LightWave 3D 7.5 Windows/Mac Duo-Dongle Review

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(More customer reviews)Research this purchase! Know what you are getting. There is hardly enough room in a review like this to give you the info you really need. This program is a serious, hard-core 3D modeling/animation/rendering package. There is an enormous community of users that (for some reason) seems to stick together. To learn about this product, start at http://www.newtek.com . Check out www.newtekpro.com and www.keyframemag.com . These are two magazines dedicated to the software. There are also many other options out there, apart from LighWave. Depending on your needs, you may want to research Maya, Softimage|XSI, Cinema 4D, 3ds max, World Construction Set, Bryce, Poser, Truespace, Electric Image, Strata, or Vue d'espirit. Each of these software packages has its advantages and disadvantages. Most people would probably tell you that the biggest advantages of LightWave are the polygonal modeling tools, and the rendering engine. I use LightWave all the time, and the areas which I find lacking are the complete absence of procedural modeling tools like those of 3ds max -of course, 3ds max lacks great polygonal modeling-, and its lack of more sophisticated particle and texturing features, such as in Maya paint effects. But LightWave is really built on the concept of providing a powerful core piece of software, to which you can add what functionality you wish, via plugins and other 3rd party extensions. All that said, LighWave really is a reletively straightforeward, easy-to-use program, and you can get things done a lot more quickly in LightWave than in most other packages. By the way, "duo-dongle" in the product title refers to the USB hardware key that comes with LighWave, which works for Macs and PCs.

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Final Draft 7/Syd Field's Screenwriting Workshop DVD Bundle Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, so I found out that Final Draft is the Industry Standard in Tinsel Town. Great. I'll buy one. Check out who uses it on their website. Wow! But the software alone doesn't tell us, say, what goes where and why in a screenplay. It just lays there, blank, with blinking cursor... waiting for some brilliance to be entered by me. Enter Syd Field. I have his books on screenwriting and, although the DVD is a little 'talking head'-like, it did make me understand more about the craft of screenwriting, like plot, story structure, action points and character arcs - the things that make up a really great movie. Take notes while watching the DVD! It made me better and less insecure about taking the movie idea out of my head and Final Draft is a cool tool that formats for you and types things you type alot for you. An excellent combination!! Highly recommend.

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Final Draft 7/Syd Fields Screenwriting Workshop is a great two-in-one shot of screenwriting applications! First, you'll learn how to write a professional screenplay. Then FInal Draft will handle the technical side, so you can get creative. This combination of powerful screenwriting software and effective writing workshops is perfect for any beginner. Take an educational journey into the world of writing, from the comfort of your home! Final Draft 7 automatically paginates and formats your scripts to industry standardsChoose from over 50 television show, movie and stageplay templates as a base for your screenplay ScriptCompare highlights changes in any two scripts, showing storytellers the differences between files

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Stop Motion Pro V6.5 Education Review

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(More customer reviews)Stop Motion AnimationHow to Create and Animate a Clay PuppetFilming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography
I am a 30 yr veteran visual effects artist and educator and I'm thrilled to give my overwhelming endorsement of this product. It is super simple to use and allows the animator to instantly get to the important business of creating without the constraints of cumbersome technology. I've adopted it for my educational DVDs and use it for all of my animation classes at UCLA Extension and NYFA.

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Roxio Toast With Jam 6 (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)The programs included in this box was Toast© Titanium 6 and Toast© with Jam 6. For simplicity sake I will refer to them as "Jam" and "Titanium". Both programs are very easy to use. Just drag and drop and you are on your way.
"Jam" deals with just audio files. That however is mildly putting it. You can make CD's or DVD's like a DJ, digitize analog records and tapes plus make more in depth edits to your tracks in Peak Express. "Jam" is pretty easy to use the interface window gives you all the info about your tracks. You can adjust the "Cross Fades" in between your tracks or you could completely remove them to create a party type mix where the music never stops. You can "Trim" tracks so if you want that track to end sooner you can tweak your "Gain" and "Fade" to really control that track. You know for the songs that have endings you could do without you could quick "Fade" them. After all of your tweaking just burn your CD or DVD straight from "Jam" no need to go to another program. After you select your "Write Speed" for your CD or DVD you can select the option of also having the program eject the media when finished or send it to your desktop or just wait for you.
"Titanium" handles "Data", "Audio", "Video" and "Disk Copy". An interface window similar to "Jam" opens up with the different "Media" tabs on the top of the menu and the "Basic" and "Advanced" features on the left pop-out menu.
For "Data" burns you have six choices when it comes to how you want to be able to access the media later. Choose the one you want, then just drag and drop your files into the interface window hit the red record button tell it what write speed you would like and it starts a burning.
Audio files you just drag and drop and arrange the tracks to your liking. You don't have the same options of adjusting or tweaking your audio tracks like you do in "Jam" you could adjust the pause in between tracks but that's about as much tweaking that you can do. It would definitely be better if you did your adjusting in Peak Express before bringing them into "Titanium". You have five choices to choose from as to the type of media that you want to burn.
Video files just drag and drop your photos or videos into the interface window. You have three choices to choose from. In this program you don't have templates like you do in IDVD or DVD Studio Pro so if you just want something basic this will work great. "Titanium" creates a basic "Menu" so your finished product still can have a bit more professional look. The "Menu" you can have up to three "Buttons". The "Buttons" you can customize a bit; name it, the photo "Button" can be any slide or any frame within the video and adjust the duration of the slides, (if you want them to change automatically or manually). Then hit the red button and a burning you will go.
There is also a neat feature called "Plug and Burn" Just hook up your DV camcorder to your computer put in a DVD and you can burn your tape straight from your camcorder to a DVD. "Titanium" captures the video and puts it on your disc for you. "Titanium" will even rewind to the beginning of the tape for you before it starts recording.
The "Copy" tab lets you make an exact copy of any single-session disc. Audio discs, backup discs, MP3, IDVD and Mac and Windows discs. You have five choices in this mode. It will allow you to do this even if you only have one drive you just have to swap discs when prompted.
Both programs were very easy to use. A step above the basics, but limited when compared to IDVD or any of the higher dollar programs. "Jam" is great if you really want to start getting into controlling your audio tracks a bit more. I would call these programs low-medium range when it comes to skill levels in CD & DVD authoring. They both give a nice intro before getting into some of the higher end and more complicated programs, like IDVD and DVD Studio Pro.

