Microsoft Works Suite 2004 An Improved But Still Lopsided Bundle Eric Grevstad
We've often joined the chorus criticizing Microsoft for hyping forthcoming, oh-boy-it's-gonna-be-fabulous, don't-even-think-about-buying-a-competitor products, then sailing far past their promised ship dates. But we think it would have been nice if Works Suite 2004 had been pushed back a couple of months instead of shipping on schedule last fall.
That's because the two main components of Microsoft's family-friendly productivity and creativity bundle are Works 7.0 and Word 2002 — both unchanged from Works Suite 2003, which we reviewed 15 months ago — and the inclusion of Word 2002 seems to hint that consumers who don't need all the frills and features of Microsoft Office don't deserve up-to-date software, because Word 2003 debuted last October. Granted, the word processor hasn't changed much beyond the addition of a handsome document-browsing or Reading Layout view, but it doesn't look good to make Mom, Pop, and the kids settle for leftovers.
That said, Works Suite 2004 is still one of Microsoft's best values — even before this year's edition's $9 price cut, to $100 with a $15 mail-in rebate coupon in the box. In addition to Works — which combines a spreadsheet, database, appointment calendar, and task-oriented launchpad interface — and Word, you get Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2003, to give Billy and Mandy a head start on their homework; Streets & Trips 2002, to plan this summer's vacation drive; Money 2003 Standard, to help manage the family finances; and Picture It Photo Premium 9, to turn digital-camera snapshots into more polished-looking artwork for Works Suite's various newsletters, greeting cards, and other print projects.
If Billy and Mandy are in high school or college rather than grade school, the clan might want to spend a bit more ($149) for Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition 2003. But while that suite offers Word, Excel, and Outlook plus PowerPoint, it doesn't have any image-editing, checkbook-balancing, or road-mapping functionality. Perhaps more important, it doesn't have the more than 500 document templates and nearly foolproof program- and file-management layout of the Works Task Launcher.
The first tab on the latter's tabbed interface is Works' calendar, which offers simple but effective choices of daily, weekly, and monthly views and ways to enter single or recurring appointments — though it may be easier for beginners than for veterans of Outlook or other business-class PIMs; right-clicking to edit items doesn't always work as you'd expect and the reminder-alarm option is a little hard to find and inflexible (you can't set an alarm for 5 or 10 minutes before an appointment rather than 15, for instance).
To Microsoft's credit, Works' calendar and contact list can sync with Palm OS as well as Pocket PC handhelds. The integrated package also offers a competent, chart-capable spreadsheet and easy-to-like, index-card-style database with both single-record form and design and spreadsheet-style list views.
Other tabs let you decide how you want to work — conventionally, by launching an application or loading a recent file, or by pointing (to see a helpful pop-up description) and then clicking to begin a task or project. Most of these involve one of Works Suite's fill-in-the-blank templates, some 100 of which are new since last year — attractively formatted word processing documents, worksheets, and database forms for home- and school-oriented jobs ranging from household inventories and club sign-up sheets to exercise and car-maintenance checklists. A project — whether prefab or made by you — pulls together a set of tasks, each of which can have its own due date for Works' calendar.
