifty little shareware e-mail program, which runs on Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP and requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or higher, allows you to view, send, and delete e-mail just like the folks in the movies. When you receive an e-mail, for example, one of many characters (a butler, dog, clown, scantily clad woman, frog, etc.) will announce the new arrival to your inbox.

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