Sword of the Samurai 1.0

There are several things you are going to like about Sword of the Samurai, a Windows screensaver offered by Pixel Paradox, and a few things you are not going to like about this application. Let’s take a look at your Sword of the Samurai experience, in a logical progression, and see what you’re going to like and what you’re not going to like.

The first step you must take, should you decide to give Sword of the Samurai a try, is to get the application off the web and onto your computer. In this regard you will like that, since the download weighs in at 4.8MB, it will not take long for the download process to complete.

Once the download completes, you have to install the application on your Windows-powered computer. You will like that installing the application is a simple, straightforward process that goes along smoothly and rapidly. You will also like that Sword of the Samurai works with just about any version of the Microsoft-developed Windows operating system.

You will not like that you cannot specify where the screensaver will be installed. You will also not like that a Screen Saver Quickstart link is placed on your desktop without your permission and that a Screen Saver Control icon appears in the system tray. If you double click the Screen Saver Quickstart shortcut on the desktop or if you double click the Screen Saver Control icon, Sword of the Samurai will automatically launch. If you right click the Screen Saver Control icon, you are presented with various options to launch and disable the launch of screensavers. The functionality the Screen Saver Quickstart and the Screen Saver Control have to offer may be useful, I’ll admit to that. It would have been nice to be asked before these were created.

Once Sword of the Samurai is up and running you will like the images it displays. The screensaver displays a grand total of 55 images of samurais. The images were drawn by Japanese artists during the 1800s. The screensaver uses various transition effects when it moves from one image to another. From the screensaver’s settings you can specify for how long an image will be displayed and what transition effect the screensaver will use when it moves to another image – that’s another thing you will like.

You will not like that Sword of the Samurai is not freeware, it is only free to try. The trial version displays only 20 images, not 55. You can use the trial version for a trial period of 10 days.

Pros

• Numerous images of samurais
• Images drawn by Japanese artists in the 1800s
• Various transition effects
• Select for how long an image will be displayed

Cons

• Creates a desktop shortcut without asking
• Free to try (10-day trial, only 20 images in the trial)

About Pixel Paradox
Details on Pixel Paradox are available here.

Sword of the Samurai has been reviewed by George Norman on 24 Jan 2011. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated Sword of the Samurai 3 out of 5 stars, naming it Very Good