Features

• Searches Ancestry.com automatically to find your ancestors
• Compare new findings with your own data side-by-side
• Incorporate new information easily with the new Web Merge Wizard
• Easily navigate through generations in the new Pedigree View
• Quickly jump to people in your tree with bookmarks

Reviews (12)

Too annoying
I was using version 12 and liked it well enough. I reinstalled when I got a new computer that had XP on it and it would not install, so I thought upgrading to the latest version would help. It did install, but the software has more quirks than the last one. It has somehow linked itself with other programs and so when I try to use my CD burning software or Legacy software (a geneology program) it wants to open PrintShop first and considering how slow this program is at opening that isn't pleasant. I've reinstalled numerous times and the problem hasn't gone away. I also find this program more awkward in trying to create things like a simple greeting card. If you can tolerate the annoyances (like if you delete the icon from the desktop it thinks it isn't installed) then you might enjoy the features this program has, but personally I just now hopped online to find myself a program by a different company.

Will not run on XP - BEWARE
Purchased this product because I just got a NEW computer (with NEW drivers). Installed it. It will not display anything. I spent three hours running through all the "HELP" suggestions, changing everything they suggested, only to change it BACK when it did nothing. Then tried nevigating their site (good luck). When I FINALLY got to a screen where I could email them I demanded my money back. Still haven't heard anything. DO NOT buy this if you are running XP.

Don't Buy It!!
I'm sorry I did not read your reviews before purchasing this product. I'm not sure how bad the software is, but I'm sure the support or customer service is the worst. Their E-mail response = 3 days and does not answer your question but refers you to their web site. If you try to contact them by phone (your cost and their estimated wait of 20 min.), you get a computer response to review their web site and no option to talk to a tech. Tell a friend to save their money, Dont' buy it!

not as bad as previous reviews might lead you to believe
The entire PrintShop product line has it's problems. Many bugs, and support issues. The first thing that annoyed me with PrintShop 20 was that it is 'nagware'. if you dont' register it's going to ask you every so often to register (I think every time you boot, I'm sure there's a hack to get rid of it). Also, when you OPEN an existing project, it pops up the new project creation wizard anyway, right on top of your new project, so you just have to close out of that (again, probably a way to hack this out of existence for those who are bothered enough by it).

However! This is the ONLY line of programs my mother seems to get any use out of. MS Publisher has user interface issues (in terms of ease of use and intuitive design). PrintShop lays all the main features out under your fingertips, making it pretty simple to create what you want.

One reviewer here commented on not being able to get his/her own images into his/her project, this is a bit tricky if you use the user interface; your images need to be in a certain folder, and PrintShop won't let you 'browse...' for images in other locations. so what I recommend is just dragging and dropping your image files into the PrintShop window.

But I love the database of images that come with PrintShop20 (be sure to install them all!) and how they are presented as thumbnails in the clean interface for adding graphics.

No installation problems with PrintShop20, and no errors yet, which is an improvement from some other versions.

While this program isn't perfect, I think it serves it's purpose pretty well, I'd be interested to see some serious competition, since this package boldly advertises that it is the "#1 best selling" software of it's kind. (subsequent reviewers, please make suggestions)

Poor online access
I am a former PrintMaster Platinum 8.0 user so I thought being the same company would mean the same quality. Unfortunately I didn't read these reviews first. I bought the DVD format so that I wouldn't have to deal with a lot of disk swapping. The problem is when I don't find what I want on the DVD and try to use the online feature it is realy slow (I admit, I am still a 56K modem user), or I can't access it at all. I would have prefered having a second DVD to access all the images. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Where are the crabs, seahorses, snails ?
This ss is kinda nice, but there is not enough variety. There should have been a lot more exotic fishes, and crustations like spider crabs, snails, starfishes, etc.

There are over a thousand different animals in the ocean, but the programmers decided that it would be easiest to place only a handfull.

There should also be an option that lets you "buy" toys to place in the aquarium. Like sunken boats and treasure chests.

I hope someone makes a third version of this ss with my above recommendations.

Nice looking, but glitchy for me
Without a doubt, this is an impressive looking screensaver. Images are extremely detailed and realistic. The screensaver also has many settings you can configure. However...

I've observed this screensaver on two computers, one a Pentium 4 at 2.4Ghz, and the other a Pentium 2 at 450Mhz. On both machines the screensaver caused some minor graphics problems, especially on the P2 computer. Basically I'm referring to the screen freezing up for a few seconds, or the Windows taskbar changing colors. One time half the screensaver was running, and the other half I saw the XP desktop. All the colors were blurred.

On my P4 computer, which has an integrated video card, it takes about 5 seconds after I move the mouse for the Windows XP desktop to reappear. With a standard, ordinary screensaver running, the desktop reappears immediately after I move the mouse.

I emailed SereneScreen about this, and they suggested I upgrade my video driver. I did so, but that didn't change anything. If your computer has a powerful video card, then this screensaver might work okay. It also wouldn't hurt to have a Pentium 4 processor running at 2Ghz or faster. However, if your computer has an integrated video card, or an older processor, you might run into some problems.

Amazing graphics
The graphics are amazing. My local CompUSA was using this on all of their demo monitors, and I just had to have it. It is a lot of fun. And you don't have to clean the tank! But one watchout... I don't recommended it for "slower" machines... it totally bogs down my Pentium II 333 at work... had to uninstall it. Works great on P3 933.

Don't bother
I just bought this SS after seeing it live in action at the store. It looked great. Well at least at the store. I have a 3 GH CPU, 1024 of DDR RAM, and a 64 MB video card in my laptop. (The laptop is 1 month old) When it does run, it is SLOW and choppy. The bubbles suck, and the fish swim as if they are about to go belly up and end up at the top of the tank. Thankfully the store I bought it at is offering me a full return.

The best screensaver that I've seen
It's absolutely amazing. I can stay there watching it all day, it's so soothing and beautiful. I wish there were more features like more fish (although there's 26 already) and it would have been nice if we can change the background a little bit and the look of the aquarium. But those would be just bonuses, the screensaver is already perfect like it is. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you're looking for a writing package that provides guidance but isn't overbearing, the Writer's DreamKit package from Dramatica is a great solution. This package is targeted at beginning to intermediate writers, and attempts to get you involved in working out the mechanics of your story before you even begin writing it.

You'll get started with the StoryGuide: the central location for establishing your "storyform" and structure. You can work with the StoryGuide either directly or by creating scenes, but either way, the creative work done in this portion will be tracked and available in all other parts of the application. For the fastest route, you can start with one of three structure templates: novel, screenplay, or short story. In these templates, the essential characters are already created. Using these in conjunction with the StoryGuide gives a writer both efficiency and flexibility.

