Millies Math House

In seven fun-filled activities, students explore fundamental math concepts as they learn about numbers, shapes, sizes, quantities, patterns, sequencing, addition, and subtraction. They count critters, build mouse houses, create crazy-looking bugs, make jellybean cookies for Harley the horse, and find just the right shoes for Little, Middle, and Big.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great choice!
I purchased Mille's Math House for my four year old daughter.

She is able to navigate to and from all of the activities with no supervision. She enjoys all of the games but I would have to say she probably like making the crazy looking bugs the most!

Awesome product at such a reasonable price!

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Delorme Street Atlas USA 2008

DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2008 is the most powerful atlas program available for your PC, PDA or GPS. These comprehensive tools offer street information and points-of-interest (POI). It also features innovative GPS features: voice commands, spoken directions, automatic back-on-track re-routing and much more. These authentic DeLorme maps are guaranteed accurate — they're produced by their own mapmakers, and triple-referenced to ensure you have the correct guidance anywhere you go. Explore America's back roads without getting lost and get where you're going faster than ever with Street Atlas USA 2008. GPS navigation with spoken directions and voice commands Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 5.0, and Palm OS 3.5 (and above) support

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star tries to be to much, is too difficult
I had been using Microsoft Streets and Trips, was working pretty well.

Got me where I wanted and easy to use.

Delorme came out with theirs has truck stops and rest areas,

I drive semi truck and this seemed a good help.

Delorme Sreet atlas is very hard to use, and if you make any mistakes in the routing you have to start over, also is very hard to find there truck stop guides when you need them. I think it was a waste of money. I will keep using Microsoft program. Is is way much better.

4 Stars Delorme Street Atlas
Bought as a gift. My brother was very pleased. He has an earlier edition of this and was ever so glad to get the new update.

May have to get this for myself at a later time.

1 Star Clunky and hard to use
I bought this to replace a GPS map kit I bought from Delorme that was not Vista compatible. Straight out of the box 2007 would not work and they forced me to pay full price for the 2008 upgrade. The software is clunky and hard to use. I would recommend Streets and Trips from Microsoft over this product.

4 Stars Worth the upgrade
We purchased this to update from Delorme 2005.The new version has larger control buttons and campground search. All for less than the cost to update our Garmen. Easy to use once you get past the learning curve.

2 Stars Not quite there
The main reason I bought the Street Atlas in addition the Topo product was for trip planning and I the feature falls short. My main gripe is with the planning end of day stops.

Street Atlas allows you to estimate your end of day point by hours or miles. But once you decide where to stop for the day, Street Atlas does not adjust the remainder of the trip, it stays with the original end of day points. Even for a trip of only a few days, the end of day points chosen by Street Atlas quickly become useless.

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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic FULL VERSION DVD

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic DVD

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Whatever you do, DON'T "upgrade" to this pile of %&#@!!!!
Pathetic performance, near-universal incompatibility with external applications and hardware, and nonexistent technical support; what more could anyone ask?

If you've got Windows XP on your computer already, KEEP IT THERE. If you're getting a new computer, you need to consider buying a Mac (like I eventually did). No amount of tinkering by Microsoft is going to make Windows Vista worth the effort of learning.

This is, without doubt, the techno-turkey of the decade.

1 Star Vista Difficulties
I now have several experiences with this new OS on a number of platforms and can offer a bit of advice/experience from the perspective of someone often asked by friends and family to work on their computers. I generally prefer to build my own systems from parts. However, most of my experience below is on machines that were purchases - 2 HP systems and a Lenovo laptop. I'm still choosing XP when I can.

1. Don't assume things will work in Vista like XP. Driver incompatibility, and differences will slow you down — budget mucho time to resolve these issues. For example, many cite driver and device incompatibilities, some virus and spyware programs work, and some don't. The mature members in my family use Juno over dial-up. Forget this in a web client — dialup is way too slow. The Juno remote client that downloads email for off-line reading in XP doesn't work in Vista. Supposedly, one can configure Windows Mail to do this (Outlook is gone). However, I haven't had an opportunity to try it. I usually suggest taking them back to XP since the look and feel will be similar to what they've had on their Win 98 systems.

2. No matter how hot your box, Vista is slow to start and shut down. I recently worked on a Vista box having a Pentium quad core processor and 3 GB of ram. The system takes several minutes to start and shut down. Vista loads about 2x more resident processes than XP. On the same hardware that translates to about 2x as long for Vista v. XP.

3. Make the restore disks! My daughter's Lenova laptop running Vista stopped booting up. Lenovo service is pretty helpful (Cheers to them in NC)and we had no hardware errors- just a corrupted drive that had to be re-imaged because the onboard restore files were also corrupted. If we had made the restore disks when we first got the laptop, we could have fixed it ourselves from the backup. When you make them, the first disk has to be a CD, then the others should be DVDs or you'll have a huge number of restore disks. Its better to do this when you first get the computer. This is different from XP where I had the disks in hand (ie you don't have to create them).

