Give Microsoft credit. After several years of trying to figure out the best way to position its Works program, the company seems to have settled on a "back-to-basics" approach that strips off a lot of glitz from recent releases and redefines Microsoft Works as the low-cost, high-value integrated package that deserves to be installed on virtually everyone's home computer.

For a measly $50, you get the basic Works word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, a calendar, various e-mail utilities, and much, much more. The various Works modules are tightly integrated, and all features are designed to make beginning users productive from the moment they install Works on their PC.

Speaking of installation, a special Setup Wizard makes installing Works a no-brainer. Indeed, wizards--automated procedures that rely on a question/answer format to determine what you want to accomplish--abound in Works. The program's Task Launcher, which appears each time you start a Works session, lets you choose from an organized list what type of activity you want to perform. Simply select an activity, and Task Launcher advances you automatically to the appropriate program module. The program also includes a number of "Wizards," which can be used to automate the creation of documents, spreadsheets, and databases in a variety of popular formats.

The Works Calendar module lets you track the schedules of up to four individuals, a new feature in Works 8.0. Schedules can be displayed individually or as a single calendar showing the planned activities of all users. Individual schedules are color-coded, so each person?s activities can be easily identified.

Also new to Works 8.0 is a new utility that lets you view, but not edit, Power Point presentations. While this limits the program's functionality somewhat, it reflects Microsoft's philosophy of targeting Works at the home market, leaving the business market to the company's more powerful (and more costly) Office package. Microsoft claims that files created with Works word processor and spreadsheet are compatible with Word and Excel, both integral parts of Microsoft Office. This is largely true, although some formatting attributes don't translate completely between the two. If you really need to bring work home from your business, you'd do better to use Office in both locations.

Clearly, Works is targeted at the home user. In this environment, it's the best choice among low-end, inexpensive integrated packages.


Pro: An inexpensive integrated package for the home user.
Con: Suffers from minor compatibility problems with Microsoft's high-end Office suite.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
(800) 426-9400
(206) 882-8080
Web site: www.microsoft.com

Ratings:
Overall Value 10
Performance 9
Ease of Use 10
Documentation 9