One of the strongest features of the StoryGuide, however, is the Dramatica Query System. This system offers aquestion and answer approach to storyforming, and allows you to focus on one element, relationship, or idea at a time. In the DQS, the questions may be very straightforward or somewhat indirect; regardless, newer writers will appreciate the help buttons that appear for each question, offering an explanation, the theory behind the question, usage, illustrations, definitions, context, and story examples.

If aquestion and answer bombardment or too much structure is not your thing, you can find relief in the Story Engine, which offers a more holistic and freeform approach to identifying your storyform. The Story Engine does lack help, which makes it more suitable for experienced users, and also looks somewhat daunting on the first few uses. However, it also is the quickest way to get to your underlying structure.

While the Writer's DreamKit is somewhat linear in progression, there are many opportunities to diverge from the standard path. You can create characters, one of the most enjoyable parts of the creative process, at any time. You'll do more than just assign a name and a few stock attributes: you'll build your people from scratch (or from a template) and instill in them the complex characteristics that will guide them through your story.

If you've never taken a creative writing class or are looking to refresh your skills, the Writer's DreamKit definitely offers a great foundation for structuring your story. However, it's still up to you to write your great American novel or the next box office hit. --Emilie Dirks ... Read more

Reviews (21)

If you're serious about writing then this is for you!
I've been writing for a while now, and am enrolled in a correspondence course, and although I am learning a lot, this Dreamkit helped me so much more than I could have imagined! It is easy to use, and helps you see where your story is going, and where it needs work. It takes the guess work out of your story. I highly recommend this to anyone who is serious about their writing! The templates are easy to use and understand. The Query system takes you through some questions about your plot, characters and scene structure and helps you consider things you may not have thought of. It shows you your beginning, middle, and end, so that you can get to writing your story faster. It even has a character builder, so you can visualize your characters. The Dreamkit will not write your story for you, but it is of imense help. Move over Writer's Block! The users manual is a bit vague, but half the fun of this was in finding all the goodies on my own! It is fun and easy to use. It is money well spent!!

Stressful and irritating format
I found that this program did not help me at all. The format is very irritating and confusing. It is hard to learn to use it and I am a professional computer programmer. Once I did learn it, I found thhere is not much there. It is very limiting and in many ways stifles creative flow.

I would reccomend trying Storycraft instead, which I found to be helpful and user intuitive.

Just sit down and write.
Want to waste a lot of time when you could be writing your masterpiece? Buy this "program". Face the facts: There simply is no software that's going to write a book for you or anyone else, including me. I screwed around for several days with this thing. Then I got the final print out of "how" I should write my novel. It was impossible for me to follow the "guidelines" provided. They simply did not pertain to the way I wanted to write my story. I tried to imagine some of my favorite books having been written using the generic guidelines the program produced. It assumes that all fiction novel writing is generic and takes the form that the producer of the program dictates. I feel that each and every successful fiction writer has their own individual writing traits and point of view on how they themselves (not F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Mark Twain, John Grisham, etc, etc) should produce a work of art. JUST WRITE! Don't give up. That's my free advice and it's worth more than anything this software has to offer.

Waste of money
When I first ordered the product I couldn't wait for it to come in the mail, but after receiving it I must say I am disappointed. I am a beginner and I have purchased three books on writing and was very pleased with all three of them. So with a brand new Dell computer with a matching laptop, reference books, a good dictionary, and good old microsoft word I was as ready as ready could be to begin my novel. I think I let the word template rope me into this product. I thought a template was a formatted blank form that would get me started and I found this product very confusing and mind boggling. I do not want to discourage anyone from purchasing it but if I had it to do again I would not have made the purchase, however I am thankful that I did not pay a whole lot for it and I will just have to chalk it up to a loss. I have thought about looking into purchasing another product such as this one but why get burned a second time. I think I will stick to the guide books, microsoft word, and my imagination and who knows, perhaps in the future this product may help me but for now I am rather disappointed. I could have made my own template with the books I had purchased. This product was a waste of time and money in my opinion. I didn't expect it to write my novel for me but to do like it said and hold my hand and guide me thorough with a "template".

a little stressful
I think I would have been very pleased with this product except for a problem that developed on my computer after I installed the software. I have windows xp and after I installed the software a serious error occured on my computer. I had never had a problem with my computer before I installed it. ... Read more

Features

• Massive toolset for exploring family history
• Powerful database organization tools
• One-click searching to find leads on your ancestors
• Export family books to PDF and other formats
• Many easy-to-use tools to make genealogy simple and fun

Reviews (4)

Skip the data
Wouldn't it be nice if Amazon would sell the "program only" option on this product (which is available elsewhere)? I concur with several other reviewers that the data CD's are useless for most users.

The program is good, and the program is available without the data CD's and the membership for a lot less. I generally find that people into geneology are willing to share their data at no charge, and kinda expect others to do the same.

Sometimes the most popular software is the best available
First of all, the current version out on the shelves, Family Tree Maker 11, as well as 10, do not have 35 CDs. It has the number given in the manufacturer's description above. I also have to add that these two recent editions do NOT have any ads within the program, nor do they tell you to update. This also must have been something else that occured in an earlier version.

Now, I have to say that if you do most of your genealogy research via your PC you need to buy either Family Tree Maker Deluxe or Basic. I'm not saying this to be cute. I'm saying this because it comes with a reader that Genealogical.com uses for many of its CDs. Not only that, but if you publish your GEDcom on the web, FTM appears to have the most seamless process and translation of your GEDcom.

I didn't start out with FTM, I started out with the Generations program, published by Sierra, bought out by Broderbund which is the same publisher of FTM, and not exactly the favored child. So, I felt I had to move on to FTM.

You are going to have to spend some time learning the program. Luckily, the guide that comes with it is perfectly adequate and there is no need to buy the published book for it.

Using the program, you will find the database well designed. When you add notes, though, you will find the interface a bit clunky. However, you're not going to find a better program out there. After purchasing FTM 10, I decided I would move on to the Master Genealogist, because I had heard it was more flexible regarding notes. It is, to a point, but it's a very unpleasant program to use in comparison, and the reports you can generate with FTM are surprisingly better. FTM version 11 lets you save/export in PDF files more than ever, which is very helpful if you have family members who do not own any genealogical software.

Now, this said, the charts that FTM generates are horrible. Chances are you will either have to fill out blank ones by hand, if you don't want to spend an afternoon with the FTM printed pages, a tape dispenser and scissors. FTM does not even have a cascading pedigree chart, which will add to you spending a lot of time numbering what you do get out of it. Or you might have to buy a charting companion. My old Generations program has a great charting tool (Easy Tree) which I still use instead.

