All Business and productivity

The Bottom Line: It's not perfect, but if you're brave enough to manage your own taxes, then TurboTax 2007 is Intuit's best tax application yet.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, Apple MacOS X 10.4 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, 450 MHz, 2x CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, 450 MHz, MacOS, Windows, Flash Player 7, Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0, Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: It's not perfect, but if you're brave enough to manage your own taxes, then TurboTax 2007 is Intuit's best tax application yet.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Monitor, MacOS, Windows

The Bottom Line: Office for Mac 2008 may be the best pick for business users, but most people can get by with less costly alternatives.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.4.9 or later, 500 MHz, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 500 MHz, MacOS

The Bottom Line: Office for Mac 2008 may be the best pick for business users, but most people can get by with less costly alternatives.

Specs: 3 PC in one household, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.4.9 or later, 500 MHz, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 500 MHz, MacOS

The Bottom Line: Office for Mac 2008 may be the best pick for business users, but most people can get by with less costly alternatives.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.4.9 or later, 500 MHz, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 500 MHz, MacOS

The Bottom Line: Once again, we don't find this upgrade necessary, although some might come to rely upon the new Insights views of finances, and uber-organized users can link transactions to images of checks and receipts.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 300 MHz, 1 GHz, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Internet connection, 300 MHz, 1 GHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Once again, we don't find this upgrade necessary, although some might come to rely upon the new Insights views of finances, and uber-organized users can link transactions to images of checks and receipts.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 300 MHz, 1 GHz, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Internet connection, 300 MHz, 1 GHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: QuickBooks Premier 2008 remains the top small-business accounting program. Its guidance for novices is top-notch, and it comes in a variety of editions tailored for specific industries. Version 2008 isn't an essential upgrade for QuickBooks 2007 users, but it's a good buy for users of earlier versions, and for anyone new to accounting software.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, 1.8 GHz (Microsoft Windows XP), 2.0 GHz (Microsoft Windows Vista) 1.8 GHz, 2 GHz, 4x CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, 1.8 GHz (Microsoft Windows XP), 2.0 GHz (Microsoft Windows Vista), 1.8 GHz, 2 GHz, Windows, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: QuickBooks Premier 2008 remains the top small-business accounting program. Its guidance for novices is top-notch, and it comes in a variety of editions tailored for specific industries. Version 2008 isn't an essential upgrade for QuickBooks 2007 users, but it's a good buy for users of earlier versions, and for anyone new to accounting software.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP, Intel Pentium II 500 MHz, Intel Pentium III 1.2 GHz (Microsoft Windows Vista) 500 MHz, 1.2 GHz, Printer, 2x CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Internet connection 56k, Intel Pentium II 500 MHz, Intel Pentium III 1.2 GHz (Microsoft Windows Vista), 500 MHz, 1.2 GHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Quicken 2008 is a solid finance package and a great choice for novices, but there isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from the 2007 version.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 2003, Microsoft Windows Vista, 300 MHz, 2x CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, 300 MHz, Windows