Amazon.com Review

Although not as concise as family tree software the comes on DVD-ROM,version 9 of Family Tree Maker from The Learning Company has trimmed the CDlibrary down to 11 discs, putting a lot of their searchable databases online.While you'll still do some disc-swapping when searching on CD, the onlinesearches can take only seconds with a high-speed connection, letting you view,download, and interact with over 200,000 researched family trees at the WorldFamily Tree Collection.

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-$50 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 (8)

A lot of hype
I am very disappointed with the upgrade from 8 to 9. There is hardly any difference between the two programs, and the interface is still a clumsy, antiquated, early Windows edition that Broderbund hasn't even bothered to upgrade to a more modern Windows interface. Many features are annoying that should have been corrected long ago, that only if you're a savvy Windows user can you work around--maybe. I have used this product for many years and haven't found a better substitute yet, but maybe it's because I haven't looked, and maybe it's about time. The product has hardly changed despite the many hyped "upgrades." Broderbund invests more energy, it appears, into the hype surrounding all of its add-ons rather than into more substantial software. The source feature is essential for accurate documentation, but it is clumsy to use and limited, and doesn't even produce the correct printed formats (consult an MLA handbook, Broderbund!!!).

The Standard--and Essential--Program
After toying with several different genealogy data processing programs, I find I use Family Tree Maker exclusively. The beauty of the program is that it is very easy to learn and very easy to use, an aspect which allows you to focus on the material you are processing rather than the program itself. In addition to this, individual entries can be tagged with detailed information, revision is simple, and the program is capable of generating numerous useful reports and print outs with a minimum of effort. I strongly recommend the program.

When used in conjunction with a subscription to Family Tree Maker's internet database (there is an extra fee for this), the program can produce startling results. I do feel the subscription is worth the cost--but I also offer a word of caution here: researchers should never assume information obtained in such manner is completely accurate. They should instead regard such information as a starting point for their own direct research and prove each entry through independent research.

I have to agree with "a software user from MN" re: Andy
Andy, if you DO happen to manage to find your family tree on any of Family Tree Maker's CD's or anywhere on-line, it's because somebody else did all the research! Not to mention, it probably contains errors. (I know, I personally found plenty!) Most of the fun of genealogy is in finding the information yourself; it's like detective work. If you're really interested in genealogy, get yourself a good genealogy book (I would recommend Sharon Debartolo Carmack's books) on how to start your research, even "Genealogy for Dummies" (no insult intended!). It really is a wonderful hobby, you just need to realize that it takes WORK! (and money for vital records, i.e. birth, marriage and death records, but it's worth it to see a signature of a great-great grandparent from the 1850's!) Believe me, it's definitely worth it.
Also get yourself some good genealogy software, (Family Tree Maker is in my opinion the best) - It's money well-spent, you will use it a lot.

Family Tree Maker 9.0... Better Yet!
When I first purchased Family Tree Maker Version 8.0, I had very little information about my family's history. I was able to enter the basic information about me and my direct family and that was pretty much it. I figured I wasn't really going to get that many results, and that's where I was wrong!

Using Family Tree Maker Version 9.0, I have increased my family tree to 1,345 individuals (mostly on my mother's side) some going all the way back to the first century AD! I was impressed, and all of the information checks out thus far!

Family Tree Maker is also outstanding at compiling my family's history in whatever manner I need it. I can create a report about me, descendant's of my great-great-grandmother, a printout of everyone I'm related to, or create the usual trees! With the click of a button my information is compiled for me... couldn't be any easier!

New to this version is the ability to store information such as email addresses, and copies of your source material... You can always go back and find out where you got your information just by asking this program! The interface is not complicated, and will work with all levels of computer users! This is great for everyone!

Family Feast
This program provides one with all of the neccessities to track and record their family tree and the ability to add footnotes and other memorandum to the individuals. It is able to retain all of the information fed into it and record what one wants written out in all different kinds of formats. I highly recommend this program to all who are interested in their "roots" or just want to leave information to their progeny.
I not only had a good time working on it but was able to reestablish relations with distant relatives. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Continued Tradition
WordPerfect Family Pack 5 continues a tradition of great products bundled at a great value for the family. Focusing on everyone in the home from Mother to child, the applications puts lots emphasis on educations, with Electronic encylopedias and tools to type elegant reports and letters using WordPerfect. Quattro Pro for Spreadsheets.

Excellent value! Great product!
As a lover of WordPerfect since version 4.0 for DOS, I am thrilled that Corel makes this product available via the Family Pack route...it's an amazing value. Superior to MS Word in almost every way, WordPerfect is as intuitive as software can get. If you're a fan of Quattro Pro (& I'm not), that product is included as well.

If your requirements for an office "suite" are limited to a word processor, spreadsheet & contact manager, you get great value in this box. If you simply want an extremely powerful word processor without the "bloat" in other packages, you can't go wrong with this latest release of WordPerfect. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Better than Before
I was very very pleased with the changes in the program. They made it a lot easier for people that do not have lots of space on their computer to download all of the artwork. In the Art Gallery and the different card catagories, there are somethings that are availiable on-line. The only draw-back is that while you are using the program, you may have to go back & forth-on & off the internet. I must say that really isn't that much of a problem. Although, someone who is not able to go on line-it could be a problem for. There are many many more pieces of art in the Gallery (different from ver.6 platinum). There are more selections of cards and you can actually change the color scheme of a card if you want to. They also give you more places to explore. The process of finializing a project is much easier. You can save, print, e-mail the project, have them print your card all from the same little pop-up window. I am very glad I made the decision to get version 7 Platinum. I guess the one piece of information that I should add is that my husband bought this program for me as an anniversary gift (since it's the program I love the best). Unknown to me he bought it directly from Broderbund. I received it on August 8th. I would recommend it to anyone. As with any program, it's got it's ins & outs. But even so, it always take time to get use to any program. If there weren't differences in the progressing versions, American Greetings wouldn't put out any newer versions. I have had programs from other companies but have always returned to American Greetings CreataCard.

P.S. I have a response to all of the reviews that reference complaints of not liking the part of having to download a tremendous amount of the art work, etc. People who have computers that don't have a lot of memory space, it makes it easier for them to work this version of Creatacard. Even if you don't install the full version, a lot of people do not have enough memory. Not everyone who owns a computer is able to afford to put added memory in their machines. At the same time, I realize that it costs money to have an internet connection but a lot of folks just plain don't have the extra money it takes to buy added memory (along with having to pay to have it placed in their computers). At least this program gives the little people the chance to experience how wonderful it is to have a program like this!

Avoid this
CreataCard Platinum 7 retains the same annoying user interface as the original 1997 version I got free with my greeting card paper, and then takes away the ability to view a group of cards (and their inside messages) as a group, but then adds the need for you to download most of the content from the Internet. Most annoying: the software did not ask (or check) to see if I had an existing Internet connection, but assumed I was on dialup and tried to dial my modem (I then had to use Task Manager to end the program.) I found the humor in the cards to be crass and insulting, with very few "sentimental" cards appropriate for an older person. After wrestling with the program, trying to find a card I could even modify to my liking (ArtStudio is even more difficult than it used to be to use), I gave up and wished I'd read the reviews on Amazon first.

Very nice
I upgraded from CreataCard Gold 4. All my old images in Version 4 were available online but it would have been nice if they could have been merged into V7 from my V4, since I owned 4. I am on a broadband Internet connection so I don't mind that much of the projects and images are online. I am concerned though at how long shall these images be available online? A year maybe 2, oh hey maybe 2 months! That always is the worry for me with storing things online.

The interface is still the same overly cutesy child like graphics that I dislike. I guess it does make it a bit easier for those that may be intimidated by a computer. I find it just plan annoying.

I do wish that more of the projects were not so over laden with graphics either. Sometimes the project just gets to jumbled with stuff. Mainly the business cards are what I am referring to. I printed up my own cards and had to design my own as all the templates they offered were just to darn graphical. I wanted a plan old card look.

Over all a good value for what you get and can do software.

