Personal Collection 2002 (Includes Personal Portfolio 2002 , Money 2002, Encarta 2002 and more) by Microsoft

Description

Microsoft Office Personal Portfolio 2002
Millions of PC users the world over use the Office “productivity suite”, but that doesn't mean we all have to use the same templates for our letters, spreadsheets and presentations. Personal Portfolio 2002 comes on the scene just as a new version of Office, Office XP, makes its debut . It's not limited to the new Office though; users of older versions such as 97 and 2000 can use it to brighten up their stationery too.

Personal P ortfolio complements the suite of Office applications Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Access and FrontPage) with 300 new Word templates, 120 for Ex cel, 90 for PowerPoint and 90 for Outlook. This has its fun uses as it means that you can add a little creativity to your letters, e-mails and even shopp ing lists should you wish. And if you must gaze at Excel spreadsheets all day, any change to the dull black-and-white grid, which comes as the default, i s an improvement.

But it's a useful business application too. PowerPoint users may be looking for new ways to make their professional presentations st and out from the crowd, and the CV templates can add a structure and discipline that your current curriculum vitae may be missing. And, especially for th ose who aren't (or don't want to be) creative, there's very little point in re-inventing the wheel, when Personal Portfolio can create slick-looki ng fax covers, reports and business stationery for you. —John Rennie

Microsoft Encarta Standard 2002
Encarta Encyclopaedia Standard is the new edition of Microsoft's bestselling reference tool, this edition bringing new features and loads of new content and add-ons, such as auto-updates and streaming media. The interface itself is quite easy to get to grips with, although stylistically jus t a little bit boring. It is clean and uncluttered however, and because of this it moves quickly from screen to screen. The search is very good, and offe rs the functionality surfers are used to on the best search engines, such as word substitutions in case of misspelling, and lists of similar entries, as well as loads of links to editorially screened non-Microsoft quality content sites, on specific topics. Those familiar with the Windows operating system will find navigating this software very easy. At the top is the usual toolbar, with File, Edit, View, Features, Tools, and so on. The easy reach of these menus make moving around the software simple, and stress-free, as well as quick to learn. —Alison Jardine

Platforms

Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP