Undoubtedly one of the best Qix clones on the PC, the only drawback to be found in Gal Pani X is the use of suggestive images as backgrounds. The gameplay involves drawing lines to uncover parts of a picture while trying to avoid collision with enemy projectiles.

A player has to reveal at least eighty percent of the silhouette to complete the main objective. Most bosses have attack patterns which resemble those found in classic scrolling shooters as well. Difficult to recommend due to it's subject matter but as a freeware remake this is definitely one for the collection.

White Butterfly is a vertical shooter created by Linley Henzell, developer of the excellent Dungeon Crawl and Garden of Coloured Lights. Players begin the game by choosing one of the four available ships to pilot, with a fifth one only unlocked after you've completed the final stage.

Use the cursor keys to move, press the Z key to shoot, and hold the X key to fire your secondary weapon. A third attack can be executed by pressing the Z and X key together. Hold the left shift key to move your ship around at a lower speed. Use the escape key to access the pause and quit menu.

You would need to level up all three attacks for automatic weapon upgrades. Using just one type of shot throughout the game does not upgrade the weapon, even though it continues to gain a new level after repeated usage.

There are three long stages to play in total.

In ASCIIpOrtal you can fire up to two portals with your hand-held portal device, then enter through one before coming out of the other for some mind-bending teleportation effect. Some of the puzzles in this 2D remake of Valve's Portal include manipulating switches using blocks, placing portals on the other side of chain links, dodging boulders before they crush you, and avoiding laser fields that will burn your flesh instantly on contact.

Links to binaries for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems all available from the Cymon's Games site.

Mighty Jill Off is dessgeega's tribute to the fantastic Bomb Jack series, created with collaborative efforts from James Harvey and Andrew Toups. Players jump with the Z key, and can cancel this action at any time by pressing the same button again for a smaller leap. Tap the Z key rapidly to reduce the speed of descent while in mid-air.

The game can be finished in roughly ten or twenty minutes with the first try.

Crimzon Clover is truly a wet dream for shoot 'em up fans. Though labeled as a trial version, this vertical 2D shooter sports a generous three full levels to play, jaw-dropping graphics, a limited shop section for unlockables, and the obligatory yet awe-inspiring boss fights.

In addition to your primary weapon, you can hold down the second shot button to target enemy ships, then release the key to fire homing beams at them. Collecting stars increases your special gauge, and when you press the C key it will either activate the bomb or your ship's break mode, depending on how much of the bar has been filled.

Note that the continues that you purchase from the shop can only be used once.

Stargirl and the Thief from the Exploded Moon is a new platformer by Bernie, developer of Darkside Adventures and Reactor 9. The game features plenty of secrets, hidden items and occasional boss battles as well.

Press the C key to jump, or hold the V key to increase running speed when available. The same button can also be used to grab and throw objects found in all levels. Press the return key to pause at any time.

flOw's play structure and aesthetic design are simple and intuitive. The player begins the game as a small, white, worm-like microorganism on a bright, two-dimensional plane. Using the mouse, the player can guide the worm. Clicking and holding down on the left mouse button accelerates the speed of the worm.

The objective of the game is to guide the worm to eat other microorganisms and evolve. While many of these microorganisms are defenseless, there are certain types of multicellular organisms that will attack the worm. To defeat these enemies, the player must guide the worm to eat the glowing cells that make up the bodies of the enemies. Different types of enemies have different ways of attacking the worm, so the player must determine a particular strategy to defeat each one.

Early on in the game, the worm swims in brighter, shallow waters. To progress into deeper waters, the worm must eat red microorganisms. Alternatively, blue microorganisms enable the player to backtrack. Players are capable of customizing the physical appearance of their organism based on the gameplay.

There are currently two creatures available to play. The first is the worm phase in which the player's avatar evolves into a multi-segmented worm. If the worm defeats the last, worm-like enemy on the final bottom level, the worm floats to the top, is reborn as an infant jellyfish creature and the background screen changes from blue to orange. If the jellyfish replays all levels it will return to the surface and begin life again as a worm but not before fighting a boss, which turns out to be the first worm-like creature you were previously.

Torque is a new arena shooter by the developer of Frozzd and the Karoshi series, where players assume control of a rotating ship engaged in an intergalactic war with a nameless alien race. Use the cursor keys to move, hold the Z key to concentrate your fire in one direction, and press the space key to pause. The F4 function key can be used to switch between windowed and full screen mode.

Note that the multiplier resets back to one whenever you lose a ship.

Bloxorz is a puzzle game which involves shuffling a piece of block across a suspended maze. The objective is basically to get the block to fall through a square hole at the end of each stage, all the while trying to avoid falling off the edges.

The player will be introduced to switches, bridges, tiles which responds to different pressures and even teleporters to complicate matters. Later on, smaller blocks are introduced to increase the overall difficulty of each puzzle.

There are thirty-three stages to complete.

Archaist could not be any more different than it's predecessor, yet manages to retain every defining element of the original. Your mission is basically to search each area of the map for artifacts in the shape of floppy disks and time capsules. These objects should then be deposited at a base or station in order to earn an advancement in your designated rank.

It takes a bit of effort to learn the controls, fortunately the difficulty level can be adjusted to your liking. Rather frustrating at times as well, due to the fact that the number of artifacts collected are halved if you lose a ship. There's no save game function though all these are just minor nitpicks.

A remake that even the original author would approve of. Includes a Pastfinder theme which can be selected from the main menu.