I have it to
Check out the program and you will find a button to click on to turn off the go to the web sight thing. I did and I am much happier with the program.

displeased
lots of items to choose from ,,but almost everytime you are directed to the website,,,very annoying ... Read more

Features

• Create detailed family trees, books, Web sites, reports, and more
• Add personal photos and family memorabilia
• Search the largest source of genealogy records
• Record information now for future generations
• Designed for the avid family historian or the novice

Features

• Browse through hundreds of categories -Holidays, Novels, Cartoons, Sports, Music, Nature and more
• Easy-to-use menu puts everything in easy reach
• Something for everyone to liven up any Windows desktop

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. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Doesn't satisfy this long-time user
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 along category." ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Although not as concise as family tree software the comes on DVD-ROM,version 9 of Family Tree Maker Deluxe from The Learning Company has trimmed theCD library down to 11 discs, putting a lot of their searchable databases online.While you'll still do some disc-swapping when searching on CD, the onlinesearches can take only seconds with a high-speed connection, letting you view,download, and interact with over 200,000 researched family trees at the WorldFamily Tree Collection (a one-month subscription comes free with the deluxeversion of Family Tree Maker).

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-$70 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 (3)

Best of the Log
I got the family tree maker with the fewest CDs to get started and that turned out to be best, it let me sign up for the online data that I needed and not fumble with stuff that I might not need. (It also saved me some money.)

Unlike products with fancy graphic interfaces and colorful screens, the dumpy yellow interface doesn't even hint at the power of this application. Family Tree Maker allows me to record a tremendous amount of information, source citations and even record information that contradicts itself until I can get a definitive source.

The graphical charting and reporting are the best of the ones I've seen or tried, far more than I'll be able to use.

By far the most advanced feature of the product is their family finder report. This kind of smart searching saved me months of research by finding others working on my family lines, buy a copy of the CD and letting me contact them directly when they gave their permission to broderbund.

Their for-fee data sources are valuable and worth the price, free would of course be best, but I guess they aren't in business to do work for me and for free.

The product needs a face-lift to make it look more modern and the importing of data from other genealogy products can be slow, but this is still the hands-down best product.

I find all e-mail annoying so I went to their site and asked that it not be sent.

I believed the software magazine editors that this is a winner and am glad I did.

Windows 3.x program marketed as XP!
I've spent a great deal of time compiling Family genealogy notes and thought that this product would be much easier than using Word or Excel to organize and chart all my data. I was given an old copy of version 6 from a friend, but quickly saw that it was a very old interface with few features and little ability to import or export data to other Windows applications. I quickly upgraded to version 9 hoping to gain all the advantages of XP- an easy to use interface, etc. I installed this product three times thinking that it wasn't working and I was still using version 6. I finally checked the help menu for the version number and discovered that I was running version 9, but that it looked and behaved exactly as version 6!! The current version of this product is almost 10 years behind the current technology. If you're looking for an arcane way to enter information that can't be well displayed or organized, this is it; otherwise, I'd recommend you save the money for technologically superior method: a notepad and a pen. Shame on Broderbund for marketing old software in a new box.

Like SPAM get this product
This is not a good product. The graphics are fine however sign up for the free research and you learn you get nothing or very little for free. Most requests for info result is a request to join the pay service. By the way you need to sign up for the "Free" services and you will recieve weekly advertisments to upgrade, join, and a host of other things. I have sent them email to stop, yelled screamed; nothing works. It just keeps comming and comming. I was able to find all the information I got from their "free" service from independent searches. EVEN THE 10 CDs THEY PROVIDE USUALLY GET YOU A REQUEST TO JOIN THEIR PAID SERVICE. The basic product isn't bad but not at the price and the constant SPAM really ticks me off..I GET ENOUGH JUNK MAIL! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Turn your family history into a lasting legacy with the easy-to-use research tools and creative output options of Family Tree Maker 10. Five CD-ROMs provide more than a 1,000 years of valuable historical data, letting you create exciting projects like family trees, timelines, and multimedia scrapbooks that document your heritage.

Family Tree Maker 10's comprehensive publishing center offers a wide variety of heirloom-quality printout and layout options, while its new PDF file format tool ensures hassle-free file sharing. Use the Standard Pedigree Tree--a convenient fact-gathering tool--to print standardized genealogy forms that you can take to family reunions, on research trips, or anywhere you might uncover family facts. Also new to the title is a handy date calculator, a family file statistics tool for at-a-glance data access, enhanced photo editing tools, and RTF file formatting tools.

