Microsoft reintroduces Plus! for Windows Vista?

The first edition of Microsoft Plus! was codenamed frosting, like frosting on a cake. (Insert Portal cake joke). When Microsoft introduced Ultimate Extras for Windows Vista, everyone naturally assumed this was the replacement for Plus! delivered digitally instead of a retail product, but that might turn out to be false.

The eagle-eye enthusiasts at the Neowin.net forums (and also credit to WinBeta) have spotted an interesting product listed in Future Shop’s, a leading technology retailer in Canada, catalog. “Microsoft Windows Vista Plus Pack (PC)“.

Whilst the name could have been misleading, the packaging boxart is hard to disprove. Microsoft’s reviving the Plus! brand for Windows Vista, but limited only to games.

For your information, don’t look too much into the product description which is copy and pasted from the generic Windows Vista Home Premium marketing copy, noting the differences between Home Basic and Premium.

Whereas previous Plus! packs included a range of screensavers, themes, games and applications, this is only a set of four casual games developed Mumbo Jumbo as indicated on the boxart. One of the games I can easily identify is “Luxor” in the top left. The bottom right one might be “Ra”. The bottom left might be an adventure game, and top right a word/puzzle game.

Apparently these games have been in beta for quite some time, even as far as the Windows Vista launch event in January 2007. One tester who claims to have played two of these said they were “pretty cool” casual games.

According to Future Shop, these will retail on Friday, February 15, 2008 for $39.99. Cross our fingers, maybe these will even be Ultimate Extras.

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