Shareware and Freeware Rating and Download sites 
TuCows downloads
WinPlanet Windows Software Reviews and Downloads
c|net Download.com Reviews and free downloads

Other
ZD Net Utility Guide

Microsoft Downloads

Alternatives to MS Office:
List at ZD Net
OpenOffice/

Optical Character Readers (OCR)
 Abbyy FineReader & OmniPage get the best reviews.