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For those that would like to try Go on a PC, there is a good version on Go for DOS & Windows called IGO by David Fotland, and it's free.
I've been using the DOS version which runs fine in a DOS window on a Windows PC.
There is a Windows version called Igowin and a version for the iPhone or iPod Touch or iPad.
I haven't tried the iPhone version yet.

IGO plays on a reduced sized 9x9 board, but is good for an introduction to the game.
The fill size version with a 19x19 board is called The Many Faces of Go and is available for purchase.
The readme.txt file says:
This program contains the same go engine as The Many Faces of Go, but only uses the first 5 levels (out of 10). It uses the same graphics as The Many Faces of Go, but is limited to 9x9 boards only.

To download:
http://www.smart-games.com/igo.html
http://www.smart-games.com/igowin.html
[the Windows has info on the iPod version]

For those that would like to try Go on a PC, there is a good version on Go for DOS & Windows called IGO by David Fotland, and it's free.
I've been using the DOS version which runs fine in a DOS window on a Windows PC.
There is a Windows version called Igowin and a version for the iPhone or iPod Touch or iPad.
I haven't tried the iPhone version yet.

IGO plays on a reduced sized 9x9 board, but is good for an introduction to the game.
The fill size version with a 19x19 board is called The Many Faces of Go and is available for purchase.
The readme.txt file says:
This program contains the same go engine as The Many Faces of Go, but only uses the first 5 levels (out of 10). It uses the same graphics as The Many Faces of Go, but is limited to 9x9 boards only.

To download:
http://www.smart-games.com/igo.html
http://www.smart-games.com/igowin.html
[the Windows has info on the iPod version]

see: http://www.smart-games.com/igowin.html or http://tangoclient.sourceforge.net/

When I was in school, i had to totally remove freecell from my computer. It got to the point where it was impacting my GPA. Yes. Seriously.

I'd sit down to write a paper and get in a sentence or two. Just as soon as I didn't immediately know what to type in next, I'd open freecell and start a game. 2 hours later, I might have only written a few more words. It was bad enough that starting up the program became instinctive (thank you windows "most recent programs used" list). I distinctively remember catching myself on several occasions where I didn't remember starting up the game; much less what I was supposed to be doing instead. Of course, once you had started a game, you had to finish it. Heaven forbid you quit the game half way through and damage your winning streak.

7 months without the game, and I more or less lost interest in freecell. Instead, I've ended up playing a lot of Go. (no, I'm no afiliated or pushing an agenda here; just merely admitting to my most recent game addiction.) As of yet, it's not as bad as solitaire or freecell.

Honestly tho, I think I just feel like I need to be addicted to *something*. It would probably be World of Warcraft if that one would load up a little faster.

a freeware version of "the many faces of go" http://www.smart-games.com/igowin.html

I've been trying to learn Go for over a month now, it seems extremely difficult to learn the basics of this game than most others. I've read through various beginners guides, and play the computer version Igowin where my kyu stays around 15-20. I recommend trying a computer version out before spending the money on a physical set; the game is fun, don't get me wrong, but it takes forever to learn, and I picked up basic Chess strategies rather quickly.

Once you've done all the exercises there, phase 2 of your education should be the igowin demo, which uses a 9x9 board. You get to reinforce what you've learned by playing actual games on a small board. The game AI starts out at (what it considers) 20 or 30 kyu, I think, and then gets progressively more difficult. So you'll see how far down you can get... before too long, you should be able to beat the computer without too much trouble. Side note: it's a windows program, but it's a simple executable; I remember being able to run it fine in wine a couple years ago.

Good luck with the Go. And fyi, GoBase is a great site to check out once you know how to play.

http://senseis.xmp.net/
Here's a wiki dedicated to Go. I've found it very useful.

http://playgo.to/interactive/
An interactive tutorial

http://www.britgo.org/cartoons/
comic for beginners

http://www.usgo.org/
the American Go Association

http://www.smart-games.com/igowin.html
demo version of "The Many Faces of Go". I highly recommend the full version, but it's very very expensive. if you get to the point that this demo is no longer challenging, you should probably purchase it...

http://gobase.org/software/editors/
SGF editor

http://gobase.org/software/clients/
play go online with other ppl

http://go-club.1up.com/
a club I started on 1up

http://games.slashdot.org/games/04/09/24/1742243.s html?tid=202&tid=106
like knoppix, but for go players

ok, that's all for now =P

Anyone interested in learning the basics, i suggest trying Igowin, the 9x9 version is free (as in beer), comes with a very good tutorial, and you can buy their full 19x19 product if you like it.

I have over 1400 games played with this one and still haven't reached 50% skill level of the program.

Maybe 19x19 games are hard for computers, but at 9x9 it will kick your ass. :)

Here's some links I collected for my Japanese 101 classmates:
Hanafuda Card Game (Windows)
Hanafuda plugin for Flowersol (multiplatform)
Go Trainer (Windows)
Go SGF Editors (multiplatform)
Online Go IGS Clients (multiplatform) Ask people for a teaching game after learning rules, practising
The Interactive Way to Go Easy to follow online tutorial (requires Java)
Go An introduction Outlines basic rules in easy to understand comic
American Go Association The info hub of American Go players
Shogi Variants (Windows) Japanese Chess, Shogi
Ricoh Shogi's Page Rules of Shogi (harder to learn rules than Go, IMHO)
Online Mahjong on Yahoo! Games Requires Yahoo! account, web-based
Rules of Mahjong this isn't the Shanghai Mahjong you know! Real Mahjong is like poker, not a tile matching game.

Chess has many restrictive rules; in a 8x8 board, you have "just a few" moves you can make. In other hand, Go has a 19x19 board; you don't move the stones, you put them anywhere in the board.
You can play chess really well with a brute-force algorithm - even to compete with the strongest chess players in the world.
And Go? The (probably) strongest Go program in the world it's only about 15-20 Kyu, and take a lot of time for each move (for those who don't know, the levels for players go from 30 Kyu (lowest) to 1 Kyu, and then 1 Dan to 10 Dan (strongest)). You can't brute-force a Go game, there are too many possibilities, even on a 9x9 beginner-board.

Your best bet is getting a book (I reccomend Teach Yourself Go), and playing 9x9 games until you get the hang of things. Then try one of the online servers: IGS or KGS. Have fun!

A free version of "Many Faces of Go".
igowin
The computer player is pretty good on this small board. You'd be surprised.

Here's a neat little (9x9) free version of The Many Faces of Go. Download Go

It provides a nice taste of go for noobs.

My only thought is that if computers are no good at Go, then I must really stink since I can't even beat the free intro version most of the time.

#1) Cat-Bat is just a silly flash game. Somehow I always need to play just one more round, though...

#2) igowin has also been fairly addictive recently (it's computer Go) - the 9x9 board is small enough to make the games fast. I hit it now the way I used to hit Programs-Accessories-Games-Solitaire.

And the non-entry ('cause I'm not really hooked is 3d-pinball. I can't go into the server room without playing one game...

At the moment I think that the best programs are rated around 7 kyu. Here is a link to the annual championships . Every year the ing foundation offers a grand price if someone can write a program that can beat a pro, but this will not happen in near future.