Summing Up

Vista has a nice look and feel to it. I can navigate it OK from my XP experience, and we prob. will all have to live with it at some point. Understand that its slower than XP to start and shut down, and it may not be the best choice for everyone (esp mature users, those that are challenged). Budget lots of time to work out the incompatibilities and make the backup/resote disks asap!.

Best wishes!

1 Star It is not compatible with Windows XP! And, it uses too much resources!
Windows Vista is horrible software. It should not even be called "Windows" because it is not based on Windows XP or 2000! While its graphical interface looks like XP's, Vista uses a different file system.

SO, NO SOFTWARE THAT WAS COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS XP OR WINDOWS 2000 WILL WORK WITH VISTA.

Not only that, but Microsoft chose graphics over functionality: Vista uses 500MB of memory just by itself. After adding Anti-Virus and other software, your computer's performance will grind to a halt.

1 Star Vista, the "new Coke" of Windows
This is a horrible product!!!! I gave it one star only because I don't have the option of giving it no stars. It's extremely slow; I spend so much time looking at that stupid hourglass! And forget multi-tasking! With Windows XP, I could have at least 2 versions of Internet Explorer open at once, along with Excel documents, Word documents, etc. while listening to music on Rhapsody at the same time. Not possible with Vista. Vista is supposed to be more secure, but it's so secure that the person who owns the computer can't use it! Since I am the "computer administrator", I shouldn't have to ask myself "permission" every time I want to change a setting (this feature can be turned off by going to Control Panel, Security Center, Other Security Settings & turning off User Account Control). Also, any audio you listen to (CD's, DVD's, online streaming music) is choppy & sounds like a bad radio with static. Avoid Vista! It's like Windows Me all over again; a big disappointment and a huge mistake for Microsoft! The only "WOW" is when it actually works.

4 Stars Works great for me
I got a PC loaded with Windows Vista Home Basic and I love it. What a big upgrade from XP as far as look and feel and user experience. This version does not have the slick "Aero" eye candy of Home Premium, nor does it have many of the tools and options such as media center, laptop power center, tablet support, etc. However, I wouldn't use any of that stuff anyway so I don't miss it.

Because of the lack of "add-ons" and the memory and system resource intensive "Aero" interface, Home Basic works in a much smaller memory footprint and can be used on PCs with as little as 512M Ram, though I'd recommend 1Gb. Ram is cheap, just buy it.

Highly recommended version!!!!

The only reason I docked it one star is that I would like to have the option of the cool "Aero" stuff in this version. No, I don't want media Center, tablet support, etc. etc. etc., but it would be nice to have "flip-3D" and transparrency. As it is the UI looks significantly better than the hideous Windows XP.

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Microsoft Office Standard 2007 FULL VERSION

Microsoft Office Standard 2007 has the key tools and features that users have wanted, to make their computing experience easier. With its improved menus and toolbars, enhanced graphics and formatting, time and e-mail management tools & enhanced security, you'll be so impressed that you'll wonder how you got along without it. Office 2007 makes it easier and more enjoyable to get things done. New calendar views and appointment tools help you organize your time and communications Simple signup to RSS feeds Outlook 2007 has a new Instant Search tool helping you find any information you need — e-mail, calendars, tasks and more Enhanced security features protect against junk e-mail and phishing Share documents securely with Document Inspector — detect & remove unwanted comments, hidden text & other information

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star You will re-install Office 2003 within 24 hours of using Office 2007
Sorry Microsoft, but your "ribbon" user interface is the most retarded upgrade feature ever. It renders all your Office applications useless. I have no interest spending hours to learn a completely different UI and to recustomize the toolbar all over again (I'm not even sure if it's even possible to customize the "ribbon"). The ribbon is ugly and WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY too big.

My advice: try to avoid upgrading for as long as possible.

4 Stars Great product
I got Microsoft student 2007, and it works great i have 8 programs including word, powerpoint, access, onenote, groove, excel outlook and publisher. Works great for a college student needing good powerpoints ect. On the other hand it is a bit tricky to use, you do have to learn a few new things, and were everything relocated too.