Discover the fun and reward of sharing family research with Family Tree Maker 10's easy-to-use home page wizards. You can create a personal home page for simple online sharing in no time. And if that's not enough to get your research started, this award-winning software comes with free access to Genealogy.com's World Family Tree Collection--a convenient, accessible online resource--for one month. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

False advertising - bait and switch
This ... software package gives you no useful data. All it does is give you teasers and try to sell you the details---either additional CDs or a web site subscription. Do not buy it. Do not believe anything printed on the box. It does NOT give 1100 years of data. It does not give church records, land rccords, marriage license records, or anythnig else of value.

Watch out! (and buy a better another product)
I would be very suspious about buying this product after using Family Tree Maker version 9. In that version, Broderbund has an application called aqueduct.dll that routinely creates an aqueduct.txt file in your root directory that completely "profiles" your computer. I have a complex system, and the profiler file was over 2000K - rather large for any text file - and it compiled a list of every piece of hardware, software, and program setting on my machine with personal info. (If you are a version 9 user, look at it. You are in for a shock!) Talk about loss of privacy. Goodness knows what they do with this information!!... A download from the FTM site site is supposed to "fix" this, but the patch does not load, requests to tech support simply return unrelated automated "help" messages. I have never received a reply for a real person. - The program in general, creates lots of ads, pointed requests for signing-up for other paid services at every turn...and in general, is a very middling product. The companion software "to help you build your family tree" is undocumented stuff that is simply worthless to anyone serious about finding their roots.(There is much controversy about supposed "spyware" in this product on computer message boards that are worth looking at too. Responses by a guru named Dick Eastman, who appears to have never really looked at the product, and Genealogy.com should be taken with a grain of salt, and in some ways are laughable.) - - If you are serious about genealogy, I recommend "The Master Genealogist" which is top rated by writers of the National Genealogy Society newsmagazine, but there are other better and less annoying products to choose from too. - - As a former version 9 user, I would recommend you avoid this program like the plague.

False Advertising on Box
I purchased Broderbund Family Tree Maker because on the box it states all of the types of data I can access. That is not accurate. Once the software is installed and opened, there is no data to access, only advertising to sell access to the information at high prices. Also, no phone number to call and verify what I have encountered in case I am mistaken and there is some secret way to bypass the sales pitch.

Family Tree Maker strikes out
I don't usually like Broderbund software and once again they prove I should not have bought their software. It's easy to set up and use but every click to research a relative brings an offer to buy software that you need to get that information. $ for the software, $ for census software, $ for the files of a single state during a specific time period and I don't even know if my relative lived there. The family search name took me to family trees that didn't even have the names in them I searched on. Not one name in my family is in their CDs that contain "over 1100 years of history". The complaint list goes on and on. That's the very last time I buy Broderbund software. Ever!

Easy to use, and a helpful entry into family tree work
I have been using this program, in several versions, for several years now. Anyone who chooses to get involved in the research aspect of their family will be able to get into their work very quickly by starting up the program.

Overall, the program makes it very easy to insert pictures of your family-individuals, groups, activities and such, and import information from the huge supporting sites like Rootsweb that allow you to download a file that may potentially include family information related to you, then merge it with what you have on your tree.

FTM is the largest, most comprehensively derved program for genealogists that I am aware of. There are versions of the program with more CD data disks, but once you have bought the full version, with its oodles of information, you shouldn't need to upgrade to such a level again, simply going for one of the very affordable upgrades to the program only when they come out. Similarly, the data CDs put out by Broderbund are available, but given that their usefulness can expire quickly as you import what you need, they are not too cost effective if you pay full price. For those, go to your nearest LDS Family History Center, and see if they have them, or barring that, use Ebay.

I have been very happy with my use of the product over the years, and the newer features of version 10 have made me happy, especially since I upgraded last to version 8 a few years ago. The addition of more ways to print out your own trees and sort the information have been a real plus. With the infinite sources on the web for family history, as well as an incredibly helpful online site for help, leads, and more, FTM 10 has been a great investment for me and my family. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Celebrate your family by discovering the reward of genealogical research. Generations Family Tree makes it easy to organize, archive, and share your family history. Whether you're preparing for a family reunion, anticipating a new baby, or wanting to research your ancestry, creating a family tree honors your family's past and enriches its future.

