Written by: Bob Mandel

Given the growing scope and diversity of computer gaming needs, it has become increasingly important for PC gamers to possess utilities that make their play experience a lot fuller and more enjoyable. Gamers often have no basis for judging which of these general purpose utilities are really worth the money, for they do not have the time, money or inclination to purchase, install, test and uninstall the major contenders to see which really help out a lot. So I have taken it upon myself to undertake this Herculean task.

Some of the products I discuss are little-known by most gamers, yet they deserve to be in the spotlight. I exclude from consideration certain widely-discussed categories of software, including security software (dealing with virus, adware and popup protection), game creation software (such as game editing programs), online-focused software (such as the tracking of online game players) and software requiring special hardware beyond standard gaming input devices (such as voice activation software requiring a microphone or software tracking body movements requiring a webcam). Although none of the four winners is exclusively designed for gaming purposes, each addresses a set of irritations that consistently pose a thorn in gamers’ sides.

Ashampoo Burning Studio 8

Gamers often keep their critical downloaded gaming files – including install files, registration codes and add-ons — on optical disks to provide safe backup and ready access if their machines crash or they upgrade to new ones. (This is especially important because the source Web sites often cease to exist.) Many users are tired of over-complicated multifunction suites of CD burning applications – such as Nero or Easy Media Creator — many of which are getting harder and harder to use and take up massive amounts of disk space. Ashampoo Burning Studio is a compact program that focuses on burning discs quickly and easily, with maximum quality and minimum hassle.

Ashampoo Burning Studio provides the most powerful and efficient CD, DVD and Blu-ray burning application, with multi-disc file backup, an integrated audio CD ripper, a label designer and the best support available for the new Blu-ray format, with capacities of up to 25 gigabytes per layer. With this software, you may create disks (including bootable data disks), burn files and folders, backup and restore files and folders, burn or rip music, burn movies, copy or erase an optical disk, and print or design optical disk covers. The software is equally adept with adding data to existing rewritable disks as with creating new disks.