Web design & publishing Graphics and publishing

The Bottom Line: Apple iLife '09 is a great application suite for simple media organizing and editing, and the addition of features like face recognition, geotagging, and music lessons makes it worth the update.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Apple MacOS X 10.5.6 or later, Intel PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 (867MHz or faster) 867 MHz, Intel Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster), DVD-ROM, Intel PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 (867MHz or faster), Intel Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster), iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster), 867 MHz, MacOS, QuickTime 7.5.5 or later

The Bottom Line: Flash becomes friendlier and more fun to explore as CS4 introduces a faster approach to animation, making this a worthwhile upgrade for both beginners and seasoned programmers.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 1 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore 1 GHz, PowerPC G5 (Mac), DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, Internet connection, 1 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore, PowerPC G5 (Mac), 1 GHz, Windows, QuickTime 7.1.2

The Bottom Line: Best for coding and design pros, Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 is perhaps the sharpest, swiftest tool for developing and editing dynamic Web sites.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, 1 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore 1 GHz, PowerPC G5 (Mac), DVD-ROM, Internet connection, 1280 x 800 monitor resolution, 1 GHz or faster (Windows), Intel Multicore, PowerPC G5 (Mac), 1 GHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Microsoft Expression Web is a solid Web site layout program that replaces FrontPage and offers tools for dynamic designs, although we'd like more help for newbies.

Specs: License, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later, Intel Pentium 700, 700 MHz, SVGA monitor, Intel Pentium 700, 700 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: Adobe has improved the speed of Flash and its integration with other CS3 apps, although flashy new features are few. Plus, Flash now works natively on Intel-based Macs.

Specs: Intel Pentium 4, Intel Xeon, Intel Core Duo, PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, DVD-ROM, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Xeon, Intel Core Duo, PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5

The Bottom Line: Expression Studio includes Microsoft's FrontPage replacement and three other new applications for creating and managing images, Web sites and rich media applications.

Specs: 1 PC, License, MacOS, Windows

The Bottom Line: If you need a midlevel Web site design app, Microsoft FrontPage 2003 is a good choice, but professionals should use Macromedia Dreamweaver instead.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP or later, Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3 or later, 180 MB, Intel Pentium 233 MHz, 128 MB, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Intel Pentium, 233 MHz, Windows

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows XP or later, Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3 or later, 250 MB, Intel Pentium 233 MHz, 128 MB, SVGA monitor, Intel Pentium, 233 MHz, Windows

The Bottom Line: If you or your employees must regularly update a Web site but can't comprehend most Web-creation tools, consider Contribute.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, 40 MB, Pentium II 300 MHz, 64 MB, CD-ROM, Pentium II, 300 MHz, Windows

Specs: 1 workstation, Complete package, 3.0, DVD-ROM, Windows