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Toast with Jam 6 - This combination of powerful editing utilities bring you the power ofentire studios, for digital multimedia creations at home! This suite includes Toast 6Titanium, BIAS Peak Express, and Dolby Digital sound encoding tools. Easy-to-use Plug & Burn feature creates Video CDs, Super Video CDs and DVDs from DV camcorder content in no time Give still photos that extra bit of life, with stunning pans & zooms - Motion Pictures will make it happen 128-bit AES encryption and password protection

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review

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(More customer reviews)The last time I played a game that took as much of my time, it was Diablo II: LOD. I played it the same way - that is, by myself. Although it was playable as a multiplayer online game (MMORPG), I don't often play that way. One of the most unusual things about Oblivion is that it was designed to be played by one person, alone. For that kind of game, it is just excellent. You can follow the usual paths, strike out on your own, interact somewhat with others, go at your own pace. There's no real point to 'leveling up', as the game 'levels' with you. I like that aspect a lot as well.
Altogether well thought out and a lot of fun to play. I have only played one game, in which I have become the Champion of Cyrodiil, The Grey Fox (head of the Thieves Guild), the Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild, the Grand Champion of the Arena, and the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood - and I'm still playing and having a good time.
It has sucked a great deal of time from my life.

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Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the most richly detailed and vibrant game-world ever created. This new chapter uses next-generation technologies to create a fully immersive gaming adventure. The Emperor of Tamriel has been assassinated and the killer still runs loose; meanwhile, no heir sits on the throne. With no Emperor upon the throne, the gates of Oblivion open wide and demons invade. Your quest is to find the lost heir and place him on the throne, before demons destroy the land. Next-generation graphics with pixel-shader effects for high-definition TVs, creating lifelike towns & dungeons and the most realistic forests

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Poser Figure Artist Review

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(More customer reviews)This program is a very stripped down version of Poser. There is no animation in this application. It's for posing 3D figures, rendering them and exporting or printing out 2 dimensional images only.
Like many digital artists I don't have the space or money for real human models so this application should help me. To help me actually "draw" the human figure I pose it in Poser Figure Artist, render the figure, print the figure out on my printer and trace over it with paper and a pencil, or export the image (figure) open it in photoshop and use my digital tablet to draw over it. You can actually use your digital tablet in P.F.A. also if you don't want to use your mouse.
It didn't take me long to learn the interface, it's easy and even a little fun. The PDF manual will get you started but does lack some detail. I was able to get a basic pose in a short time by just playing around with the interface and not even reading the PDF manual at first.
Making a complex pose can take a while. The easiest way I found to get a specific pose is to load a pre-posed figure closest to the pose you want then tweak the pose to what you want. One drawback I found was their is no "undo" so you have to save often or have the application "memorize" your poses often as you tweak them so you can get back to a pose if you get carried away with the pose. There are lots of pre-posed figures already in the program for you. Male, female, child, skeletons and a few robot figures are in there. The figures are good and clean and well proportioned (average person height, weight etc).
You can tweak just about every aspect of the figure and add props if you like. You can change the environment the figure is in also (lighting, color and background image).
P.F.A. seems to run fine on my system running windows XP. As with any 3D program the faster the system you have the faster it will run and render. Their are some preferences you can turn down to help your system deal with large render's if you have an older computer and graphics card.
Me being a strictly two dimensional paper and digital media artist Poser Figure Artist works fine for me. If your looking for something much more involved I would get the full version of Poser. I highly recommend going to "e Frontiers" web site and reading all the features Poser Figure Artist and Poser has to offer and choosing which version of Poser works for you.
Shop around, cost for this application vary greatly (I found it on sale for 1/2 off price with optional digital down load).
Their are lots of reference web sites and support for Poser programs if you need help or information. There is a whole community of "Posers" out there. Have fun!

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Poser Figure Artist software provides virtual 3D models allowing artists and graphic designers to draw, learn and explore the human figure and poses of the human body in 3D. Poser Figure Artist includes models with hundreds of poses and facial expressions, hair, clothing and lighting, plus is integrated with an instructional figure drawing guide to provide a powerful learning environment, with all the tools artists need to draw right out of the box.

