Aardwork's Revolutionary Gameshadow

This morning I had breakfast with the CEO of Aardwork.com, the creators of Gameshadow.com. Who the heck are they? Well, let me just say they've shown me some of the most exciting software I've seem in a VERY long time.

Gameshadow.com, in a nutshell, keeps all of your games patched and updated... automatically.

Aardwork has paid for the rights of the patches of over 300 games 258 to be listed below. And not just the latest patch - ALL of the patches. So, haven't updated Civ III or Command and Conquer for a while? Have no fear, Gameshadow will do it for you.

Login Screen

It will first compare the games on your hard drive to the games on its server. When it finds matches, it will then ask you which games you want to patch. Then it downloads all applicable patches to your system. Whether you install or not is up to you.

And say you're on version 1.0 and the game is now at 4.0. It will tell you whether you need to download in order or can just jump directly to 4.0. And if you know your fries are playing on 3.0 - you can update to just that version. It will also show you on those updates you CAN use. Perhaps because you updated to 1.01 you can't use 4...so 4 is no longer an option.

Once you've done your downloads, it creates a history. You then have the option to set it to always download game a, never again, only when prompted, etc. All customizable and all up to you.

When you first download you specify a folder, then it creates patch folders for each of the games you've decided to update. So, should you want to update later, you can.

It also works across networks. So, if you're like me and have kids games on one computer, your spouse's on another, it will search them all to find what the latest is and prompt you for which you wish to update.

Search and Compare Screen

There is a simple view - accessible to even the least experienced of users and a complex view, for those that want to know EVERYTHING about everything.

Oh yes, there's also an import/export function. So, those of you who have a T1 line at work can first make a list of the updates available, go to work download and bring them home to install. Very nice.

There's a interactive walkthrough on how to use it that can also be printed but in truth, its very simple software.

Not yet available, watch for this one. It's the one to have.

Here is the HUGE list of the games they currently support:

Age of Empires
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors
Age of Mythology
Aliens vs. Predator 2
American Conquest
Anno 1503: The New World
Anno 1602
Apache Havoc: Enemy Engaged
Armored Fist 3
Baldurs Gate
Baldurs Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
Baldurs Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast
Ballerburg
Battle Realms
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942: Road to Rome
Battlezone
Battlezone II: Combat Commander
Beach Life
Beambreakers
Black and White
Black and White - Creature Isle
Bloodrayne
Braveheart
Buried in Time
Casino Inc
Championship Manager 4
Clive Barkers Undying
Codename: Outbreak
Colin McRae Rally 2.0
Combat Flight Simulator
Combat Flight Simulator 2
Combat Flight Simulator 3: The Battle for Europe
Command and Conquer: Generals
Command and Conquer: Red Alert
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command and Conquer: Renegade
Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Conflict Zone
Conflict: Desert Storm
Conflict: Freespace The Great War
Cricket 97
Crimson Skies
Cultures
Cultures 2
Daikatana
Dark Reign
Darklight Conflict
Darkstone
Deadlock II
Deadly Dozen 2: Pacific Theater
Delta Force 2
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down
Delta Force: Task Force Dagger
Descent 3: Sol Ascent
Deus Ex
Devastation
Diablo
Diablo II
Dino Crisis 2
Downtown Run
Driver
Dronez
Duke Nukem 3D
Dune 2000
Dungeon Keeper
Dungeon Keeper 2
Dungeon Siege
e-racer
Earth 2150
Ecstatica II
EF 2000
Empire Earth
Enigma: Rising Tide
Escape From Monkey Island 4
European Air War
Expendable
F22 Air Dominance Fighter
FA Premier League Manager 2002
Falcon 4
Fallout 2
FIFA 2000
FIFA 2001
Final Fantasy VII
Flight Simulator 98
Flying Corps
Forsaken
Fragile Allegiance
Freelancer
Freespace 2
G-Police
Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within
Gabriel Knight 3
Gangsters
Ghost Recon
Giants Citizen Kabuto
GP500
Grand Prix 3
Grand Prix 4
Grand Prix Legends
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto London
Grim Fandango
Gruntz
Gunlok
Gunman Chronicles
Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
Half Life
Hardwar
Heavy Metal FAKK 2
Heroes Chronicles - Warlords Wasteland
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddons Blade
Heroes of Might and Magic IV
Hexplore
Highland Warriors
Hitman Codename 47
Homeworld
Homeworld: Cataclysm
Horse Racing Manager
Hostile Waters
IL-2 Sturmovik
IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles
Imperium Galactica II
Impossible Creatures
Incoming
Incoming Forces
Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb
Janes WWII Fighters
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Kings Quest: Mask of Eternity
Lords of Magic
Lords of the Realm 2
M1 Tank Platoon II
Mafia
Magic and Mayhem
Mankind
Masters of Orion 3
Max Payne
MDK 2
Mech Warrior 4 - Mercenaries
Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor - Spearhead
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
Midtown Madness
Midtown Madness 2
Mig Alley
Might and Magic 7
Monopoly (1997)
Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls III
Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls III Tribunal
Myst
Myst - Riven
Myst 3
Need for Speed
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Nightsone
No One Lives Forever
Nocturne
Nox
O.R.B.
Operation Flashpoint
Port Royale
Postal 2
Praetorians
Privateer 2: The Darkening
Project Eden
Project IGI
Project IGI 2: Covert Strike
Quake II
Quake III Arena
Rage of Mages
Rainbow Six
Rainbow Six - Rogue Spear
Rainbow Six: Ravenshield
Rayman 3
Real War: Rogue States
Restaurant Empire
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Risk II
Robocop
Rune
Sacrifice
Schizm
Sega Rally 2
Serious Sam: The First Encounter
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
Settlers 3
Severance
Shogun - Total War
Sid Meier`s Alpha Centauri
Silent Hill 2
Sim City 2000
Soldier of Fortune 2
Soldiers of Anarchy
Spirit of Speed 1937
Splinter Cell
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars: Force Commander
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
Starcraft
Startopia
Strike Fighters: Project 1
Stronghold: Crusader
Summoner
SWIV
System Shock 2
Take No Prisoners
The Curse of Monkey Island
The Italian Job
The Sims Deluxe Edition
Theme Hospital
Theme Park Inc
Theme Park World
Thief: The Dark Project
ToCA Race Driver
Tomb Raider II
Top Gun Combat Zones
Total Annihilation
Total Annihilation: Core Contingency
Train Simulator
Tribal Rage
Tropico
Tzar - Burden of the Crown
Ultim@te Race Pro
Ultima IX: Ascension
Unreal
Unreal 2
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament 2003
Uprising
Urban Assault
Vampire The Masquerade (Redemption)
Vietcong
War of the Worlds
Warcraft II
Warcraft III
Wargasm
Warlords Battlecry II
Warlords III: Darklords Rising
Warrior Kings
Warrior Kings - Battles
Warzone 2100
World War 2: Frontline Command
Worms 2
Worms Armaggedon
Worms United
Worms World Party
X - Beyond The Frontier
X-Plane
X-Wing Vs. Tie-Fighter
Z: Steel Soldiers
Zeus: Master Of Olympus
Zoo Tycoon
Zoo Tycoon: Dino Digs
Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania