Despite Corel's cheaper alternative,
Microsoft Work Suite 2004 is still one of best value purchases for families and small industry users. The program's strong selection of applications makes spending a few extra dollars worthwhile. The program's complete suite has applications for whole family. There's basic Works that combines a spreadsheet, database, appointment calendar and task-oriented launchpad interface, as well as Word applications for grown-ups. Additional applications are also included such as Streets & Trips 2004 for planning family outings like a vacation drive; Money Standard 2004, to help manage family's finances, as well as some business investments; and Picture It Photo Premium 9.0 for that more polished artwork from snapshots in your digital camera.
The kids won't be left behind with Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2004 that provides them with a head start on their homework and school projects. It includes thousands of updated articles, more than 19,000 photos and illustrations, and about 29,000 links to web sites. However, for older kids, application definitely lacks advanced tools such as a dictionary, a thesaurus, and additional articles and images. You still need another application for that- Encarta Reference Library.
The Streets & Trips 2004 is excellent with a simple and easy-to-understand mapping and planning application that will help you get from one place to another. It provides door-to-door driving directions and maps for 6.7 million miles of roads in United States and Canada. You could easily download these maps from Streets & Trips to Microsoft Pocket Streets. It even has useful features to provide you with hassle-free road trips such as calculating how far you can get from a certain location in a set amount of time. An added bonus is its Global Positioning System (GPS) support that helps you find your exact location while traveling with your GPS device. This feature sets Works Suite 2004 apart from web sites such as Yahoo and MSN Maps.
