I was about to post the same comment. Forge is actually pretty good. And I agree that it's better than Shandalar. I played Shandalar again maybe 5 years ago and the AI gets predictable so fast.
I was not aware of Forge. Thanks! I guess I stopped paying attention about 10 years ago, shortly after WotC killed Apprentice. I figured, based on their behavior, that they would never let any unlicensed innovative MTG software come out. I'm glad they proved me wrong.
Cockatrice is the successor to Apprentice, and is still around even after a recent C&D from WotC. The reason the C&Ds come along is because they all tend to use terms and concepts that WotC owns, like tapping cards.
http://www.slightlymagic.net/wiki/Forge