Get started with easy-to-use tutorials. Print family trees as well as descendant and pedigree charts with photos, documents, and captions. Track birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates with the built-in family calendar. Store family addresses and create mail merge files--great for reunions and holidays. Plus, jump-start your research with a free one-month subscription to Genealogy Library, an online collection of census, birth, marriage, death, land, military, and other genealogical records containing hundreds of thousands of names. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not the best out there, but worth the money.
This is a good product. It is very simple and easy to use. It is very good if you want to make a simple record of your family's history. You can add pictures to the charts and even add borders and colors to the text. Though sometimes it is annoying to have to get your own pictures because there is no clip art, on the whole, it is a great product. ... Read more

Features

• 750 real resume examples
• 150,000 resume phrases
• Search 8 million jobs
• Step-by-step wizards
• 30 single-click resume designs. New! Import your resume

Reviews (4)

How was a resume ever created with this!
Out of the box it looks impressive. The graphical front end when you first run it, gives you a sense of confidence that you are indeed working with the number one resume writing product in the world. I deligently set off through the seemingly easy-to-use screens putting in my information. The first signs of trouble were when I tried to go into the format changing screens. These were garbled, illegible and I could only close them in order to continue. Thinking I might have been doing something wrong, I pressed on with the task of keying in my resume details. When I got to the final congratulations screen and tried to preview the results of my labor, I found that it had all been in vain. Previewing my resume showed whole sentences cut off, parts of the screen jambled, sections missing, text uneditable in what are suppose to be editing screens and formating inconsistent. Basically, what would be printed out or converted to MS Word would be rendered useless as a resume. At this point, and after numerous attempts at reinstalling, applying patches and even upgrading, I find it difficult to believe that a coherent and useful resume has EVER been produced using this package. This leads me to conclude that it is nothing more than a hyped up piece of garbage - Kudus to the marketing team - the purchase of which constitutes an utter and complete waste of time and money.

It could be 5 stars except...
I just spent 2 hours making my resume. I tried to transfer it into word because I have to email it along with another word fille to our HR department. Well, now it is a total mess.

This program is fine if you are going to print out resumes directly from the program. Horrible for emailing and HTML.

At first glance, it's nice, but BEWARE of customer service
I bought this product for my husband after he was laid off from his job. I thought it was a good idea to update his
resume to something fresh and eyecatching.

The outside of the box boasted it's endorsements by several professional people and companies,as well as the fact that is the "#1 BEST SELLER". It also has the words on the box NEW VERSION 10 DELUXE, so this leads one to believe that it's the newest version available.

The examples are very professional looking. Included in the software is not only resume templates, but cover letter templates, virtual interview,salary finder, career finder, job finder and RESUME CASTER, which is supposed to send out your resume to virtually thousands of perspective employers via the world wide web... Upon the installation of the CD Rom, everything appeared to be going well. It's a very user friendly format, and I quickly was able to figure out just how to start the resume making process. Once finished, it will only print in the format you make, it will not transfer in same format for emailing or attaching to email. Had to start from scratch in MSWord. And WHAT on earth is DELUXE about this software? The frustration you get from using it???

I wanted to utilize RESUME CASTER...that's when I got a message that read, "UPGRADE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED". It would not allow me to do anything else with it. I emailed the company and the response I got 11 days later (which, upon emailing the company, the "canned" reply email said that someone would get back to me within 2 business days) stated that I had to send in for an upgrade which was free, however, I must send in a fee of $6.00 for shipping and handling.

I refuse to send in for an upgrade to a software program I just purchased 12 days ago, I find this unacceptable. Most reputable companies will let you download patches or upgrades to their software for free, but with this company, it's not an option.

I will use the resumemaker for making resumes and cover letters,then go to MSWORD to input them myself, because they do not transfer at all in the same format to word through the software. I will not get the "full use" of the resumecaster, and just spread the word to keep looking when anyone is looking for a good resume software. There are good ones out there made by reputable companies that will stand behind their work and their name to please the customer. This is not a company like that, they want to pretend they are "giving" the updates away, yet charge the customer $6.00 for shipping when they could easily get by with downloading upgrades for free when you have purchased their software.