As well, the family group sheets generated aren't very good. You can customize to have as little or as much information as you'd like, but the actual layout of the sheets are not exactly innate for the eye. You will do better by using the program, publishing a GEDcom on the web, and printing off of the host site. Seriously.

The timelines, are also not helpful. Not as many people use timelines, but they are necessary in doing serious detective work on a family or if you are going to put together a retrospective on an individual's life.

There are small extras that deserve mention, scrapbooks, which let you create a photo album, and/or slide show. (This is not a digital scrapbook, just the term they use for organizing photos by person.) I found it an adequate tool, but I would rather have the option of adding photos to group sheets, charts and reports instead.

There are data CDs included in the package. Basically, they're just a tool to get you on the web and researching, which is what you know to do already. They are superfluous.

It should be noted that FTM is connected to genealogy.com, which has been bought out by ancestry.com. I don't know how this will affect doing research via your FTM window in the future.

On the Family Tree Maker web pages themselves. They're very pleasant pages but aren't of much use to you until you have done quite a lot of specific research already. They're not databases or photo albums, but places to display research plus a few photos and a brief introduction. Perfectly nice, but not what you might think you get. The good news is that the program walks you through creating your page and it turns out well.

In any case, the obvious strengths of FTM are data entry, report generating, and web publishing. The weaknesses are charting and group sheet generating. You may or may not find it helpful as a research aid. So, this is not at all a five star product but it's still the best you can buy.

Using it for years....
I purchased the original software and have upgraded regularly and it is very easy to use and very easy to look up folk and combination etc.

Would recommend to any family researcher that wants accurate and complete records. Options for information is endless and it will do books of your information for you with the data you have entered.

bloody good software this...

Easy to Use for the Basics
I am a first-time user and purchased #8. I found it to be easy to use and understand, and the ability to print out nice looking family trees is great. However of the 35 CDs that came with the #8 Deluxe package, I found one useful and the others excess baggage. If you get the cheapest version of FTM, you'll get your money's worth. Any more and you'll have a lot of spare CDs to use as drink coasters for your hot chocolate. The strengths of the program are it's ease of use, the ability to include photos and "scrapbook" info, and to print attractive trees. The weaknesses of the program are the misleading advertising that makes you think you can use it for researching and the frustrating "buy, buy, buy" pitch at every turn. I would recommend FTM, but mainly as a good basic database. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

WinWay Resume Deluxe can help you write the perfect resume and cover letter in record time with easy-to-use resume software. Choose from thousands of Ready-To-Use resumes for virtually every career, plus more than 100,000 powerful job-winning phrases. Then select from multiple designs for a resume that really stands out.

From entry-level to executive, recent graduate, military, career change, career advancement, frequent job changes, and many more--there’s a resume for everyone. Plus, cover letters are a snap. Our Letter AutoWriter offers ready-to-use paragraphs for your cover letters, ad response letters, interview follow-up letters, networking letters, cold call letters, resignation letters, and more.

Valuable Internet features to help maximize your job-searching efforts. Find more opportunities in your area to get a job that is close and convenient. Search millions of job openings online instantly. Easily post your resume to multiple Web sites and even build your own resume Web page. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Brilliant Software!
WinWay Resume is simply outstanding. This program definitely does the trick. It's easy to use, extremely straightforward, and had a pre-made resume (I'm a cost accountant) that I was able to adapt to properly show my experience. And it has a Resume Auditor which is incredibly cool. It found all kinds of mistakes in my resume - and I'm sure glad it did. Not just typos, but things like date gaps between jobs. The tutorials were really helpful, too. It teaches you how to negotiate a better salary and how to present yourself during an interview, which turned out to be a good thing for me since it's been 12 years since I had to interview. Anyways, I recommend it wholeheartedly!

Helped me get a Job
My company has been laying people off every month so I decided it was time to update my resume. I just got Winway Resume Deluxe 10.0 and I must say it really helped me put together a beautiful looking resume. It helped me to write my resume quickly and more professionally than I EVER could have done on my own. And the Resume Auditor feature worked like a charm! It's kind of like a spell checker for your resume and it found some big problems woth my resume that otherwise would have just gone unnoticed (by at least me but maybe not my prospective employer). When I read reviews here on Amazon, it seems like Winway is the only software with a resume checker. If your company is laying people off like mine, this is a great insurance policy. ... Read more

Features

• Create scrapbooks to share your memories and re-discover the past
• Over 2,500 scrapbook templates and customizable projects
• Over 20,000 premium quality graphics
• Enjoy leading-brand clip art from Art Explosion
• Web slide shows and albums, and play CD scrapbooks on any DVD player

Reviews (17)

Good product, with a few bugs.(...)
I recently purchased the Scrapbook Factory Deluxe ver. 2.0 software. So far, I believe that this is one of the best software products on the market today. It is very user-friendly, and without much of a learning curve. You can produce impressive scrapbooking pages, in a matter of minutes. However, the problem comes in when you create scrapbooking pages with more than 12 pictures and text on a page. If you do not print that page as soon as you finish creating it, trying to save it and print it later, is impossible. What happens usually, is that the page with all of your hard work will usually crash, and you end up starting all over. This can be quite disappointing. Secondly, even with a new printer, when you put a full page border on your page, there have been many occasions, where the border would not print correctly on the bottom of the page, and some of it would get chopped off. Lastly, as a friendly suggestion, more templates are needed for the areas of Graduation, Kwanza, Anniversaries, Halloween and Easter. Other than the few bugs mentioned above, "Good Job, Nova Development"! I'm looking forward to your next new and improved version.

Useful Tool for Creating Scrapbook Pages
Pros
Makes laying out a scrapbook page easy, with many options available.

Cons
Templates are limited and rather "cutesy".

The Bottom Line
This program is easy to use, and helped me create a custom scrapbook page with little effort. One caveat: Once you select a size template, be certain to check the result with "print preview" before you expend any effort. I had trouble getting the first page I created to print in 12 x 12 size on a 12 x 12 sheet of paper. However, I called tech support. The first rep didn't help much, but then I got a follow-up call from Derek, who had gone to the trouble of downloading my Canon S9000 printer's driver! Together, we got the print function going and produced a perfect page. It's really refreshing to find a software outfit that really cares about the results its customers are getting! It is too bad that the templates supplied with this program are so cutesy and schmaltzy, and that more background "paper" isn't supplied. But if you start with a blank template, hey, it's a clean slate and you can let your imagination run wild. It'll let you drop in your pictures and graphics wherever, and help with the lettering for titles and journaling.

