Here's one that will make a select few of our readers stand up and shout, while merely drawing a faint "hmm" from the rest. But, as Arnold and myself are among the standers and the shouters… Last night, in honor of the 20th anniversary of their founding, the Free Tools Association (or FTA) released a free bundle of their classic demoscene productions and games wrapped in their ActiveGS Apple IIgs emulator as the Universal application ActiveGS � Best of FTA [App Store].

FTA and the associated groups Apple Chemical Software (ACS) and Second Sight Software were well known in the pre-web online Apple II communities for their to-the-metal, assembly-coded demos, games, and utilities that pushed the Apple II to its limits.�Among the included productions are Nucleus and Modulae, probably the most well loved and beautifully executed demos to be found on the IIgs, as well as the playable demo of the group's take on the pseudo-3D shooter Space Harrier. Those checking out this collection who have no Apple II in their past should note that the Apple IIgs, which was released in 1986, is an 8/16-bit computer that runs at 2.8MHz � and that's in "fast" mode.

The Modulae demo, running under emulation on a Windows machine:

The group's ActiveGS emulator used in this application is a front-end for the multiplatform KEGS, which�emulates the Apple IIgs and, by extension, the Apple IIe. It's available in both stand-alone applications and as a browser plug-in and is the primary emulation system behind the Virtual Apple ][ website where hundreds of Apple II programs can be run online.

Last November, indie developer Spaces of Play released their unique take on the Lemmings formula called Spirits [99�/HD]. In Spirits, you negotiate a series of 40 cleverly designed levels while commanding a group of floppy-headed spirit folk. The general gameplay is pretty similar to Lemmings, where you can assign tasks to individual spirits like digging holes or becoming ladders so your fellow spirits can make it past a blocked path. What really set Spirits apart is how there are various wind currents flowing through each level, and when you direct your spirits into these currents their umbrella-like heads filled with the breeze and they were swept up into the flow of air.

The wind factor turned Spirits into a very different beast than its inspiration Lemmings, and the fantastic hand-drawn artwork and beautiful music made for an incredibly engaging gameplay experience. We really liked Spirits in our review, and it has even gone on to win several different design awards since its release in November. While originally released on the iPad, in December an iPhone version hit the App Store, and despite the smaller screen space the excellent gameplay translated very well. Now, to celebrate the coming of GDC in San Francisco which kicks off next week, both the iPad and iPhone/iPod touch versions of Spirits are available for just 99�.

Either version of Spirits was well worth their original price points, and at 99� each they are practically no-brainers if you're into puzzle games, or if you just like games with very pleasing aural and visual features. There is a very challenging nature to Spirits if you try to beat each level using the least amount of spirits as possible, or if you are trying to collect the often difficultly placed bonus plants throughout the levels for maximum completion. But these are not required, and there's also a very casual aspect to Spirits if you're just looking for basic completion of each level, and the music and visuals offer an almost zen-like experience as you play.

There's a discussion of Spirits taking place in both the�iPad games thread or the thread for the iPhone version, and it's highly recommended that you check out Spirits during this 99� sale which will be running until next Friday, March 4th.

App Store Links:

• Spirits, $0.99
• Spirits for iPad, $0.99 (iPad Only)