1 Star I hope Office 2010 is nothing like this
As a college student I have had the opportunity to use Office 2007 before purchasing it. I have also had the opportunity to get other people's opinion of Office 2007 over the last few months. These people range from students and young people in industry who are very good at adapting to technology, and also some older people who have lived through many changes in software and are used to such changes. I have yet to meet anyone who is anything but unhappy with the new software. I want to emphasize that peole are not just not happy (neutral), they are specifically upset. Everything has been moved around with no apparent improvement in the options or operation. The only thing Microsoft has accomplished is forcing the person to relearn everything they already knew how to do without making the software better in any obvious way. Everyone I know is hoping to get along using Office 2003 and hope Office 2010 (or whenever the next one comes out) is vastly improved. In the mean time they are dreading the day there place of employment upgrades. I am not one who normally avoids learning new software, but in this case I am going to avoid it like the plague.

2 Stars One huge problem
Here's the deal killer for me: the caret (aka text insertion line, text mouse, or the line that leads in front of the text as you type), disappears every time you type a key. So if you are a normal typer, that line will disappear for whole words at a time only flashing back in skittishly as you go along, or when you stop. I am not talking about the mouse pointer itself, which you can toggle to disappear or not in the keyboard and mouse control panel. This is actually the line that follows your text.

What is so annoying is it feels like the program is never fully keeping up with your typing because there is a very tiny lag in the time the letter shows up. Also, the caret comes in and out irregularly, so it's not like it is just gone, it is erratic and distracting. It is very hard to type this way; you are always wondering if you just mis-struck a key. The problem is bad in Word, but really really really bad in Outlook.

Why is it that Microsoft has to add all these bells and whistles and then blow the actual simple act of typing? I am using Vista on a brand new top of the line Dell notebook with a high end graphic card. Just to compare and make sure it wasn't my laptop or Vista, I loaded up Office 2003 and it worked just fine. This seems to be an 0ffice 2007 issue.

As it a happens, I uninstalled office 2003 because I already had it on an old computer and ended up downloading and installing OpenOffice for my Word and PowerPoint app needs and then use Mozilla Thunderbird with the calendar add-on for my Outlook needs. This stuff works so much better than this Microsoft nightmare, and it's free. There is no delay at all in the typing or the text insertion line following the type. Who uses MS Explorer when you can use Firefox? Well, I recommend bailing on Office as well. I regret having wasted my money on this Frankenstein.

2 Stars They didn't fix what was broken, they did fix what wasn't broken
Office 2007 reminds me of the menu at McDonald's. You used to have to actually say what you wanted with WORDs, now you just point to the picture of the hamburger you want. The old menu system of Office has been replaced by few words and many icons located under a series of tabs. You can still navigate by keyboard by hitting the ALT key, which overlays the key commands to select a tab, and then overlays key commands to select the item under the tab you choose. Each tab has a different layout under it, so there is no rhythm to the options under the tab. It isn't nearly as clean or efficient as looking at a typical pull down menu, but it isn't impossible to navigate. It continues to leave me feeling like this package was designed for people who can't read, which seems like a strange target audience for programs like WORD. The tabs have a somewhat logical grouping to them, but when you can't find something you want you may be in for a long hunt.

It is now much easier to use various pre-designed graphic templates and have an approximate idea of how they will look before you assign them, but is that really the purpose of programs like Word and Excel? To suggest color pallets that will quickly become so overused you'll be able to spot them a mile away? Most everything else is harder to do than it used to be for long time Office users. While it is easier to assign graphic templates, Microsoft still hasn't mastered very basic color theories, the type of thing Adobe mastered over a decade ago, so when you assign a gradient that looks great on screen, if you try to print it, it will look horrible. I know Office is a "productivity" tool, and not a "design" tool, but it does present itself as being able to create things for print, which it does VERY poorly. Things like font substitutions and other auto formatting over different systems and the inability to handle color properly are the major flaws I've had with Microsoft, and they don't appear to have done anything to address them, while they have done more to encourage people to play with these things that don't work correctly. We'll all be able to look forward to sharing more files that look great on one screen and are virtually unreadable when printed or e-mailed to someone else.

They've also changed the default file extension of some programs. This does have the benefit of letting you know what versions of Office your files are supported by, although I expect the four letter extensions like .docx will confuse as many as it helps.

So far I've found decent stability in these programs running on either XP or Vista, and speed hasn't been a significant issue for me. The navigation systems of the programs are a significant downgrade for me.

Overall most of the changes were not necessary, and removing the old menu system saves little visual space, while it massively increases headaches for people who have used it for more than a decade. Microsoft did away with many strong features, added new features that feel like more flash than substance, and ignored basic problems that have been with the software forever.

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Surething CD DVD Labeler Deluxe V5

SureThing CD/DVD Labeler Deluxe 5 is the easiest way to create sharp CD and DVD labels! Whether you make music CDs, burn home videos to DVD, or simply create backup discs, SureThing CD/DVD Labeler Deluxe v4 makes it easy to create great-looking labels. This deluxe version also has a font for every occasion, supports LightScribe Direct-to-Disc Labeling, and supports Epson CD/DVD Printers among others. Almost limitless design variations are waiting for you use them in your personal discs! Import playlists from iTunes, Windows Media Player & others Compatible with all major label brands Supports Epson CD/DVD Printers, as well as the Primera, Rimage, Signature and Versadyne CD printers

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Surething CD/DVD Labeler: Deluxe V5
Excellent, easy to use software. While easy to use, it is also full featured and works perfectly with my HP D5160 direct CD/DVD printer, which is why I bought it in the first place.

4 Stars Surething Labeler is MOSTLY a sure thing
Surething CD/DVD Labeler was almost exactly as it was advertised. I was looking for a labeling setup to replace my old one that was no longer in production. After reading many reviews across many sites of various labeling programs I settled on this one and am quite pleased.

Surething is very user friendly. All controls are where you would expect them to be and are easy to use. At the same time, it gives you many advanced options to use as well for the more technical user. You can get your labels to look just as you want them to and not have every label come out looking cookie-cutter, helpped by the many many different designs and backgrounds that are included (import your own images as well). The Track list options are an added bonus for music cd's, and the cd labels extend all the way to the cut-out center hole of the cd, giving them a fuller picture and more finished look.

The Cons: The label applicator device is as basic as can be. There is no way to ready the label without touching the sticky side then trying to get it let go of you. The cd sits above that then just push/click it down over the tabs, similar to putting a DVD into its case. This sometimes results in labels that are slightly off center (not terribly so, but enough to annoy me). Second, the image is often not cetnered on the label, though you are able to calibrate that in the program so no big deal. And third, the paper quality of the labels is such that the darker colors slightly rub off if handled too much. This could just be because I am printing using my company's laser printer. Inkjets may not have this problem.

Summary: Great product for designing professional looking labels, I would highly recommend. A better label and better label applicator would make this a 5 Star product.

5 Stars Great software
Great software…finally a CD/DVD labeler with all the bells and whistles…I especially like the ability to go online and get the playlist without typing all the songs in…something the earlier versions didn't offer…

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Adobe Acrobat Professional 8 0 Upgrade from Pro V5

Upgrade only; previous installation required

Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional enables business professionals to reliably create, combine, and control Adobe PDF documents more easily. It's the essential tool for more secure distribution, collaboration, and data collection. Combine files from multiple applications, collaborate on documents via e-mail or server, and collect information with electronic forms. Protect sensitive information with passwords and permissions. Enable users of Adobe Reader software (version 7.0 or to participate in document reviews, fill and save forms, and digitally sign documents. Create new PDFs rapidly with Adobe LifeCycle Designer, and start working more easily with AutoCAD documents, even without owning a CAD tool. Convert e-mail in Lotus Notes to Adobe PDF to facilitate searching, archiving, and retrieval Inspect PDF documents for hidden information, including metadata, annotations, attachments, form fields, layers, and bookmarks — selectively delete as needed Enhanced OCR capabilities - Scan paper more accurately to generate searchable PDF documents Take advantage of improved functionality for saving Adobe PDF files as Microsoft Word documents, retaining the layout, fonts, formatting, and tables Enhanced review and markup tools for easier, more accurate placement and resizing of markup items Create documents in PDF/A, the new ISO standard for long-term archiving of electronic documents Enable anyone using free Adobe Reader software to participate in document reviews, fill and save electronic forms offline, and digitally sign documents Create Adobe PDF documents from Outlook, Internet Explorer, Project, Visio, Access, Publisher, AutoCAD, and Lotus Notes

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Still a lot to learn
I purchased this upgrade from Pro V7 which started acting quirky and unstable. The Adobe user interface continues to be non-Windows conforming and requires a little study before 'getting it.' I spent a lot of time initially customizing the toolbars to put back the same features I commonly used in version 7. The status bar at the bottom of the window with navigation controls no longer exists and I had to customize the toolbar to show those buttons as well. The overall interface is cleaner and the toolbars are more configurable than before.

As with many office applications I expect to be using only 50% or less of the possible features offered in this package. I chose Pro instead of Standard mainly for the forms features which I've used previously. This version does a better job converting and merging multiple documents into a single PDF. It offers a feature to bind together various documents besides PDF format into a single file, much like discarded MS Office Binder of long ago.

I am very leery of installing Adobe products (I have two others) because my experience is that something usually goes wrong. This upgrade installation went well enough but it didn't pick up my default Acrobat settings from version 7. A recent auto update failed to install properly but finally worked itself after several re-boots. When this update finally completed a request to register the product appeared (of course long ago registered when originally instealled). As I said - quirky installations.

4 Stars Adobe could still improve
Something about the fonts….if a font isn't installed on your computer you can't properly edit?? I don't understand but will say this. I feel many improvements were made over earlier versions. I love the text attribute toolbar so you can change font size, color, alignment, etc. Look forward to learning more as I use it more.

4 Stars Great Service From Amazon
I ordered this and it was shipped here within a week. The product is as expected and installed ok after a bit of persuasion with Vista!

5 Stars hdinap
I upgraded from Acrobat Pro 6 to Pro 8 and have been pleased with some of the new features the Pro 8 version has. I haven't reviewed all of those features but the one I like very much so far is the "typewriter" feature. It's very convenient when I download a form from some other source and can just start typing in it. I'm sure I'll have many more surprises in store when I start converting Word docs also.

1 Star MS Office 2007 v Acrobat 8 Professional
First, I think it is a rip-off that Acrobat 7.09 or Actobat 8.0 Professional is not compatible with MS Office 2007. I was informed it was necessary to upgrading to 8.0 Professional for it to work with MS Office Enterprise 2007, after doing the upgrade, it still does not work "as advertise'. Tech Support informs a patch to fix the issues is in the 'works' (right), in the interim 'just' print to the Adobe PDF printer as a work-around - what a mess. Another forced upgrade to 8.0 from 7.09 that still does not work. Sheesh

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Adobe Photoshop CS3 Mac

Adobe PhotoShop CS3 for Mac. Does NOT include full printed User Guide in the box; Fulfillment will include: 30-50 page Getting Started Guide in the box; A PDF of the unabridged User Guide on the CD/DVD; Generic doc fulfillment card outlining policy and our commitment to the environment in the box 2; Online help (both on web and on the desktop) which includes readily accessible training beyond what manuals include. Full printed User Guides will be available at adobe.com

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Bring Back the Powerbook
My previous computer was an Apple 12-inch Powerbook. I had purchased a Leica Digilux, and it came with Adobe Photoshop Elements (1 I think). I enjoyed the program. I was using Photoshop at work, and always wanted to upgrade. Elements installed just fine, and I had a lot of fun using it. Then, I upgraded to a Macbook.

Elements would not install. A message came up saying that the system would not support it. Frustrated and angry, I decided to just use iPhoto for a while. I got more into retouching photos, and decided to purchase a Wacom 6×8 tablet. It came with Photoshop Elements 4.0 (for Macs), and had a flyer inside the box that would allow Wacom users to upgrade Elements 4.0 for up to 50 percent off. Seeing as how I had been wanting CS3, I upgraded.

The software took forever to load, but it did install okay. A short time after installation, I had a 35-minute update from Adobe Updater. The update was fine, but installing some new items didn't go so well. A problem/error message came up saying something about how the updates wouldn't install. I could either cancel the updates and continue later, or skip the item, and try installing the rest of the items. Cancelling and continuing later didn't help, so I tried continuing. Only some of the items would install.

Then, moments later, here came a 45-minute update. Same problem message came up. This is f-ing CS3, not yo' momma's software! As far as I know, Adobe charges for tech support. So out of frustration, anger, and who knows what else, I called Adobe to cancel and return the product.

This Photoshop is different than other versions…or at least different than my old Elements. You have to de-activate the software before removing it or placing it on another computer (if you're not getting rid of it, and want it on another computer). Once it is de-activated, don't just drag it into the trash. You have to go through an uninstall procedure, and drag some extra things into the trash afterwards that the uninstallation doesn't remove.

Once you have uninstalled the program, it's on to speaking with Adobe customer service (India?) You don't actually return the software. You have to print and fax/e-mail/mail in what Adobe calls a Letter of Software Destruction. I did all of this, and even sent back my Wacom 6×8.

I am considering a different Wacom….but I'm not sure. I had a few things I didn't like, but these products seem to be what's available. I was just going to use Photoshop Elements 4.0 that comes with the Wacom, but reviews are not looking so hot. What is someone to do? What are people using? I'm reading bad reviews on Aperture and Lightroom as well. What the heck is everyone using? This is soo maddening I can't stand it.

Damn you Intel Macs. Bring back the Powerbook.

5 Stars Big Difference
I was going to skip CS3 (since I have CS2) and wait for the next version they come out with, but I just recently bought an Imac and decided to download the trial version of CS3 (with intentions of transitioning my CS2 licence from PC to mac) but the new ACR and Bridge are so much better, I decided to buy it and keep my CS2 version for my backup PC. Adobe Raw Converter is now functional enough that once you make your edits and save as .tif & you are done with it. I usually made some changes in ACR (on CS2) saved and then tweaked the .tifs again to get my images where I wanted them. Sometimes, I do very slight changes and the image really blossums into a beautiful photograph. I have only had this for a couple of weeks and am still learning about the differences so I am a little premature in my ability to cover all of its capabilities, but I will say that what I see so far is very impressive. Adobe Bridge is also easier to work with and I like the new layout of it as well.

