Manage updates with the Download App
-
"MS Worsk Suite 2003 a WINNER"
onSummary Anyone requiring a good general purpose software suite or word processor to use around the home or even small office should take serious look at this package. To buy MS Word alone as a separate package would cost more than this package on its own yet here is what is the latest version of Word packaged up with a spreadsheet, a database, Encarta Standard Encyclopedia, Money 2002 and Picture IT Photo 2002. I have often wondered what is the reasoning behind the price of this package as to buy these programs separately would cost many times the cost of Works Suite yet here it is all in one package. Getting the latest version of Word alone makes this package worth having since Word is regarded as the best standard for word processing. I would be very much surprised if this alone didn’t satisfy the needs of all readers when it comes to producing some pretty fancy documents and even books. Add to this the capability of a very versatile spreadsheet to keep track of your finances plus a database to track assets and data about contacts etc and you would satisfy most needs unless you are in to picture handling. To satisfy this need you are provided with Picture It which is a very capable program for getting the best out of you snaps or other pictures. If spreadsheets are not your style than there is MS Money which operates in a similar format to Quicken and keeping track of finances is a breeze. Works Suite is task oriented, as is the fashion with most Microsoft packages these days. Personally I don’t find this method easy to get around in, possibly because I know what I want to do, but for the inexperienced user it is probably a good way to go with its step by step approach. Certainly for a novice the Wizard type interface saves you from stumbling around trying to create a document or whatever, that is presentable. It is just a matter of choosing from a list of projects and making choices as they are presented until you have the finished project. Most unusual in these days of handbooks on disks that you have to print out yourself this package does have a handbook which does give you some clues albeit not too many about how to use or set up some of the programs. A fair amount of attention is paid to Picture IT and certainly Word in the manual pointing out many of the features and how to use them. Topics covered in the manual include Creating a travel Budget, Creating a Household Inventory, Setting up an Appointment – using the Calendar, Address Books, Mail Merge, Synchronizing Data With Handheld Devices and using Microsoft Money Standard. Initially on boot up I was presented with a Program screen based on tasks that can be achieved using Works. I suspect though that had I perhaps approached Works in a different way it would have brought up the Home Page which offers a choice of ways in through Tasks, Programs, History and finally Take a Tour. The default setting in Programs is to Word where you are offered choices between Bibliography, Brochures, Certificates, Labels, Letters, mail Merge Documents and even Menus for parties etc. (29 Choices) On making your choice up pops a wizard to guide you through modifying a prepared template. If you don’t want a wizard in any of these then you can choose a blank document, database etc. and work to your heart’s content as normal. The History choice can be very helpful. In a way it works like the old file list at the bottom of the File menu in word or the Document menu off the Start Button in Windows. It makes it easier to find a document that you worked on a couple of days ago. This can be especially useful if your memory has become a worry lately like mine. The Calendar is not quite what most would expect. It is not a calendar in the sense we are used to but really a diary to keep you up and running and hopefully on tile. On the other hand Picture IT allows you to create everything from Flyers to Cards and Calendars (the real ones) as well as allowing you to download pictures from a digital camera or scan photos or other pictorial objects. Photos can be operated on to remove red eye and many other defects. While you can buy all the programs separately and at much greater cost and can also buy other Microsoft packages such as Publisher here you have an integrated system where programs overlap and work together. In my mind Works Suite is a very good value for money package capable of allowing you to do most tasks or chores quickly and easily with minimum hassle. If you want a word processor plus a few other tools don't rush out and buy Word buy Works Suite and you will find you have a gold mine of capabilities that should answer most if not all your needs.
-
"Great."
onSummary It seems like that when Microsoft release's a new product the crowd are very quick to jump on Microsoft This is 6 (SIX) Programs. Duh, it's going to take up a chunk of disk space, but look at the features, Money 2003, Streets 2003, Word 2002,Encarta 2003! I agree I would not spend $400 for Microsoft Office XP but that why they have the Student and Teacher's Edition. for 149, Face it, all the people who Hate Microsoft,love to destroy a low cast App.
-
"Word alone is worth the price."
onSummary This is Microsoft's bargain software package. I critize Micro$oft as much as anyone but this package is a bargain. I use Open Office every day. If you need the entire office suite get Open Office.
-
"Poor value for money."
onSummary To be perfectly honest this package is very poor. Its all very well charging £90 for an OS thats worth 40, but this really takes the biscuit. Think about the package and what the alternatives are, a photo editor, Paint Shop Pro, £40, an encyclopaedia, Britanica, £10, and an "office" suite, StarOffice, £20 or NOTHING depending on what version you get. £120 or £70... does the Microsoft name really cost that much?
-
"Works 2002 Review"
onSummary Unlike most of the reviewers of this product, I bought Works Suite 2002 and have been using it for six months. The reason is that Word has FINALLY! adapted features that made WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS my wordprocessor of choice for many many years. One caution: without any "word" to the user, the Word installation overwrites the less feature-filled Works wordprocessing that came with my computer's edition of Works 2000 (without all the spiffy features of the Suite). I am using Word to do the final drafting of my dissertation. There is a fairly steep learning curve, although I've used the basic Word approach in a computer lab. I spent a day getting the outline numbering feature to work, only to work around the feature in the FORMAT menu and use the "Lists" command to set up an outline hierarchy of numbered headings and paragraphs, instead of using the frustrating "Outline Numbered" option. You also need to be wary of the Formatting and Styles task pane, as you can easily undo a lot of work in getting your text to look exactly as you want. The culprit is the "Automatic update" option on the first formatting screen. I also find that I can't display only the styles I'm currently using. There are some fabulous features, however. I made a simple two-column chart (called a glossary, I think) for an index, and then sat back and watched Word create the index. I can also create and revise Tables of Contents quite easily. Problems again: It is not possible to add anything after the endnotes. In proper academic style, the index comes after the endnotes. If I move the index to separate file, I may be able to add it after the endnotes, but no direct entry of text is possible. Or I could probably repaginate the index and endnote sections, and shuffle the parts after they are printed. I've used some of the other programs for a day or so each. I found PictureIt a bit counter-intuitive, although its features are first-rate. I can never find an appropriate starting point for the things that Money wants to track, so don't use it. I've briefly used the spreadsheet, which is adequate for what I need. Contrary to what one of the online reviewers said, there is no PowerPoint program. I was able to use MSWord to put together overhead transparencies and text for a presentation this past summer. The Works Suite 2002 interface is interesting in suggesting how to use the program, but a time-waster for getting down to an ongoing task. From time to time the "history" tab on the main Works page is useful, in recovering dropped text. Otherwise, both the Works 2002 and the image of the Works 2003 main page (quite different) distract from the task at hand. I'm happy to have gotten a deal on MSWord 2002; and unhappy about unintended consequences, and features that do not work, when I use it.
Write a Review
Sponsored Premier Brands on CNET