Recommended
Yes

...
Operating System: Windows

Excellent Program
I've used many graphics, CAD drafting and photo editing programs. So I was a little apprehensive that this scrapbook, which I bought to make a presentation of wedding pictures for faraway relatives, wouldn't be up to expectations. I was especially doubtful on account of the comment an Amazon review that the clip art is "cartoonish."
Actually, I'm delighted. Some of the art is cartoonish, but by no means all of it is, and all of it can be exported and modified. I finished the wedding scrapbook and went on to an illustrated journal. The program is so flexible and will do so many fun things--I think it's great.
A few caveats: the photo editor doesn't really replace a good photo editing program.(You'd hardly expect it to, for the price.) The text editing is a bit rudimentary too--I can't see any way to paste text from external documents into it. The icons are puzzlingly nonuniform with those of other programs, and some of the maneuvers are far from obvious.
But if you have any interest in working with a text/illustration program, you could well be just as delighted with this offering as I was.
Last caveat: It's kind of addictive!

Very Helpful
Nova Development Tech Support was there when I needed them. I didn't go through 10 different automated phone selections and then have to wait hours for a response. TS was there and available immediately. Tech Support was knowledgeable, patient, and indispensable in finding and curing problems.
There are other products which compete with Nova Development software, but I don't know of any company that does a better job of technical support. And, as it is in many fairly complex installations, technical support during the installation can save the day, as it did in this case.
When you buy from Nova Development, you are not just buying software. You are buying the superb technical support that can be critical to the successful installation of the software.

Tech support was really helpful
Thanks,
You offered precise instructions that worked right the first time.
You guys give great support! ... Read more

Features

• Six popular Microsoft home products in one, easy-to-use package
• Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Money Standard, Encarta standard, and more
• Task Launcher brings all six products into an easy-to-use interface
• 500 pre-designed templates for personal, household, school, and community related tasks
• With Works Suite you can qualify for discounted upgrade pricing for Microsoft Office 2003

Reviews (15)

Just too much to ignore
Now that I have my copy of Works Suite installed I can't see how anyone can be dissatisfied with it. The copy I obtained through Amazon's "Used and New" section was definitely no upgrade and installed quite happily. I didn't get the retail packaging and the manual was on-line, but the price was trivial. And now I see that buying the full retail package through Amazon direct is almost as cheap.

What should be stated clearly is that you get a full copy of Word 2002 (XP), which is almost the same as Word 2003. Also, you're now eligible to buy Microsoft Office at an upgrade price. Either of these two advantages can save you hundreds of dollars.

That's in addition to getting four applications that are useful every day - Encarta, Money, Streets and Trips, and Picture It! Although Works itself is maybe not as strong as I'd need (I'm used to Office), all the programs show considerable signs of features and design for ease of use.

I've used other examples of the programs here (including Photoshop for picture manipulation) and all the Microsoft offerings really show up well. If they lack any features they make up for it with ease of use. You can even load the data files for Encarta onto your hard disk to run without the DVD or CD-ROM.

Whatever your understanding of computers this is a great addition to your programs, especially at this price.

There's a bargain here - and it's not OpenOffice
It's remarkable that anyone would recommend Open Office. The sole thing in favor of it is that it's free. It's a poorly executed attempt at an alternative to Microsoft Office, but it misses out all but the most basic features. In addition it is a CPU hog, often using 100 percent of the processor.

Works Suite has a whole bunch of programs that don't come with the typical Office suite, and they're often the best of their class. The cost of them (Money, Streets and Trips, Picture it! and Encarta) would come to more than the cost of Works Suite. In addition you get a Works program that has been designed to be easy to use, plus what is arguably the world's best Word processor.

Unless you're locked into an ABM (Anything But Microsoft) view this is a great bargain, and if you don't want Microsoft take a look at the WordPerfect suites.

What upgrade?
I can't understand where people are getting the idea that this is an upgrade. I searched Microsoft's site and there is no mention of an upgrade version.

You can use an installation of Microsoft Works to get Microsoft Office at upgrade prices, but there appears to be no qualification to use Works itself.

The only caveat is that certain sellers in the "used and new" section are selling OEM copies at very low prices. The OEM copies do not provide tech support unless you bought a computer from the company named on the CD or DVD case. However, you can (as I have done) installed an OEM copy and used all the software including Microsoft Word without any problems.

Again, given in my review I believe this to be one of the bargains of software, I don't see any reason why this shouldn't be on your computer. I am about to sell my computer and I am buying a new copy for my new computer. I'm sure the person who buys my old computer will think it a bargain that so much software is legally included.

Truth in Advertising
Nowhere in AMAZON.COM's write-up of this product is it mentioned that this is an upgrade that cannot be used unless you already
have certain Microsoft software on your PC. Maybe most MS home users already know this, but still it should be shown as prominently as the system requirements. The write-up did not give me enough information to make a good decision. I will probably not buy software from Amazon.com again.

great combination of appropriate software
If you considered this suite upon the merits of just two of the programs contained inside, the price is a real deal. For me, Money 2004 and Streets and Trips were the two programs I really wished to get. I was not disappointed. Microsoft really needs to be commended for the excellent work they have done in selecting some very useful programs to put together. On the other hand, Word comes with 500+ useful templates and that also made the suite a wonderful deal. I enjoy the Works program itself because it is simple and functional. I don't need much more for home use. If I was a corporate user, I would buy a corporate license I suppose, but this is a great combination. It is also discounted now. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Show business loves its archetypes. One chestnut that won't go away is the image of the feverish screenwriter, hunched over a word processor, ideas flying so thick and fast that the chore of punctuation would invite creative disaster. Hollywood Screenwriter is a script-writing program that promises to simplify the mundane stuff--like proper script formatting--so creative juices can flow freely.

The only keys a writer needs to move between script elements in this program are TAB, ENTER, and (. Since scripts have a logic and order that's fairly standardized, the program can intuit what's next, placing time of day after scene headings or formatting for dialogue or a parenthetical after a character's name. This is a less-complicated program than some of the more expensive screenwriting programs out there, but it doesn't do as much as those other offerings either.

Hollywood Screenwriter is designed for writing spec scripts: speculative screenplays designed to get the attention of stage or screen producers. This program will help you format your script correctly, ensuring that it won't get tossed out based on appearance. But if someone decides to produce your masterpiece, you won't be able to make a production script with this program. Then again, if that happens, you might feel flush enough to go buy one of those spendy programs that does A and B pages.

No other place clings to dated stereotypes of how things are done quite like Hollywood does. Included in Hollywood Screenwriter's instruction manual are painstakingly detailed instructions on how to assemble a script correctly. Which begs the question: Are there really people out there who would reject a possible Oscar winner because it's not punched by a three-hole press and bound by two solid-brass Acco No. 5 brads? --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Great starter program
For a quarter to a fifth of the price of the full programs, you get a fine spec script writing package. Like Movie Magic 2000, Final Draft and Scriptware, you get the TAB and ENTER system of entering Scenes and Character Names. You'll lose some of the higher end features (like card view) but for basic script input (especially for spec scripts) Hollywood Screenwriter will probably do what you need, especially if you're a beginner.

You do need to download the latest updates from Screenplay Systems, especially if you are using Windows Me, 2000 or XP (othewise you might get an "Error 32 Message"). You should also look at the new spec script formats that can be downloaded from Screenplay System's web site. They allow you to stop using Character CONT'Ds in your scripts, as this is becoing outdated.

Hollywood Screenwriter doesn't have as many export options as its bigger brother, Movie Magic 2000, but it *does* have RTF and ASCII, which means it should interact with just about any Windows word processor or Screenplay software.

For the price and features, Hollywood Screenwriter is a great program. Check Screenplay System's comparison chart for feature differences between it and Movie Magic 2000 before buying, but there's a good chance that if you are writing a spec script, Hollywood Screenwriter will do the job.

Disappointed
I bought this to import a script from MS Word and have been very disappointed. It's not very intuitive, lacks a clear description of the elements and has limited help functions. I am used to using MS Word and found this very frustrating. I just wanted a simple program without all the bells and whistles of the more expensive products, but am disappointed in this. Perhaps it could be different if I was starting from scratch and hadn't imported my script.

Great product, great Tech Support!
I entered the Project Greenlight screenwriting contest three years ago and needed a program immediately so I could retype my screenplay into the exactly perfect formatting of "standard industry format," which was a rule of the Project Greenlight Contest (a rule they never enforced). I didn't have money to buy a program at that time and discovered that Hollywood Screenwriter had a free trial period so I downloaded it.

I somehow missed the part where either the free trial did not allow saving or if it did, I didn't understand how to do it. I had no problem whatsoever using Hollywood Screenwriter, it was easy to understand right from the start. But the deadline to enter the contest at Project Greenlight was only one more day away and there I was, stuck with a screenplay that I could not save to the required .pdf format.

I got in touch with Tech Support and these guys were absolutely wonderful and supportive of me. They emailed back and forth with me for half the night, trying to figure out how to get my script to .pdf format. They finally hit on the idea of saving my script to .rtf then going to Adobe for their free conversion to .pdf. Although the Adobe conversion alters page breaks, that's not Hollywood Screenwriter's fault.

I will never forget how nice their Tech Support was and how much effort they put into helping me and I was only using the free trial version! There are many companies out there who wouldn't go to all that bother even for their paying customers.

If there is any part of this software's interface that you don't "get," or if you have any problems at all, be assured that their Tech Support will go to any lengths to help you. I wouldn't worry about the interface, though. As I stated, it is very easy to use, very quick to learn.

Not having to worry about formatting really frees up your creativity. I do recommend this product.

A cheap program with some big gotcha's
Sure, this program is [cheap] compared to [the expensive] Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 or Final Draft, but this program is so loaded with technical glitches and gotchas that I can't recommend it unless you're planning to write and print a single short screenplay for a school assignment or something like that. The documentation says you can export your text into other programs, but you can't! So whatever you write is locked into this limited-feature program forever, unless you want to retype it all. There are lots of other things promised by the manual or box cover but not delivered in the program. If you have any fantasies of actually writing and selling a screenplay, don't buy this product. Save your money and buy one of the industry standard programs instead.

I know why the other reviewers hated this product-I LOVE IT
This software is great for writing scripts for movie you want to sell or make yourself! It is so easy to use just press TAB and ENTER to go to diffrent sections of the script. The reason why other reviewers disliked this product was because they didn't have the upgate. Just ... download a small upgrade so it will work on all the computers it says it will and will not give you an Error 32 message. This program is great for all users! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Works 7.0 is home productivity software for your PC. The suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet, database, and calendar. And, Works 7.0 has new, professionally designed templates, and a new tool to help organize common projects. The software is even easier to learn and use, but flexible enough to let more advanced users jump right into what they want to do.

Works helps you make professional-looking documents and get tasks done quickly. Keep track of up to 32,000 records with Works Database. Organize and track expenses, home inventories, and collections with Works Spreadsheet. Make planning and managing projects easier with the new My Projects organizer. Get quick access to your schedule, to-do list, and Works tools via the quick-start Task Launcher home page.

Quickly format documents and get professional-looking results with the Format Gallery. Hundreds of updated, customizable templates help you with personal budgets, sports organization, schoolwork, and more. Easily share and edit files with Word and Excel users. Quick Tours guides you step-by-step through each component. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Works 2003, if you are desparate!
If you are really cheap or totally bankrupt when it comes to buying a set of productivity tools, here's a saviour or option. This is really low end software and I really don't recommend it, but it is commendable enough to do simple task such typing a one page document, adding numbers in the spead sheet programme. But the database is just not good at all. It's unreliable and not powerful to handle complex task such as creating complex queries or even reports. The product cost forty dollars but if you have an extra thirty dollars, buy Star Office 6.0, if you were to compare that to Works, Star Office would look more like Microsoft Office. It is a full featured productivity suite that includes a satisfactory word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics and drawing prgram. The only time I can recall when I really appreciated Works was version 4.5, that was the ultimate works, the Wizards were intuitive and easy to use. It guided you along the way, this really made Works more friendlier and useful than recent versions.So as I said before if you have the extra 30 dollars go for Star Office you won't regret it or just save and buy WordPerfect Office or Microsoft Office.

Under-rated, over-criticized
I have used MS WORKS from about the time it was born, when it was quite primitive and sometimes unstable. But I have continued to use it, primarily for databases, because it has become progressively more stable and easy to use. These are not all small and simple databases--many include several thousand items, each with 20 to 30 fields of data. It is easy to "find" single items or to assemble groups of items ("filter"), and to print customized reports. So if you don't need (or want) the super sophistication of ACCESS, I have found WORKS to be a friendly and helpful--and inexpensive--alternative.

Everything I need for less than $50!
Microsoft Works sometimes gets a bad rap. If you never used it, you may not know that includes a database, spreadsheet, word processor, and more. What's even better, is that the spreadsheet and word processor are compatible with Microsoft Office. So you can save files so that they can be opened in Microsoft Office AND you can open files that someone else sent to you if they were created in MS Word or Excel. This is perfect for the work I do for the humane society that I volunteer for as well as planning my daughter's girl scout troops activities and camping trips.

Very Nice, Very Cheap
I put MS Works on all systems that I make for other people. It has everything they need, and it dosen't break the bank. The only thing I don't like is that there is no Presentation software, or PowerPoint clone. Then again, if they included that, MS Office sales would go down A LOT!!!

passable for general use but...
Originally I thought the idea of offering a set of the most popular applications at an affordable price was great. Recently, however, computer makers have started to offer MS Works as the standard suite on new machines.

Users who need more than very very basic features will need to buy more dependable softwares such as those contained in Office. The word processor in Works, for instance, doesn't have most of the special characters that are necessary to transcribe foreign languages (French etc.). So the cheap price of MS Works ends up being a way to save money to computer makers and to squeeze out extra money from buyers who will need to upgrade to better products anyway. ... Read more

Features

• The ultimate genealogy program for building your family tree
• Research, preserve, and share your precious heritage through informative and artistic family trees
• Convenient tools and vast resources
• Packed with 20 CDs of valuable historical information and a host of great new features
• Discover a rewarding hobby that lasts a lifetime and beyond

Reviews (4)

Easy to use software....
I have used Family Tree Maker software for 10 years or so now. It is a very intuitive piece of software that has evolved over the years. Even if you are brand new to genealogy, you can get started with this product. Don't count on the CDs to be your gold mine to your family history. If you are looking for your history, start asking questions of your family now. Start researching on www.rootsweb.com now. Be patient...developing a tree can take a while unless its already documented somewhere.

Do you really need the expensive collection package? probably not....but you can start recording little bits of info even with the basic package of FTM.

Great Software
This is a awesome software that helps you with your family history. The collector's edition has so much more information than the standard edition. I am extremlly impressed by this software. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to know more about their family tree.

Highly Recomend
I highly recommend it to anyone looking to know more about their family tree.I bought this set & I love it. It was very helpful.

Why Not to Buy
I bought this product to find out information about my family, but this isn't what it says it is. This product is for people that already know about their family not people trying to find out about their family. You get a lot of disk but any information on those you have to go to Geneology.com to get the information and then the free subscribtion that you get to Geneology.com you only have access to a few things but not what you need from the disk, that is extra if you want to use it. I haven't been able to find anything about my family or my husbands family from either of these programs. So if you are trying to find information about your family I would try a different program because this one doesn't help. ... Read more

Features

• Comprehensive family history software for producing family trees
• Easily gather historical data with nearly unlimited file size
• Advanced editing system--view and edit while browsing the name list
• Safely combine duplicates with IntelliMerge
• Link pictures, sounds, and video to your family members

Reviews (2)

Best Program For The Family Historian - Beginner or Pro
I have been a Legacy user for eons :-) and highly recommend the program for anyone wanting to organize their family research data easily, quickly and with much fewer keystrokes than in other programs. I think I have used almost every gene. program on the market over the years (most with a much higher price tag), but none even comes close to Legacy. Simple enough for the beginner, yet advanced features that makes even the most demanding genealogist smile. Great reports, quick and easy data entry (with repeat buttons and clipboards for fast entry of data to multiple records without retyping!), has a place for every tidbit of info you collect in your research, pictures, video, sound files etc can be attached to one or many records in a snap. Excellent sourcing, unlimited events... I could go on and on... Legacy is a very fast and stable program and won't hog your computer's memory. I highly recommend it!

Best on the market
I have both Family Tree Maker v11 and Legacy Family Tree v5 Deluxe. Legacy's program is a thousand times better, a thousand times more stable, a thousand times more detailed. It is truly the best and most sophisticated program on the market for genealogy. Everything the Millenium Corp says about their Legacy Family Tree program is true, and the support for the program is stellar! They make Broderbund's Family Tree Maker look like a Sesame Street program for preschool genealogy! And, you can try the program before you buy it by downloading a trial version from http://www.legacyfamilytree.com. Try it, you will be so happy you did! The purchase of v5 Deluxe was worth one hundred times more than what they charge for it! ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Excellent Time-Saver
Writing a screenplay can be a very daunting task, especially for someone who is not familiar with the format. Before purchasing Final Draft, my previous screenplays were written in your basic, custom-formated Microsoft Word document.

Final Draft 6 does it all the formating for you. A function called "SmartType" finishes off character names for you, so you don't have to keep typing in names. This is wonderful when you have two or three characters talking to each other in a string, so you can quickly type the conversation, as if it were going on in front of you.

When I transferred my previous screenplays into Final Draft, it took about an hour or so to reformat a 106-page document correctly. Final Draft was able to interperate about 80% of the formatting correctly, getting confused on mostly transitions and telling the difference between some scene headings and actions. Although, it knew exactly what was dialogue just by where it was placed in the word document, which I thought was remarkable.

Some of the templates for actual T.V. shows are a little silly, but they serve their purpose: giving you the raw format for a certain show, which can vary greatly depending on the series. If you have your own show you've created, you can save a blank document with the initial beginings of the script as a template and be able to have a fresh document ready for your next episode.

Final Draft is a great purchase for the novice screen writer learning the format, and a wonderful time-saver for the somewhat-established to established veteran.

Final Draft 6 Needs Revision
Even though it remains the Hollywood standard, Final Draft 6 leaves a lot to be desired. For lack of a decent alternative, I've used this application for the better part of a decade, and it remains clumsy to use and well behind the curve of technology.

The big issue: Onscreen text looks atrocious. After a year on the market, Final Draft 6 still doesn't use Mac OS X's technology to render beautiful anti-aliased text. Third-party fixes, like Silk, work only halfway to solve Final Draft's shortcomings. But should an application that costs $ need fixing at all? Unacceptable.

And beware of WYSIWYDG, or "What You See Is What You Don't Get." You might find the perfect font in the Font Menu, but good luck applying it to your screenplay. Worse, there are occasional text hiccups, where the text-rendering is garbled and screen redrawing is skewed.

'Authorization' remains a nuisance, too. (Bet you didn't remember to 'deauthorize''before a system reinstall or upgrade.) I know of no other software that requires such an unwieldy process just to stay running smoothly.

Final Draft 6 is still better than a typewriter or a standard word processor for writing scripts, but not by much. Considering the steep price, maybe it's time to revisit the competition.

Quirky program made useless by copy protection
Buyer beware: Final Draft incorporates an archaic copy protection scheme that will drive you nuts. Every other category of computer software did away with this kind of user-unfriendly copy protection scheme in the mid-80s, but the screenwriting software vendors persist. You're probably better off using Microsoft Word (which is far more robust) and using a simple formatting utility when you're project is finished. If you have any hard drive crashes or hardware upgrades and you forget to de-install Final Draft you will lose your install keys. Tech support is scarce and the online help system is only good for the most basic information. While it should make your life simpler this product will make your life hell. Avoid it like the plague.