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Comic Life Deluxe Hybrid Review

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(More customer reviews)I suppose you could do everything here from scratch in photoshop or MS Publisher, but it's so simple with the provided templates. The user interface is very easy to learn and use. There are a fair amount of options and choices, although not an overwhelming number. All in all, I'm very happy with this and will have fun using it. I took off one star because it is a little slow, particularly if you use large images (ie right out of your camera) without resizing them for a smaller size.

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Your Live In A Comic!Expand what you can do with your digital photos! With a comprehensive set of features, Comic Life gives you numerous ways to explore your creativity - liven up holiday snaps, tell a story, even create birthday cards and invites.Add a word balloon to your photos with Comic Life and voila`: comic genius!Tons of uses, not only comics: Annotated family photos, Holiday photo albums, Children's story books, How-to Guides, Posters, Greeting cards, and Scrapbooking.

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Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Standard Upsell from Creative Suite 1 or 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have bought upgrades for Photoshop since my purchase of PS6 way back when. I use it every day, and look forward to upagrades. This time, I decided to upgrade my CS suite, because my version of Illustrator is no longer up to generating the kinds of files I need. Photoshop CS4 does not disappoint.

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Take productivity to the next level with Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Standard software, the latest evolution of your essential toolkit for print design and production. Exciting new tools enable more expressive design, sophisticated page layout, and efficient prepress and production. Discover new ways to collaborate and tap into expert resources. Simply deliver quality work reliably in print.

Upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Standard for a special, limited time price offer Customers who own Creative Suite 1 or 2 are eligible for the upgrade to Creative Suite 4 Design Standard. This special price will end on 31 August, 2009 in North America and on 31 August, 2009 for localized languages and IE in Eastern Europe, APAC and Latin America.
Top reasons to upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Standard
Exciting new versions and services Bring your best ideas to life with feature-packed new versions of Adobe InDesign CS4, Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, and Acrobat 9 Pro. Explore exciting new services that help you collaborate and connect more efficiently than ever before.
Simplified workflows In InDesign CS4, easily manage placed files in the new, customizable Links panel. Rotate the canvas in Photoshop CS4 or the spread in InDesign. Combine multiple artboards in a single document in Illustrator CS4, plus many more enhancements.
Flexible, powerful page layout Use InDesign CS4 to create stunning print documents, from long and complex to short and simple. Efficiently deliver multiple versions within a single file, and streamline production with automatically updated cross-references.
Publishing redefined Venture into new territory by transforming InDesign CS4 layouts into dynamic documents that anyone with the Adobe Flash Player can view. Or combine rich typography and top-quality page design for electronic delivery in PDF.
Streamlined digital imaging Freely edit and enhance digital images using extended nondestructive editing techniques in Photoshop CS4. Perform common tasks smoothly and conveniently with new, easy-to-access image adjustment and masks panels.
Sophisticated vector graphics Find inspiration with new creative options in Illustrator CS4, such as transparency within gradients or the painterly Blob Brush tool. Work quickly and fluidly by accessing tools and options now available directly on your artwork.
Innovative collaboration and presentations Access the Adobe ConnectNow service to easily share your screen to present, review, or brainstorm from within your design software. Showcase your work in a dynamic, customizable PDF Portfolio that is easy to distribute and view.
Quality testing as you work Catch production errors on-the-fly with Live Preflight in InDesign CS4, use Separations Preview in Illustrator CS4 to avoid color output surprises, and rely on enhanced preflight checks and automatic PDF corrections in Acrobat 9 Pro.
Efficient shared interface elements Enjoy improved consistency across InDesign CS4, Photoshop CS4, and Illustrator CS4. Flexibly arrange multiple documents in a single window to compare content or drag-copy objects between them. Easily tab through multiple open documents without maximizing each one.
Answers when you need them Connect to the expertise of the online design community through your creative desktop. Access information ranging from basic tips, Adobe Help content, and video tutorials to community discussions and blogs.
Combines:
Adobe InDesign CS4
Adobe Photoshop CS4
Adobe Illustrator CS4
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro

Adobe InDesign CS4--Design professional layouts for print and digital publishing
Publish persuasive content Create high-impact, personalized content and long documents tailored for unique audiences in less time and with fewer steps.
Experience fluid workflows Design with ease using customer-inspired enhancements to your everyday toolset and a more flexible layout environment.
Create rich interactive documents Create dynamic documents for playback in the Adobe Flash Player runtime as well as engaging PDF content that both include professional typography and top-quality page design.
Adobe Photoshop CS4--Create powerful images with the professional standard
Easily access full editing power Take greater advantage of all that Adobe Photoshop CS4 software offers with a more intuitive user interface and features that put you in control.
Achieve amazing results Bring your vision to life with industry-leading tools that let you enhance images and create composites that help meet your highest standards.
Work more efficiently Be more productive by taking advantage of smooth integration with other Adobe software and enhancements that leverage the power of today's faster graphics processors.
Adobe Illustrator CS4--Explore new paths with the essential vector tool
Explore new features Powerful additions such as the Blob Brush tool and transparency in gradients inspire new creativity. The highly anticipated multiple artboards feature prompts new ways of working.
Discover hidden gems Existing features have been polished, and hidden functions have been uncovered to reveal usefulness and depth, enabling you to learn more quickly and take better advantage of the power of Illustrator.
Work efficiently Illustrator CS4 offers improved interaction with options and tools, plus you can do more directly on the artboard. Innovations with Smart Guides and Isolation Mode plus new panel behaviors enable a smoother, more efficient workflow.
Deliver almost anywhere Print delivery is more reliable with Separations Preview. And with new user interface similarity and shared formats among Adobe Creative Suite tools, work across applications is virtually seamless.
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro--Protect documents and accelerate information exchange with PDF
Deliver professional documentsEasily organize content from a variety of sources--including documents, e-mail, images, spreadsheets, and web pages--in a single searchable PDF Portfolio, compressed for easy distribution. Use professionally designed templates that can be branded with your company logo and colors. Quickly integrate content, define navigation, and add polish to communicate clearly and effectively. Share information with anyone using free Adobe Reader software.
Create and manage formsSimplify the creation and completion of forms to efficiently analyze and use data. Convert Word and Excel documents or scanned paper to PDF forms with automatic recognition of fillable fields. Or use Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES software, a professional form design tool included with Acrobat 9 Pro software, to further customize and automate dynamic XML forms. Extend Acrobat functionality to Reader users so virtually anyone can participate in the workflows you initiate. Use the Form Tracker to see when forms have been completed and who has completed them. And easily export data to a spreadsheet for analysis and reporting.
Manage document reviewsAccelerate the exchange of ideas with colleagues, extended teams, and customers. Through easy-to-manage electronic document reviews, participants can see and build on other reviewers' comments as they are being made, so you can quickly gain the input and consensus you need to efficiently develop and complete work. Enable virtually anyone using free Adobe Reader software to participate in reviews, and use the Form Tracker to monitor progress and participation.
Help protect sensitive information Control access to and use of PDF documents, assign digital rights, and maintain document integrity. Set document permissions to define whether a file can be printed or changed. Apply passwords to help restrict document access. Use redaction tools to permanently remove sensitive information. Digitally sign and certify documents to validate they came from a trusted source. Create and reuse document security policies to precisely manage who can print, save, copy, or modify a document.
Choose Your Edition With the tightly integrated tools and services in Adobe Creative Suite 4 software, you can create visually rich content for virtually any media--print, web, interactive, video, audio, and mobile. Find the one that's right for you:

Adobe Creative Suite 4 also allows you to access features and services that are hosted online, such as Adobe Community Help, Adobe Kuler, Adobe ConnectNow (a service on Acrobat.com), Adobe InContext Editing, and Bridge Home.*
* This product may allow you to access certain features that are hosted online ("online services"), provided you have a high-speed Internet connection. The online services, and some features thereof, may not be available in all countries, languages and/or currencies and may be discontinued in whole or in part without notice. Use of the online services is governed by separate terms of use and by the Adobe privacy policy, and access to these services may require user registration. Some online services, including services initially offered at no charge, may be subject to additional fees. For additional details and to review the terms of use and privacy policy, please visit www.adobe.com.

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Unreal 2: The Awakening Special Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Unreal 2: The Awakening is like any other First Person Shooter game. You are the last hope of the world again, and you must take on the enemy (mostly) alone. Only to be rewarded with similar cut scenes of your transport going from - or coming to your space ship. (Although your First Mate, Aida, is somewhat good looking (...))It's an entertaining story at least. And probably worth the (...) asking price for what it is. Just expect to play it for 6 - 10 hours with little replay.
What sets this game a part from other shooters is the one sniper mission where you have to protect a mechanic from a sniper vantage point. Or the two mini-base building mission, where you protect others by building a force field and gun turrets. Else, you just hunt for the switch or find the Artifact, and even this is fairly straight forward. And the weapons are very imaginative. (Later on in the game...)
To sum it up: AI is great. Graphics are great. Sound is great. The story is good. Characters are good. And the missions are average. Length of the game is short. And the difficulty is adjustable from very easy to insane.

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Today an outcast...tomorrow a hero.Product InformationYou are John Dalton a Marshal for the Terran Colonial Authority and anex-Marine assigned to patrol the edge of human exploration. Unexpectedlyyour monotonous life is shattered by a chilling distress signal. Violent turmoilamong the races has erupted on your watch. You are humanity's only hopefor salvation. Only you can prevent the Awakening.Unreal graphics and sound immerse you in a swarm of alien worlds full ofbreathtaking scenery and brutal action. 3D sound envelops you inhailstorms of bullets mind-jarring explosions and the eerie chatter of alientongues.Expanded Multiplayer (XMP) takes the battle online. XP features newweapons vehicles and maps for up to 32 players in class-based teamwarfare. Experience savage combat in war-ravaged colonies distant alienoutposts and the ruins of ancient civilizations.Product FeaturesIntense first-person shooter that immerses players in an epic sci-fiadventureAdvanced real-time dialog system for fluid communications with yourship’s crew and non-player charactersIncredibly lifelike graphics with skeletal animation; 15 weapons; 24different enemiesSpecial Edition includes latest patches as well as expanded multiplayer (XMP)New weapons vehicles and maps for up to 32 players in class-based teamwarfareUse the included Unreal Editor software to create your own levels ofpersonalized Unreal universe.Windows RequirementsWindows 98 Me 2000 XPPentium III or AMD Athlon 733MHz or higher (Pentium or AMD 1.2GHz orgreater recommended)256 MB of RAM (384 MB or greater recommended)3.0 GB free Hard Disk space8X CD-ROM drive32 MB NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX or better Video Card (64MB NVIDIA GeForce 3/ATiRadeon 8500 or better recommended)Windows compatible Sound Card (NVIDIA nForce or other motherboard/Sound Cardcontaining the Double Digital Interactive Encoder

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Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Review

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(More customer reviews)The Baldur's Gate franchise is the most popular single-player RPG series out there for good reasons, even though it's been a few years since its release. While more recent Black Isle games, notably Icewind Dale II, have vastly improved graphics and interface and others like Neverwinter Nights have changed the playing field entirely, BGII stands out for its tremendous scope and exceptional depth. BGII's complexity, intertwining subplots and host of myriad characters are enough to constitute a novel, one which you get to shape and play out instead of merely reading. To me that's the essence of RPG that few others have been able to capture. Reinforcing this feeling, at many points in the game you must make decisions that have far-reaching consequences. Furthermore, you can also complete many quests using the good or evil approach. You may decide how to proceed based on whether you want to be good or evil; there are non-player characters (NPCs) of both alignments ready to assist you.
BGII's strongest asset is its quests. While some quests are short and easily completed, most are substantial, highly interesting, and many engender their own sub-quests. For instance, one quest requires you to infiltrate a thieves guild suspected of treason; to gain their trust, you must finish several tasks for them; after you gather evidence of their treason, you're asked to go back and eliminate the guild leader; if you're successful, you then have the option of becoming the new leader and manage your own guild. It's possible to finish the game doing only the minimum handful of quests, but you'd be missing a big part of the game. Similarly, it's almost impossible to complete all quests in one run, because the quests you get depend on the decisions you make. For instance, you can side either with the thieves' guild or the rival vampires' guild, each of which comes with its own storyline and quests. Most of the quests are initiated at the beginning of the game in Athkatla. Subsequently, quests become smaller and more linear.
Characters are tightly intertwined with quests. Since you start off with only one player, you should add additional characters to your party. Characters range from elven cleric/wizard to human ranger/stalker. Some are carry-overs from BG1. Some are found only if you accept certain quests, and some come with their own quests. You can interact with virtually any character in the game. Each character has his/her own history, alignment, and personality. From time to time, characters in your party will initiate dialogues with you and with one another, most with some amount of actual voice dialogue. Some interactions are quite funny; I've chuckled many times with Minsc and Jan in my party. One feature that I suspect to be very popular is romance with characters in your party. If you meet certain conditions, a male player can romance with one of three female NPCs and a female player can romance with one male NPC. Romance are simply additional dialogues that you go through during lulls between battles. They don't add significantly to the plot, but they're an extra dimension that adults may appreciate.
A new feature in BGII is the "stronghold". The stronghold you get depends on your class. For instance, the fighter stronghold is a keep outside of Athkatla, while the thieves stronghold is a guild headquarter in the Docks district. Strongholds are gained after you complete a certain quest; they generate gold for your coffers and come with their own mini-quests at intervals. They're not essential to the story, but they add immensely to the illusion of role-playing. Another great new feature is familiars, small pet-like creatures that follow you and obey your orders. There are many tricks you can do with familiars, but mostly they're just cool to have.
If you haven't played BG1, the premise is that you're the illegitimate child of Bhaal, the God of Murder. After you defeated your nemesis at the end of BG1, your party was ambushed and taken prisoner. You wake up in a dark dungeon and find yourself tortured and apparently experimented upon by an unknown wizard. The game begins as the dungeon are invaded by hooded assailants and you are released. Now you must fight your way out of the dungeons and discover the identity of your captor and thwart his nefarious plan. You will explore the vast city Athkatla as well as travel to many exotic destinations such as an extra-planar prison, an underwater Sahuagin city, the Underdark, the elven city Suldanessellar, even the Nine Hells! There are innumerable dungeons and ruins along the way for your to explore. If any game is able to truly capture the dungeon exploring feel of D&D, this is it!
You'll encounter a virtual encyclopedic list of monsters, including golems, vampires, liches, beholders, mind-flayers, werewolves, demons, and dragons. Some are immensely powerful and require much tactical planning on your part. Mastering spells and understanding their effects and limitations are a must. This is a hard task as there are 300 spells of all types in the game. Enemy spellcasters have powerful magical protections that make them virtually invincible. However, every protection spell has some form of counter. To successfully attack them, you must use the appropriate counter-spells to weaken their defense. Game play is fast and furious. Battles are not as large as those in IWD2 and are more oriented toward magical duelling, which is equally if not more fun.
The sprite graphics and animations are unspectacular by modern standards, but they are no longer noticeable once you become immersed in the game. Background graphics is gorgeous eye-candy, however, particularly the Sahuagin city, the Underdark, and Suldanessellar. The soundtrack and voice-over work are superb.
BGII has very high-replay value thanks to its breadth and richness. If you like RPG games, this one is a must-have.

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Baldur's Gate II takes the RPG experience to a higher level with the best in fantasy gaming. Gameplay enhancing features include 3D support, dazzling new spell effects, improved multiplayer capabilities, subquests based on class, new classes, and a new character race.

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Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Upgrade from CS4 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have purchased EVERY version of the Adobe CS Suite since before it was even called CS. Seems each version causes me more and more problems. Many apps in CS5 won't launch w/o crashing on my two-year-old Mac Pro. However, I don't have these issues when I run the CS5 suite on my MacBook Pro. So for many apps when using my main computer, I'm forced to use my old CS4 versions. Please try Adobe's free demo on your machine before you pay good money for CS5!
I am also sick of Adobe's complex installations and security for their Creative Suites. If you have issues with one app, re-installation is sometimes a bear, and it's often hard to figure out how to properly reinstall (do you just install the problem app? sometimes you have to reinstall the entire suite. it's difficult to figure out which install problems are due to proper software not being installed, and which install problems are due to Adobe's security architecture not liking the way you did something... there are several adobe utilities you sometimes have to run to uninstall and then reinstall, and that's what Adobe often recommends. It's ridiculous!). It's like Adobe is begging people to just acquire cracked software, and I've heard of people who paid for the genuine Adobe software having to download cracked software due to Adobe's bloated, imperfect security preventing them from using the software they purchased.

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Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection software delivers a comprehensive creative toolset for designing across media. Explore lifelike natural painting, drawing in perspective, powerful 3D, and interactive experience design. Breakthrough performance gains accelerate image processing, rotoscoping, compositing, video editing, and more. And now integration with new Adobe CS Live online services further enhances your productivity. From start to finish, tell your story with Master Collection.

Upgrade from CS4 to Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Customers who have a license for Creative Suite 4 Master Collection are eligible for upgrade pricing.
Top reasons to upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection
Interactive design without writing code Design sophisticated interactive content and create functional interfaces in new Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5 without writing code. Transform your unique vision into compelling online experiences using Flash Catalyst, and deliver virtually perfect project files to developers who use Adobe Flash Builder to add functionality and integration with servers and services.
Extraordinary image creation and editing Use the Mixer Brush and Bristle Tips in Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended to explore lifelike, naturally textured painting. Add dimension to your imagery with 3D extrusions using Adobe Repoussé technology, and make precise image selections more quickly and easily with new Truer Edge selection technology.
Innovative vector drawing and painting Quickly and accurately represent depth and distance using new perspective tools in Adobe Illustrator CS5. You can now precisely control stroke width, arrowheads, and dashes. And use the new Bristle Brush to draw with the expressive quality of watercolors, oils, and pastels, but with the scalability and editability of vectors.
Industry-leading performance enhancements Work faster thanks to multiple performance gains. New GPU acceleration in Photoshop CS5 Extended enables quick image cropping, color picking, and brushwork. Work faster in high resolution due to native 64-bit support in Photoshop, Adobe After Effects CS5, and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. The new Adobe Mercury Playback Engine speeds up effects processing and rendering in Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe Dynamic Link is now dramatically faster.
Integration with new Adobe CS Live online services Accelerate time-consuming activities and collaborate widely thanks to integration with new Adobe CS Live online services that include Adobe CS Review for design feedback, Adobe BrowserLab to accurately test websites, Adobe Story for script development, and Acrobat. com to enhance communication around the globe. CS Live online services are complimentary for a limited time--visit www.adobe.com/go/cslive for details.
Expressive motion graphics and blockbuster visual effects Isolate moving foreground elements quickly in After Effects CS5 using the revolutionary new Adobe Roto Brush tool. Speed up compositing with variablewidth mask feathering and new trackable masks. And start animating instantly using the new Auto-Animate button that automatically sets your starting keyframe to the current time.
Interactive documents and presentations Create memorable documents and presentations complete with interactivity, motion, sound, and video in Adobe InDesign CS5. Enhance page layouts with rich media using new motion presets for easy animation creation. Take advantage of support for FLV and MP3 audio file import to engage and excite your audiences.
Support for evolving web trends Design and develop complex websites with exciting new enhancements to Adobe Dreamweaver CS5. Create dynamic websites more easily using Dreamweaver with full support for the leading content management frameworks, including Joomla!, Drupal, and WordPress.
Immersive interactive design and delivery Fluidly animate complex jointed objects and create print-quality interactive typography in Adobe Flash Professional CS5. Add personality to your inverse kinematic motion with Spring, a new Bones tool attribute. New text capabilities include advanced styling controls. And new XML support provides tighter integration with other Adobe products.
Subtle changes, big differences Do more in less time with a wealth of productivity enhancements that streamline everyday tasks. Your favorite tools keep getting better with features such as Truer Edge selection technology in Photoshop CS5, the Shape Builder tool in Illustrator CS5, and variably sized master pages in InDesign CS5.
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended--Create powerful images with the professional standard Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended software helps you create the ultimate images for print, the web, and video. Enjoy all the state-of-the-art editing, compositing, and painting capabilities in industry-standard Photoshop CS5, and experience fast performance thanks to cross-platform 64-bit support. Also create 3D extrusions for logos, artwork, and motion graphics; edit 3D objects with advanced tools; and create and enhance motion-based content.

Innovate in 3D Go beyond traditional image editing by bringing 3D elements to your 2D artwork directly within your favorite digital imaging application, which now offers an easy on-ramp to 3D image creation.
Maximize creative impact Explore new creative possibilities with breakthrough tools that enable you to select, adjust, paint, and recompose images with tremendous precision and freedom.
Boost productivity Accelerate your workflow with fast performance on 64-bit hardware systems, smoother interactions thanks to GPU acceleration, and dozens of time-savers throughout the application.
Adobe Illustrator CS5--Explore new paths with the essential vector tool Create distinctive designs for any project. Used by creative professionals worldwide, Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power. Paint expressively with vectors, draw in perspective, and explore designing for interactivity. Move easily between Illustrator, other Adobe products, and Adobe CS Live online services. Get the job done efficiently but beautifully, moving quickly from multiple ideas to multiple outputs with complete control and delivering exactly what you had in mind.

Design with powerful creative tools Take advantage of exceptional precision and power to create distinctive vector artwork. Combine highly controllable drawing tools with expressive natural brushes and dramatic effects to make unique, striking designs.
Work smoothly and efficiently Speed up your workflow with innovations that encourage efficiency. Get the job done with purpose and agility using shortcuts and time-savers to take multiple ideas to multiple outputs.
Deliver virtually anywhere Incorporate vector artwork into essentially any project and deliver resolution-independent graphics across media. Enjoy tighter-than-ever integration with other Adobe products and go anywhere your creativity takes you.
Adobe InDesign CS5--Design professional layouts for print and digital publishing Adobe InDesign CS5 software provides precise control over typography and built-in creative tools for designing, preflighting, and publishing documents for print, online, or to mobile devices. Bring documents and presentations to life with interactivity, animation, sound, and video. Leading industry tools, and productivity enhancements make page layout simpler and faster. Access Adobe CS Live online services from within InDesign to streamline critical review processes.

Streamline review processes Build powerful documents as a team. New integrated tools and the availability of efficient online services make review processes more efficient, whether your clients and colleagues are across the hall or around the world.
Do more in less time Create, edit, and publish documents faster. A wealth of new productivity features help make page layout simpler, easier, and speedier.
Create powerful, innovative digital documents Engage, inform, and attract readers with documents that include interactivity, animation, video, and sound. Develop stronger, more compelling communications with rich interactive documents.
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro--Protect documents and accelerate information exchange with PDF Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro software builds on the foundational feature set of Acrobat 9 Standard to provide business and creative professionals with additional capabilities, including enhanced security features, high-end print production support, and easy-to-manage electronic document reviews.
Deliver polished, professional documents Quickly integrate content, insert company logos, define navigation, and add polish to your PDF Portfolio using one of many customizable templates.
Create dynamic electronic forms Use included Adobe LiveCycle Designer software--a professional form design tool--to create, customize, and automate dynamic forms.
Collaborate and share with virtually anyone, anywhere Gain the input you need--in real time--through interactive, shared document reviews that help participants see and build on each other's comments.
Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5--Create expressive interfaces and interactive content without writing code Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5 software is an approachable new interaction design tool. Use it to transform Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks artwork into expressive interfaces and fully interactive content without writing code, and publish as SWF or Adobe AIR files. Collaborate with developers who can open your project files with Adobe Flash Builder software to extend functionality, and leverage the reach and consistency of the Adobe Flash Platform.

Leverage the power of the Adobe Flash Platform to create interactive projects Rapidly create expressive interfaces and interactive content to your exacting design standards. Deliver your creative vision with the reach and consistency of the Adobe Flash Platform.
Approach interaction design without writing code Transform static designs from Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fireworks software into fully interactive projects without requiring development or coding skills. Define behaviors and control sophisticated interactions with simple yet powerful menu-based commands.
Adobe Flash Professional CS5--Create and deliver rich interactive content Adobe Flash Professional CS5 software is the industry-leading environment for interactive authoring and delivery of immersive experiences that are presented consistently across personal computers, mobile devices, and screens of virtually any size and resolution. Design expressive content with professional typography and pixel-precise drawing tools, write code precisely and efficiently with code completion and customizable code snippets, and deliver superior-quality video to audiences practically everywhere.

Design with expression Communicate your creative vision without sacrifice and set the bar for interactive design with typographic precision, layout fidelity, and expressive motion-editing capabilities.
Write code quickly and easily Quickly and efficiently write code with powerful authoring tools and integration with Adobe Flash Builder software. Easily add interactivity directly in the ActionScript language by injecting extensible code snippets.
Deliver in fewer steps and in more places Save time and reduce the number of required steps when moving content from design, to development, and ultimately to delivery. Distribute consistently across personal computers, mobile devices, and screens of virtually any size and resolution.
Adobe Flash Builder 4--Develop cross-platform rich Internet applications Adobe Flash Builder 4 (formerly Adobe Flex Builder) software is a professional-grade development tool designed to help developers rapidly build cross-platform rich Internet applications (RIAs) and content using the open source Flex framework.
Improve productivity Accelerate development and testing of expressive web applications using powerful developer tooling.
Integrate with existing infrastructure Integrate with servers and services in existing infrastructure, including those based on Java, PHP, Adobe ColdFusion software, REST, and SOAP.
Deliver more expressive applications Create intuitive, engaging applications that deliver more compelling experiences.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS5--Design, develop, and maintain standards-based websites and applications Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 software empowers designers and developers to build standards-based websites with confidence. Work visually or directly in code, develop with your existing content management system like WordPress, Joomla!, or Drupal, and design productively with CSS inspection tools. Simplify advanced website development with integrated support for Subversion software and custom PHP code hinting. Get fast and accurate browser-compatibility testing and test dynamic content thanks to integration with Adobe BrowserLab, a new Adobe CS Live online service.