Really nice!
The program is really nice. It makes it pretty easy to put together a nice resume and do a web publications and searches. I like everything and I didn't give 5 stars just because I installed this program on one computer, it was crashing right when I was trying to save it. I installed it on to the other computer and ran into the same problem. It's hard to imagine having to bad computers so I do suspect this program has some technical problems. But if you don't foget clicking "Save" time to time, you should be ok. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

I liked it!
Broderbund makes the Gold 7 Creatacard easy to use. I own 5 other card-making programs, but I use this almost exclusively. The clip art is to my liking--not too cartoony or too unreal looking. The only drawback I find is not being able to distort text. I like making my own cards mostly, but some of the original cards are so appealing that I have used them as is. I make approximately 2-3 cards per week. I have owned this program for about 6 months and am still discovering new ways to use its features.

Not impressed
I was given this program as a gift, as I had been using the Hallmark Card Studio Deluxe 3 program for quite a while and thought it would be nice to have another selection of cards to choose from. The selection of pre-printed cards in this program is extremely limited compared to Hallmark (i.e., one choice for parents anniversary, only 2-4 birthday cards each for brother, father, mother, husband, etc.) And the "humorous" cards are pretty lame. I have yet to make a card from this program and always end up going back to Hallmark to find what I need. I don't recommend AG if you're looking for a wide-range of choices in cards.

Useless!
I upgraded from an earlier version and absolutely hate this version. The background of the program is silly looking and doesn't look like a Windows program at all. It looks like some kid drew it. The card choices are few (and none at all in some cases, like for Birthday, Friend!) and the Internet option for downloading cards is a waste of time. Not user-friendly at all.

Creatacard Gold 7
I have Creatacard Plus version 2 and have found this product much inferior. It is much more difficult to use, the cards are not an improvement, downloading from the internet is laborious, and I am thinking of returning it. I upgraded only because I thought it would be more compatible with Xp and maybe it is but it is not worth it.

A good program to begin learning home publishing.
I have used this product many times. Each time I learned something more. There are thousands of clipart so you can make greeting cards, photo projects, labels, stationery, signs, stickers, business cards and more. The graphics are exciting and beautiful with sharp, clear printing. Use this product every day and you will be enjoy making products. ... Read more

Features

• Capture photos from digital cameras, scanners, and photo CDs
• Extensive editing features including SmartEnhance technology
• Use automatic or advanced manual control for photo effects
• Create photo albums, greeting cards, Web sites, and more
• Special discounts from Club Photo on a variety of unique items

Reviews (2)

Theres better out there
I got this with high hopes and...well, I think I set my hopes too high. Maybe I expected too much.

I have only been getting into digital image editing in the past two years and this was the place I had picked to start from. I have a digital camera and scanner and use them both to get images to my computer and had hoped that this software would give me a great deal of choices in dealing with those images. Not so.

For one, the cloning tool is incredibly difficult to use. It is not intuitive (nothing in this program is) and often you have a hard time understanding where you are cloning from. The menu buttons with this tool, as with others, are set so far out of the way that they are not easily found (bottom left corner whereas the tool options are in the top left- also that button is very much the same color as the background, making it difficult to spot). I do a great deal of air-brush type effects in my pictures and it took me 1.5 hours to brush out one thing in a picture with this software. In comparision I used a different program (PSP7) to do something similar in ten minutes.

The rest of the options are equally as riddled with problems. Some of the filters and things that can be applied to the picture don't seem to work as well as other programs I have seen. The standard effects often come out buggy or misapplied. I have seen the Sepia filter skew an image a few times, for instance. The Dell imaging suite offers more choices and better results in that area. The warp tool is rigid and there is no chance of doing anything artistic or comical with it (no oversizing mouths like caricutures here).

The overlay function is either a)non-existant or b)so hard to find that I just didn't see it. I was trying to meld two pictures together and could get no results with either trimming the photo to try and fit or making it transparent to set it over the other.

It does capture images well though. It fixes red-eye nicely too.

For those who do not need a high-powered tool, this is perhaps your best bet. For those who want something that will allow them freedom to do with their photos as they wish, I would suggest something more powerful. The up in price is worth it.

Great results for novice users
Photo Explosion is a very easy to use, yet powerful, photo editing program. I use this program more than any of my higher cost photo editing software. It's easy to change the intensity, tone and color saturation of your digital pictures as well as apply a wide variety of fades to the edges of your pictures.

I've had several people comment that pictures that were edited with this program look better than photos that they had taken at professional studios. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Loaded with powerful organizational capabilities, Calendar Creator Deluxe 9 puts you in control of even the most hectic days. Plus, with thousands of premium graphics, an array of versatile design tools at your fingertips, and onscreen scheduling, you'll never be too busy to express your personal style.

Print calendars in a variety of professional formats, manage contact information, or synchronize your scheduling with your Palm OS handheld. Calendar Creator Deluxe 9 delivers everything you need to design creative, functional scheduling solutions for work, home, and everywhere in between.

Import events from Microsoft Outlook into your calendar layouts. Use Task List to prioritize important "to do" items. Check off tasks as you complete them, and unfinished business automatically rolls over to the next day.Select and customize a professionally designed layout, or design your calendar from scratch. Customize with more than 135,000 premium images, themed collections, colors--even your business logos. Incorporate images into your customized schedule with powerful new editing options like Tint Control, Repair Tool, Brush Support, and Gamma Correction. Easily add appointments, birthdays, and other important events to your calendar layout. Use streamlined organizational tools to schedule repeat events and edit calendar entries in seconds. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Don't bother ...
This product doesn't even deserve a star. Printing blank calendars is even a challenge. Some calendars don't work properly and upcoming holidays don't match the right dates. What a complete waste of time and money!

Not A Happy Camper!
I used Calender Creator 4.0 and was very satisfied with the performance of the software. I had to upgrade due conflicts with printing and my operating system. After several hours with the tech support people, I have come to the conclusion, dust off the old computer which operated under Windows 95, reload the 4.0 version and be satisfied once more...I do not recommend this software.

Works Poorly with Other Applications
I've used this title for years, and was drawn into buying this particular version by the claims of PDA compatibility. When I received the product and installed it, I learned that in the help section that "certain features of Calendar Creator and the Palm handhelds are not fully compatible, and may affect your data when synchronized." What an understatement!

My Palm (a Tungsten T) would not accept the repeating events from Calendar Creator. Then to add insult to injury the synchronization process actually CHANGED the CC9 events I had entered! It is bad enough that a Palm will not accept some CC9 events, contrary to the product advertisements. To modify the CC9 events in the CC9 program itself is a serious flaw in the software.

Calendar Creator does well as a stand-alone product. When I have tried to use it with another application however, it fails repeatedly. Upgrading to this version is definitely a waste of money.

Don't waste your time with this
This is great if all you want to do is print blank calendars. Forget about trying to put in repeating appointments or events. Lots of great sounding features - too bad they don't work on any of the Windows operating systems. They had a great product years and years ago, but have gone downhill ever since. Don't waste your time or money with this program.

Don't bother!
The interface is not user friendly. It is very limited graphically. It will only create visually horrible calenders. I'm sorry I wasted my money! I want something simple to use, with an intuitive interface, that puts out nice, smooth graphics. This is so far from that it's not funny. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on The Mountaineers Books hiking series, 1,001 Hikes in North America delivers 1,042 hikes from 18 of the continental U.S.'s most scenic regions to your desktop. From the purple peaks of Colorado's Maroon Bells to the crystal clear waters of Washington's Snow Lake, 1,001 Hikes helps you plan a memorable journey to snowcapped summits, alpine meadows, and glacier streams. Whether you choose a jaunty 8-mile hike, a challenging 20-mile trek, or even a gentle trail to enjoy with young children, this CD-ROM delivers detailed directions and maps, trail mileage, elevation gain, difficulty levels, estimated time, and the best seasons for each trail. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent Product!
This is an excellent product. Very easy to use and loads of information! Worth of money!

A Great Starting Place!
This product is a great starting place for discovering new hikes and areas. It gives detail directions to get to the place and gives skill levels on the varying hikes. I recommend this product 100%. The navigation could be a bit better but it works. It takes a few minutes getting use too but all new products do. This is a collaboration of many books and if purchased in printed form would cost a lot of money and be over 1,000 pages. This is easy to read and easy to use.

Waste of money
This program does have some good hiking information but it is not very user friendly at all. The maps are the worst part of it, you can either look at a small general state map or zoom to a trail map NOTHING in-between. If you want to find trails (and don't know the trail name) you have to guess on the state which only lists major cities. All you can do is click on the small state map and hope it is near the town you are looking for. If you know the trail name then it is OK. My advice is save your money and use the internet because there are many hiking web sites that have the same or more trail information and are a lot easier to use. ... Read more