UCheck is a portable tool which helps you install popular applications and missing software updates.

The program only supports around 40 packages, but the list does include some big names: 7-Zip, CCleaner, Chrome, Firefox, Flash, GIMP, iTunes, Java, LibreOffice, Malwarebytes Anti-malware, OpenOffice, Opera, Skype, VLC Media Player and more.

UCheck scanned our system, and listed 5 missing updates in a Details pane, including the installed and latest version numbers.

Some applications - 7-Zip, CCleaner - had "Download" and "Install" buttons beside them. Clicking "Download" grabbed the installation file, and hitting "Install" launched it. We then had to work through every step of the installer, as usual.

Larger applications - Java, iTunes, Chrome - only have a "website" button. Hitting this opens your default browser at the download page, but leaves you to find the relevant file, download and install it.

What you don't get in the free version is any form of one-click automated "install everything for me" feature. UCheck alerts you to available updates and makes it easier to find them, but you still have to manage the installation yourself.

On the plus side, UCheck does have an application manager-like "Available" feature. Run it on a new PC and you're able to install supported apps with a couple of clicks. VLC? Download, install. Chrome? Download, install-- and so on. You still can't multiselect apps and install them in a batch, but UCheck will save you a little time, and its one-by-one approach is probably more reliable.