1 Star Beware new copy protection scheme will drive you nuts!
Don't buy CS3! The only major refinement is the integration of Image Ready. But you'll pay a huge price in the constant nagging for the software to be activated & reactivated. After 3 weeks of this I uninstalled it and sent it back to Amazon for a refund. I'm back to CS (version 1) and it works just fine without the activation headaches. And I've got $200 back in my pocket from the upgrade. Please vote NO with your dollars by telling vendors this kind of annoying copy protection will not be tolerated. What Adobe needs is a competitor to Photoshop. How about it Apple?

5 Stars Much Faster than PS2 with Intel Processors
I am a profesional photographer. I often work in photoshop with very large (200-300 MB) files. I use a new Imac with the new intel processor. With CS2 there was considerable lag time with many of the applications when working on the large files. With CS3 the lag time has been eliminated. All the applications are almost Instantaneous. To me this is the single most important improvement in PS3.

Other improvements that are very useful to me are, a significantly improved Camera Raw dialogue, improved Curves dialogue with histogram, an improved Bridge. In all I feel that PS3 is well worth the money for profesional or serious amature photographers, particuarly if your running an intel processor.

5 Stars A huge step up from Elements
I had a hard time convincing myself to shell out over $600 for this product. I downloaded the 30 day trial and worked with it for a few days, but the price was still a sticking point for me. So I decided if it ever went below $600 I would buy it, and fortunately Amazon put it on sale for a couple of days for $585. I took the leap and am glad I did. Now that I have worked with it seriously for about a week the performance gains from native Intel support and automation of workflows has made me very productive. Keep an eye out for occasional deals, they will pop up.

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PC Unreal Tournament 2004 DVD

Unreal Tournament 2004 - Editor's Choice brings back the world-renowned tournament game with new air&land vehicles, improved AI, revised Network code, and new maps. This groundbreaking new edition includes new maps for the Onslaught mode, new vehicles, new characters and a wide selection of the best user-made game modifications. New UnrealTV Broadcast system allows hundreds to watch you duke it out!

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars good game
overall this game rocks but its about the same as ut03 still i enjoyed playing it

5 Stars Unreal tournament 2004
This game is excellent…My pc is an older one and supports a 1.8 ghz intel/celeron processsor which isnt the greatest by any means ,however this game runs great on my system!!!! I would recommend this game for anyone who loves intense multiplayer action!!! You will need a good internet connection though , I have T1 and I have a great gaming expirence… this is defintely a must for those out there with older systems who want a good multiplayer death match!!!

5 Stars an excellent game
One of the best purchases I've made this year. The game has many different modes of play, stunning graphics, a great soundtrack, and so much more. A highly recommended purchase for anyone that enjoys first person shooters such as Quake or Doom.

5 Stars Unreal. The title says it all.
I believe that this may be one of the most entertaining game I have ever played.

I'll try to break it down.

Graphics; 9.5: The graphics are outstanding, plain and simple. The game is 3 to 4 years old, so you can expect a bit of age, but that may also be a pro, as it's easier to run the game on Ultra graphics.

Sound; 9.5: Many say the announcer is annoying, but I say it is 2 things. First it adds a level to the gameplay, and second it can be hilarious. (the announcers voice can be changed to such sound types as "Sexy Female")

Gameplay; 10: Wow! The game can be classified as a 'hack-and-slash' but it doesn't take away from the expierence. A good selection of well-balanced vehicles help along the slow bits. An amazing range of original weaponry further enhances the gamplay.

Storyline; 4.5: This game is certainly not for those who wish for a deep, complex story behind the game. I can sum it up right now. In the future, aliens take over the earth and throw the humans into a universal gladiator ring, where they fight to the death with other prisoners from across the universe. Storyline in one sentence. =3

Overall; 9.9: I love this game. It's a great game for multiplayer, and you could play it by yourself for hours too. Way worth the price.

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Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe 2008

Encyclopedia Britannica 2008 Deluxe gives you the world's most respected collection of information and keeps it right at your fingertips. Learn all about the great minds and great events that shaped the world, and use the new homework tool to finish school assignments more quickly — and earn better grades. Virtual notecards and online videos Britannica Classics & Britannica BrainStormer Also includes Encarta World English Dictionary & Merriam Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus Homework tools like Homework Helpdesk & Homework Center Works with Windows Vista

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Another Unfortunate Version
I really wanted to like this product, but it's broken out of the box. Apparently the video problem involves some kind of codec, but Britannica seems to have no clue. First, you have to download a patch to keep the software from looking for a specific version of Quicktime, apparently the one installed by Britannica. One has to wonder why they would (1) even install a version of Quicktime when it's available on the web, and (2) program the product to look for a specific version, when software versions change constantly. Even after installing this patch, however, the product STILL does not work. Now, instead of enjoying all the features of my brand new product, I will get to deal with support personnel and hope that they can solve the problem. If, in fact, it is a missing codec, why in the world is this problem not addressed on the Britannica support site?

