Snes9x is a portable, freeware Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) emulator. It basically allows you to play most games designed for the SNES and Super Famicom Nintendo game systems on your Mac, Linux, Windows and so on. The games include some real gems that were only ever released in Japan.

Advantages consist of:
1. ability to save in any location of the game, despite how the game was designed. It's amazingly useful when you don't want to redo the same level over and over.
2. built-in peripherals. This is anything from multi-taps, to super scopes, to cheat devices.
3. ability to rip sprites and music for your own personal use.
4. easier to organize and no stacks of cartridges.
5. filters can be used to enhance graphics and sounds on old games.

As with all things there are disadvantages though:
1. if you have an ancient computer, you aren't likely to get a playable experience.
2. some games are still unemulated (though this a very tiny minority.)
3. the emulator can be difficult for new users to configure.

Loading Games
Use the Open option from the File menu to open the ROM load dialog. The dialog allows you to browse your computer to locate the directory where you have stored your SNES games. Single-click and then press Load to load and start the game.

SNES ROM images come in lots of different formats. Snes9x supports zipped ROMs as long as there is only 1 per zip file. Also Snes9x can open gzip and jma compressed files.

Game Color System
Snes9x displays the ROM information when a ROM is first loaded. Depending on the colors used you can tell whether or not a ROM is a good working ROM, or if it's been altered or is corrupted.

SNES Joypad Emulation
The default key mapping for joypad 1 is as follows:
1. 'up arrow' Up direction
2. 'down arrow' Down direction
3. 'left arrow' Left direction
4. 'right arrow' Right direction
5. 'V' A button
6. 'C' B button
7. 'D' X button
8. 'X' Y button
9. 'A' L button
10. 'S' R button
11. 'Enter' Select button
12. 'Space' Start button

The license of this software is Freeware, you can free download and free use this game utility software.