Best investment I've made for writing.
I purchased Final Draft a couple of years ago, and it was the best investment for writing I've made yet. I had loads of story ideas in my head, but had no idea how to write a screenplay or teleplay, and didn't have the patience to read a book about it.

I am a VERY basic computer user and feared formatting software would be nothing short of a nightmare, but within a month I formatted three one-hour teleplays, started on a screenplay, and knew how to navigate the software fairly well. The Smart-type feature is a lifesaver, and the various view, outline, and report features are incredibly helpful and save loads of time.

There are a few features that were more complicated to learn, and as an absolute novice I had some questions that I couldn't find answers for in the program, but overall - I'm thrilled with it and use it everyday.

I'd recommend this software to anyone, rank amateur or paid professional ,who's looking for a user-friendly, helpful, and reliable formatting system.

There's a reason the whole world uses it -- it's the best
Final Draft is simply the best there is. Screenwriter is buggy [I borrowed an install from a friend], Scriptware is a joke [based on the demo I tried] and Sophocles doesn't even run on my Mac. If you follow the directions it does exactly what it says it's going to do. It's a professional-grade tool [even though I'm not a professional-grade writer - YET], it's got 24/7 help [that I haven't even come close to needing] and everyone I know uses it [and I do work in the industry]. As far as I can tell the people who have problems with it aren't using it right or they have crappy computers.

Don't mess around with other programs. This one is the one to use. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

OmniPage Pro X eliminates retyping, saving you time and streamlining document production. Create, convert, edit, and distribute digital documents with superior accuracy and improved formatting. Choose from a host of innovative capabilities, such as table recognition. Pro X also adds PDF functionality to extend the software's value beyond the paper world. Now you can convert PDFs into editable documents with a single click, or save paper documents as PDF files with similar ease. All of which adds up to increased productivity and efficiency. Plus, there's the added ease of working with a program built specifically for Mac OS X.

Note: This is an upgrade version. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Thanks for the reviews
Just a quick thank-you to the others who have written. I was set to buy the upgrade, assuming that 'Pro X' meant OS X compatible. Thanks for saving me $130, and turning me on to Readiris - actual OS X software.

It's not fully MAC OS X compatable
This version is not 100% Mac OS X compatable. You have to switch to "Classic" mode to scan a document directly into OmniPage Pro X. No where on the box or in the directions does it tell you this. I found out after using my ONE free technical support call. The Mac OS 8/9 version works the way its supposed to.

I wasted my money.

Scansoft ignores the Mac Platform.
I bought this software when it first came out 2 years ago to use with OS X. Since buying it Scansoft has not released one update or bug fix for the program. It will not work with any Photoshop plugins in OS X. I have tried to get it to work with my Canon Lide 30 scanner with no success whatsoever.

You would think when you buy an expensive software program you would at least get free email support. No way with Scansoft! Their philosophy is to milk their customers for as much as they can get, charging $20 for each support question by email.

If you need to buy an OCR program for your Mac I would highly recommend buying Readiris instead. Although far from a perfect program, it puts OmniPage to shame. Unlike Scansoft they do provide free email support. Readiris is also very good at preserving the format of a document when translated into Word Processing and Text Editing programs. This is something that OmniPage fails miserably at.

Inferior to prior versions
I've used Omnipage for years, going through almost all the versions since the first. When an upgrade appeared it consistently offered incremental improvements and I rarely had to even glance at the user's manual.

Not so with this version. In some key respects it is not apparent how it works even after consulting the manual. There are many more errors in text and formatting. Saves don't even go smoothly. I would guess that something that formerly took me 45 minutes now takes me several hours, including corrections. And I still don't know why the text selection doesn't flow from one page to the next in a multi-page document, as it used to. This product should have been put in the "leave well enough alone category." ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The Print Shop Deluxe 15 retains the legendary ease of use made famous by the previous 14 versions of the software, while adding a handful of useful applets and functions. As with all Print Shop products, you can make a ton of stationery items including signs, banners, letterhead, cards, calendars, fliers, and so on. The interface is absolutely terrific and geared toward both rank amateurs and experts: you can create any one of these items with a wizard to guide you through the entire process, or start with a blank slate and build the item yourself. Throughout the process, you can use your own photos and art or pick from thousands upon thousands of ready-made bits of clip art, borders, photos, designs, and more.

Among this product's new features are the ability to save projects as PDF files for professional printing, a simple interface for sharing items through the Internet, new brush effects to enhance your imported photos, and a video editing applet that lets you edit your own videos into video files.

The only thing missing from The Print Shop Deluxe 15 is a printed manual. All of the documentation is online, and it includes a manual accessible from outside the program and rich help files accessible inside. Still, it would be nice to have a manual to reference while attempting a project you haven't done before. Plus, there's one new feature that backfires. Media Manager tries to be an organizer for all of your images, video clips, music files, and so on, but its interface is clunky; it's easier to use Windows Explorer.

Regardless of those tiny tribulations, The Print Shop Deluxe 15 is a terrific program all around. It continues to flaunt the many strengths of the series and adds some useful features without bloating the package. --Joel Durham Jr. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Just keeps getting better!
If you liked Print Shop before, you'll love it now! Many new features, including the "Photo Workshop," make it easy to edit and improve your scanned and digital photos. You'll get near-Photoshop results at a fraction of the cost and without the painful learning curve. You can also add 'artistic effects' to your projects such as posterizing, Impressionist, or Psychedelic.

And NEW NEW NEW - you can save your projects as PDFs! This feature alone makes it worth the price of admission - you can share your projects with everyone, and the PDF format makes it great if you want to carry your project off to the local photo store for printing.

Now you can email your Print Shop projects using the "Share Project" feature, and your less-fortunate loved ones who don't have Print Shop can enjoy your creations!

The freehand crop feature has been improved - now you can modify your crop points to get a perfect crop.

The desktop is easy to understand, you really won't need instructions on how to work the product - it's truly intuitive

Tons more graphics, a new calendar creator (better than the ones that cost $$$ separately), and free project downloads from the internet makes this product a must-have for everyone, regardless of skill level. From super-user to novice, this product delivers!

I could go on and on - but stop reading now and order the product - you won't be sorry!

After 15 versions, you'd think they'd get it right!
Good old Print Shop! I have a love/hate relationship with it. On the one hand, it is the greatest thing going for arranging "objects" like text boxes, photographs and other graphics on a page for producing greeting cards, signs and the like. Fifteen is the third version I have purchased, and it features a custom paper wizard, with which you are supposed to be able to create a template for unique paper sizes. First of all, there are only a few formats available upon which the wizard can work its magic. Second of all, it doesn't work very well. I wasted HOURS trying to get some cards printed without having the objects print crazily off the edge of the paper. All I succeeded in doing was to mess up the standard half fold card template, after which it was trial and error and a lot of wasted paper before I got a card presentable enough to send. As long as you aren't too creative, The Print Shop is a useful workhorse of a tool for home printing.

RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN
I bought this product to help with my scrapbooking projects. I used it for only the most simple layouts and had nothing but trouble. IT IS EXTREMELY SLOW AND CUMBERSOME. I wouldn't give this product to my ex-mother-inlaw. The clip art is cheezy and trite. Forget trying to import a graphic. Forget trying to shut down the product...you'll go mad waiting!
IF you value your sanity...DO NOT BUY this product

Great design software
I have used this program for almost a year and find it the easiest program I own to create a variety of print projects. I also have Microsoft's Office Suite Professional version which includes Publisher, etc. I can't do nearly as many creative things with that extraordinarily expensive suite of programs as I can with The Print Shop. Try designing a greeting card as an example. In most programs you are limited to the format of the particular template, whether quarter fold or half fold. In Publisher I had to design my own template to do a top fold half fold card. Moving graphics or text in Publisher or Word is a nightmare of formatting, etc. In The Print Shop, I can place anything I want in any position I want. I can rotate text or images any direction I like. In addition, if the many images that come with the program are not enough, you can simply go to the Microsoft clip art page online and either copy/paste any clip you like or just drag any clip right into The Print Shop project you are working on. Not many other programs are that easy to get along with. I don't use it to do my photo editing and I don't believe it is marketed as a photo editing program. However, there are some effects that can be applied to photos that I don't know where else I could find. This program, for a few dollars, has put hundreds of dollars of software on my computer out to pasture. It really does it all and does it well. Worth many times the price they charge.

great for some, not for others
Even though there were a lot of negative reviews I bought this product mostly because PC Magazine rated it one of the best (5 stars) and the price can't be beat with the discounts. Here's my take if you read the other reviews like I did.

This program tries to make it easy to start a project (with a walk through wizard) but with any publishing software, you have to know what you are doing. That includes understanding your printer settings, etc. Yes, printer settings can be changed with the program (as with most any software) so it will take some time for inexperienced users to understand how to use it properly.

I must say, this program offers a ton of nice clip art, photos, etc than most other programs in this class. It has 2 CD's full of clipart but you'll need a lot of disk space to install it all. The broadband version of PrintShop accesses the clipart from the internet but with big hard drives available these days, save yourself some headache and buy the regular software, not the broadband one. If you don't have a lot of harddrive space (a few gigs to spare) I wouldn't suggest buying this.

There is no user manual included and the help files are not as in depth as I would like. I find it hard to believe that a complicated program such as this does not have at least a printable copy of a user manual. So be warned, if you not an experienced software user this product might not be for you.

I also saw some negative reviews on photo editing/printing. I haven't tried it so I can't compare. (I use other software for photo editing and printing). There are a lot of great photo editing software packages available. If you're purchasing this for that reason, you might want to look somewhere else. This thing is for printing out greeting cards, postcards, and things of that nature. I guess you can be thankful that there is photo editing features with this at all.

Final take - For someone who has used software since they were young and does for a living, I could figure most things out on my own. If you are inexperienced, you may find this product frustrating. But for the price, you get a lot of nice clipart and wizards to help for most basic home desktop publishing needs (greeting cards, postcards, calendars, etc). ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Although not as concise as family tree software the comes on DVD-ROM,version 9 of Family Tree Maker Collector's Edition from The Learning Company hastrimmed the CD library down to 11 discs, putting a lot of their searchabledatabases online. While you'll still do some disc-swapping when searching on CD,the online searches can take only seconds with a high-speed connection, lettingyou view, download, and interact with over 200,000 researched family trees atthe World Family Tree Collection (a two-month subscription comes free withFamily Tree Maker Collector's Edition).

In addition to the extensive online searches, Family Tree Maker also includesseveral CDs typical of family tree software, including two family history discs,military records, and the Social Security Death Index from 1937 through 1999.

But it's the program's organizational tools that home genealogists will reallyappreciate. Family Tree Maker walks you through the steps of creating your owntree, displays entire family groups on a single page, and offers a variety ofways to personalize your tree. In addition to adding images for individuals,Family Tree Maker lets you insert audio and video clips to a tree as well as usea variety of borders, colors, and fonts. The click-through interface isintuitive for the average user, with wizards that step you through most of thecreation and sharing processes.

Unique tools, such as the Personal Research Journal, help users keep tabs ontasks that need to be done for a tree, while the Relationship Calculator willautomatically figure out the relationship between any two individuals in yourfamily file (so you can see just how far removed that weird cousin Vera reallyis).

Family Tree Maker makes it easy to share your tree with family members in avariety of ways. You can display your tree in different formats for printing ifyou want to share hard copies, but you can also upload your tree to the freehome page provided at Genealogy.com. In addition to the tree, you can also shareslide shows, multimedia scrapbooks, and photos at the home page.

While searches with Family Tree Maker sometimes resulted in the same costly deadends as other family tree software (where you have to purchase additional CDs orsubscriptions to see the results of your search), for the under-$100 cost, itoffers a lot of tools and databases to get the beginning genealogist well on theway to branching out his or her family tree. --J. Curtis ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Buy the 7.0 version and you'll get a better value
My sister-in law purchased this package recently and thinks it great. Personally, I thought [it] was a little pricey, so I found a new, unopened copy of the Collectors Edition for version 7.0 and paid [less]. We were suprised to find that just about all of the disks as far as databases and registries are concerned were pretty much exactly the same. The upside to buying version 7.0 is that you also get a video tape, the softcover "Geneology online for dummies", and little "organizer box" to put all the disks in. Those didn't come in the version 9.0 box that my sister-in law bought so she bought the book seperately for $... on sale. We both get the free membership to Geneology online so as far as having access to current and updated information they are equal. I'm sure there are some slight differences in the new version, but I don't know if they would be worth spending ... additional [money] on. The 7.0 collectors edition is hard to find unless you get it from an online auction ..., and it is well worth paying .... If you were planning on buying the "For Dummies" book and just a 1 month membership at Geneaology.com then you're basically getting the 7.0 collectors edition for free.

Better for the total genealogy newbie
This product is a real mixed bag.Some CDs, which is nice, but most of the data included is limited to a one year online subscription.The software is ok, but the search is buggy (too many names will cause it to bomb and automatically reboot your computer in an unsafe manner).And you can't import pics from from another piece of software - it's time consuming to fix all the bugs it creates if you're trying to convert from another piece of software.Also - I've not found much new data helpful to my tree - most of what I've run across I've already found for free on the internet. (...) ... Read more