All those engines come with the same interface, and mostly the same features, including instructional materials. In times past, Fritz had one or two features absent in the others. I'm not certain whether this difference remains.
Rybka is bar far the strongest.
Hiarcs has a more human style, and is usually a little stronger than Fritz.
Many engine devotees claim that Shredder understands sacrifices better.
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I'm debating repurchasing Fritz again (bought it last February, then had no time to play so it ended up being sold for a $30 loss...). After I bought it last year though, I realized just how much more software there was, so now I am at a loss for what I ought to buy. I by no means need the strongest engine to give me a good game, but I would like it to have as much instructional material included as possible.
Some of the software I would like to know the differences between is Rybka, Fritz, Shredder,Hiarcs, etc. Are they just the different names of engines? Is it primarily an interface/cosmetic difference?