Your screensaver is a drifting logo or a blank gray screen, and your monitor deserves better. Mars: 3D Space Tour replaces it with a slow flight around the Red Planet, as if you were the first person to orbit it.
Quick facts
- Developer: FP Software lab
- Version: 1.1
- Type: Shareware screensaver
- Platforms: Windows 95/98/ME, NT/2000, XP
- Download size: about 1.3 MB
- Trial: free to download and try; registering removes the reminder messages
Key features
Sunsets and sunrises in the thin Martian atmosphere
The scenes show Mars in different lighting, including sunrise and sunset over the planet's red surface.
A flyby of Phobos
You can fly around Phobos, the larger of Mars's two small moons, and not only watch the planet itself.
Surface detail: deserts, mountains and storms
The description promises endless red deserts, high mountains and hurricanes, rendered with 3D-accelerated graphics.
Settings you can change
You can pick the video mode, the animation speed and the camera cycle, either a set cycle or a random one.
Who it's for
It suits you if you like astronomy or want a calm, space-themed desktop. It's a small download, so it also works on older Windows machines.
Pros and cons
- Pro: very small download, about 1.3 MB.
- Pro: the trial is free, so you can see how it looks on your own screen first.
- Con: the trial shows a large registration notice in the middle of the screen.
- Con: all views are from orbit. There are no surface shots like those from Mars rovers.
What users say
SharewareJunkies: "there is one shot, showing the sun behind some planet, and it really looks neat."
FAQs
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. The trial is free. If you keep it after the trial, you register it to remove the messages.
Does it work on modern Windows?
The listing names Windows 95 through XP. A download site says the sibling Moon screensaver installs on Windows XP through 11 (32-bit), but that isn't confirmed for this one.
Is it part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to the 3D Space Tour collection, which also has Earth, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Galaxy screensavers.
System requirements
The vendor lists Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT/2000 and Windows XP. The screensaver uses 3D-accelerated rendering, so a graphics card with OpenGL support helps.