Corel Corp. Illustration

The Bottom Line: Despite some compatibility setbacks, Corel Home Office suite is useful for creating documents. Its conscientious size, small-screen optimizations, and attractive price make it a good buy for a Netbook office suite, or for saving space by shedding advanced features.

Specs: 1 user, 1 GHz, USB drive, Mouse or tablet, 1 GHz

The Bottom Line: If you're interested in digital artistry, you need Painter, though you'll pay a lot for this upgrade.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 500 MHz, CD-ROM, XGA monitor, Mouse or compatible device, 500 MHz, MacOS, Windows

The Bottom Line: Version 8.0 of this versatile paint program gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up for its ease of use and powerful features.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Apple MacOS 9.2.2 or later, Apple MacOS X 10.2 or later, 128 MB, 8, CD-ROM, XGA monitor, Mouse or compatible device, MacOS, Windows

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.1, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, 128 MB, 250 MB, 11, CD-ROM, XGA monitor, Mouse or compatible device, MacOS, Windows

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista, 1 GHz, DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, 1 GHz, Windows, DirectX 9.0c or later

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Intel Pentium II 400 MHz, 400 MHz, 6, CD-ROM, XGA monitor, Intel Pentium II 400 MHz, 400 MHz, Windows, Macromedia Flash Player 7, Internet Explorer 5.1 or later

Specs: Media, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, 2, CD-ROM, Mouse or compatible device, Windows

Specs: 1 user, License, Linux

Specs: 1 user, License

Specs: 1 user, 1 year upgrade plan (renewal)