Microsoft Corp. Business and productivity

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: If you work with Microsoft Outlook on a daily basis, this upgrade can make scheduling simpler and e-mailing more interesting. Still, we wish Instant Search and e-mail rendering were better.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, 500 MHz, CD-ROM, 500 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0

The Bottom Line: If you're ready to let go of old habits from previous versions of Word and want to make sleeker-looking documents, Microsoft Word 2007 is worth the upgrade. However, less-expensive alternatives handle its core features without the clutter.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0

The Bottom Line: Overall, Microsoft Office Standard 2007 is a worthy upgrade if you need to make sleeker-looking documents and presentations to share with others, and Outlook is better than ever, but you can stick to your current software if you don't feel that it lacks anything.

The Bottom Line: Overall, Microsoft Office Standard 2007 is a worthy upgrade if you need to make sleeker-looking documents and presentations to share with others, and Outlook is better than ever, but you can stick to your current software if you don't feel that it lacks anything.

Specs: 3 PC in one household, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or later, 500 MHz, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, 500 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Overall, Microsoft Office Standard 2007 is a worthy upgrade if you need to make sleeker-looking documents and presentations to share with others, and Outlook is better than ever, but you can stick to your current software if you don't feel that it lacks anything.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or later, 500 MHz, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, 500 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Overall, Microsoft Office Standard 2007 is a worthy upgrade if you need to make sleeker-looking documents and presentations to share with others, and Outlook is better than ever, but you can stick to your current software if you don't feel that it lacks anything.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later, 500 MHz, CD-ROM, XGA monitor, 500 MHz, Windows, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

The Bottom Line: Although it's pricey, Microsoft's PowerPoint 2003 is still the reigning champion of presentation software. You'll get a wealth of customization options, though not when it comes to export formats.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP or later, Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3 or later, 233 MHz, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Mouse or compatible device, 233 MHz, Windows