Another potential drawback to this software is the advertised FREE subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online. This is offered as a one-year "trial" that requires a credit card to activate. At the end of the year, if you do not cancel, your credit card will be charged $49.95 for the next year. So, if you decided that you did not like the product and forgot about it after you uninstalled, you would suddenly find a $49.95 charge on your credit card. I really don't need the hassle of trying to get a refund on something I may not even remember signing up for. In my opinion, this offer is not "free."

All-in-all this is an unnecessarily amateurish effort from a company that should be capable of much more. I cannot recommend purchasing Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.

5 Stars The Encyclopedia Britannica 2008
The Encyclopedia Britannica 2008 (established in 1768), both Ultimate and Deluxe, builds on the success of its completely revamped previous editions in 2006 and 2007. The rate of innovation in the last two versions was impressive and welcome. It continues apace in this rendition with Britannica Biographies (Great Minds), Classical Music (500 audio files arranged by composer), and a great Workspace for Project Management (a kind of friendly digital den). Generous 6-12 months of free access to the myriad riches of the Britannica Online complete the package.

The Britannica comes bundled with an atlas (between 1600 and 2530 maps and 287 World Data Profiles of individual countries and territories), the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus, classic articles from previous editions, ten yearbooks, an Interactive Timeline with 4000+ indexed timeline entries, a Research Organizer, and a Knowledge Navigator (a Brain Stormer). All told, it offers a directory of more than 166,000 reviewed and vetted links to online content.

In its new form, the Britannica is as user-friendly as the Encarta. With monthly updates and the aforementioned 6-12 months of free access to its impressive powerhouse online Web site, it is bound to give the former close competition.

The Britannica's newest interface is even more intuitive and uncluttered than previously and is great fun to use. For instance, it generates a date-based daily selection of relevant information and highly edifying interactive tours of articles and attendant media.

When you enter even the first few letters of a term in the search box, it offers various options and is persistent: no need to click on the toolbar's "search" button every time you want to find something in this vast storehouse of knowledge. Moreover, the user can save search results onto handy "Virtual Notecards". Whole articles can be copied onto the seemingly inexhaustible Workspace.

The new Britannica's display is tab-based, avoiding the erstwhile confusing proliferation of windows with every move. Most importantly, articles appear in full, not in sections. This major improvement facilitates the finding of relevant keywords in and the printing of entire texts. These are only a few of the numerous alterations and enhancements.

Perhaps the most refreshing change is the Britannica's Update Center. Dozens of monthly updates and new, timely articles are made available online (subject to free registration). A special button alerts the user when an entry in the base product has been updated.

Regrettably, unlike in the Encarta, the updates cannot be downloaded to the user's computer or otherwise incorporated into the vast encyclopedia. Moreover, the product does not alert its user to the existence of completely new articles (e.g., the Kyoto Protocol). Only a manual scan of the monthly lists reveals newly added content.

Speaking of updates, one must not forget to dwell on the Britannica's unequalled yearbooks. Each annual volume contains the year in events, scientific developments, and everything you wanted to know about the latest in any and every conceivable field of human endeavor or nature. Close to 10,000 articles culled from the last 10 editions buttress and update the Encyclopedia's anyhow impressive offerings.

The Britannica provides considerably more text than any other extant encyclopedia, print or digital. But it has noticeably enhanced it non-textual content over the years (the 1994-7 editions had nothing or very little but words, words, and more words): it now boasts in excess of 21,000 images and illustrations and 900 video and audio clips.

The Britannica fully supports serious research. It is a sober assemblage of first-rate essays, up to date bibliographies, and relevant multimedia. It is a desktop university library: thorough, well-researched, comprehensive, trustworthy.

The Britannica's 80-100,000 articles (depending on the version) are long and thorough, supported by impressive bibliographies, and written by the best scholars in their respective fields. The company's Editorial Board of Advisors reads like the who's who of the global intellectual and scientific community.

The Britannica is an embarrassment of riches. Users often find the wealth and breadth of information daunting and data mining is fast becoming an art form. This is why the Britannica incorporated the Brain Stormer to cope with this predicament. But an informal poll I conducted online shows that few know how to deploy it effectively.

The Britannica also sports Student and Elementary versions of its venerable flagship product, replete with a Homework Helpdesk - but it is far better geared to tackle the information needs of adults and, even more so, professionals. It provides unequalled coverage of its topics. Ironically, this is precisely why the market positioning of the Britannica's Elementary and Student Encyclopedias is problematic.

The current edition is fully integrated with the Internet. Apart from the updates, it offers additional and timely content and revisions on a dedicated Web site. The digital product includes a staggering number of links (165,808!) to third party content and articles on the Web. The GeoAnalyzer, which compares national statistical data and generates charts and graphs, is now Web-based and greatly enhanced.

The Britannica would do well to offer a browser add-on search bar and to integrate with desktop search tools from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others. Currently it offers search results through Google but this requires the user to install add-ons or plug-ins and to go through a convoluted rite of passage. A seamless experience is in the cards. Users must and will be able to ferret content from all over - their desktop, their encyclopedias, and the Web - using a single, intuitive interface.

Some minor gripes:

The atlas, dictionary, and thesaurus incorporated in the Britannica are still surprisingly outdated. Why not use a more current - and dynamically updated - offering? What about dictionaries for specialty terms (medical or computer glossaries, for instance)?

Despite considerable improvement over the previous edition, the Britannica still consumes (not to say hogs) computer resource far in excess of the official specifications. This makes it less suitable for installation on older PCs and on many laptops. If you own a machine with anything earlier than Pentium 3 and less than 4 Gb of really free space - forget it!

The Britannica uses a new graphic and text renderer. On some systems, the user needs to modify his or her desktop settings to get rid of jagged fonts and blurry photos. The software also seriously conflicts with security applications (especially anti-virus and firewall products). It is not compatible with the latest QuickTime, though it offers a patch to remedy the situation.

But that's it. Don't think twice. Run to the closest retail outlet (or surf to the Britannica's Web site) and purchase the 2008 edition now. It offers excellent value for money (less than $50) and significantly enhances you access to knowledge and wisdom accumulated over centuries all over the world. Sam Vaknin, author of "Malignant Self-love - Narcissism Revisited".

3 Stars Encyclopedia Britanica software
Very easy to use, useful product, takes a long time to fully install, does not list all information, as encyclopedia. Some of the simplest items that should be listed are not. Software needs a Codec to operate which is not on the disk, should be included, have to down load codec from Apple Software and the manually place it witin the corect foder on harddrive in order to access the videos, onsoftware. This is a real downside.

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Incredible Hulk the Complete Comic Collection Win Mac

Incredible Hulk: The Complete Collection DVD brings together more than four decades of adventures that star a classic superhero. Nuclear physicist Bruce Banner created a new kind of nuclear explosive, the Gamma Bomb. On its first test, he was caught in the blast - but instead of being killed he was turned into a dark, distorted version of himself. He was transformed from a skinny, brilliant weakling to a brutish mountain of super-strong muscle. For 40 years, the Hulk's adventures thrilled audiences around the world. This DVD collects every issue of the first volume, from 1962 to 2005. That's over 530 issues in all!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Comics on DVD are a great idea
I've got several of the Marvel collections of comics on DVD, and I've been very pleased with my purchases. It nearly impossible for the average person to get access to this much comic history in a printed format, even by buying collections and trade paperbacks. I enjoy being able to go back and read the comics from the 1970's when I was growing up one night, and then the next jump ahead to more recent House of M / Civil War arcs.

I do recommend a good monitor, however. A wide-screen would be ideal.

5 Stars Incredible Hulk Complete Comic Collection Scott Review
This product is very good. I t arrived qucikly. It contains the entire series of hulk upto deemberc of 2006. You can change the size of the comics and easily access all of them throud menues. My only problem is the isc arived with circular scratches all around the disc. it was still playable but the disc read slowly and sometimes failed because of this so I backup the disc onto the hard drive and it works fine there. Order it, but back it up onto your hard drive for spead and reliability. You can also print these comic.

5 Stars Hulk is the Strongest One There Is
All I can say is, if you are a Hulk fan, get this collection. Every issue, every annual, even the original ads are all here. If anyone is interested in buying my near mint collection, now's the time. I can part with it and free up space in my attic.

Don't miss this collection.

5 Stars Incredible!
This is every issue of Incredible Hulk (plus the complete 1960's run of Tales to Astonish featuring the character) on a single DVD-ROM. They are quality scans of the original comic books, so you get to see all the ads, house promos, and letter pages. (There are a few minor imperfections here and there; it looks like somebody took a crayon to some panels of "Titan Rides a Train" for example). The stories are great, of course. I am especially a fan of the Herb Trimpe/John Severin artwork in the early 70's. This is especially recommended, as are the other Marvel DVD releases by the publisher. The low price is staggering.

4 Stars From the Old Hulk to the New Hulk
I am very please with this product, because it brings back old memorys from my younger years. It's good to be able to see again the progress of the Hulk and all his old Enemies through out the years.

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