Develop with content management systems Build dynamic standards-based websites and applications quickly and easily. Leverage powerful content management systems with integrated authoring and testing support for your existing frameworks like WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal.
Design websites more productively Inspect, track, and preview web designs with powerful CSS diagnostics and functions. Improve your layouts and designs, and reduce the need for manual tweaking in the CSS code.
Extend Dreamweaver through integration with CS Live online services Some of the new CS Live online services integrate with Dreamweaver, such as fast and accurate browser-compatibility testing with Adobe BrowserLab. CS Live online services are complimentary for a limited time--visit www.adobe.com/go/cslive for details.
Adobe Fireworks CS5--Rapidly prototype and design for the web Create expressive screen graphics for virtually any device rapidly with Adobe Fireworks CS5 software. Design websites, user interfaces, or rich media applications using both vector and bitmap tools. Import assets from Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator software and export to HTML and CSS, Adobe Flash Catalyst software, or the Adobe AIR runtime. Optimize final imagery with the industry's leading screen graphics software.

Combine the power of vector and bitmap tools Design with vector and bitmap tools together to achieve optimal imagery quickly. Enjoy pixel precision that maps to your resolution requirements, using graphics tools designed for screen-based output.
Produce better screen graphics, faster Create rich, interactive screen graphics with fewer steps. Create and name slices efficiently, and then deliver superior-quality graphics optimized for the web and a wide range of devices.
Design once for multiple deliverables Quickly optimize designs for websites, rich media applications, and mobile devices. Edit assets from other graphics programs for wider deployment with Fireworks. Integrate client review into the design process.
Adobe Contribute CS5--Simplify website management Adobe Contribute CS5 software enables users to quickly create and edit web pages collaboratively in an easy-to-use WYSIWYG HTML editor, without writing code. New features include in-browser editing of text, hotspot images, and CSS for content authors, as well as drag-and-drop input of FLV, SWF, and PDF files. Managers can encourage creative web development while easily controlling workflow, review, and version processes to produce static or dynamic websites with one-click publishing.
Update sites efficiently Make website updates easy. Familiar WYSIWYG tools help content authors create and edit web media--no HTML required. Maintain control of site integrity and expedite review and approval cycles.
Increase contributor productivity Let content authors collaborate fully using simple in-browser creation and editing of text, images, rich media, and advanced interactive layout elements--without writing code. Contribute maintains design integrity for you.
Accelerate publishing cycles Quickly add pages and migrate existing content without repeating design tasks. Keep previous versions ready for redeployment. Manage reviews and approvals efficiently, and then publish with a single click.
Adobe Premiere Pro CS5--Accelerate production with the new Adobe Mercury Playback Engine Craft your story efficiently with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 software, the high-performance video production solution that enables you to work dramatically faster thanks to the native 64-bit, GPU-accelerated Adobe Mercury Playback Engine. Edit natively with the video formats you want. Save time by batch encoding source content to a wide variety of video formats for web, disc, broadcast, film, device, and mobile delivery. Easily exchange projects with Final Cut Pro and Avid software, and enjoy efficient, collaborative workflows that accelerate production from scriptwriting to editing, encoding, and final delivery.

Improve your production workflow Focus on telling your story with powerful, flexible editing tools. With the native 64-bit Adobe Mercury Playback Engine, the industry's best native tapeless workflow, and unparalleled Adobe integration, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 sets a new standard in editing efficiency.
Collaborate openly and effectively Work in an open, extensible post-production environment. Write scripts collaboratively. Efficiently gather feedback from clients and teammates. Easily exchange projects with other Adobe software, Final Cut Pro, and Avid software.
Deliver engaging video practically anywhere Create video optimized for online viewing as well as for broadcast, disc, film, device, and mobile distribution. From capture to final delivery, use metadata to make assets easier to find in production, create engaging interactive experiences, and help audiences discover your videos online.
Adobe After Effects CS5--Create motion graphics and visual effects with the industry standard Adobe After Effects CS5 delivers the visual richness required to get noticed in today's media culture. Use open-ended creative tools. Work efficiently on high-resolution projects thanks to native 64-bit support. And benefit from tight integration with Adobe's other leading software. Whether you're working in film, broadcast, online, or mobile media, Adobe After Effects enables you to create groundbreaking motion graphics and blockbuster visual effects.

Get 64-bit performance Work more quickly with groundbreaking 64-bit performance that dramatically improves the experience of creating HD and higher resolution content. Streamlined tools and tight Adobe integration also accelerate your workflow.
Innovate visually Express your visual ideas with freedom. Adobe After Effects CS5 revolutionizes motion design with an open-ended environment that fosters creative experimentation.
Composite efficiently Realize your vision quickly and efficiently by drawing on a broad and deep set of tools designed to help you solve any creative challenge.
Deliver everywhere Master modern media: Deliver your completed projects to the widest range of formats, from large format feature films and high-definition television to websites and mobile devices.
Adobe Soundbooth CS5--Create and edit audio with ease Adobe Soundbooth CS5 software is a professional audio editor that makes it easy to create, edit, and clean up audio for all your productions. Intuitive, task-based features and tight integration with other Adobe applications save time and help you achieve professional results. Mix royalty-free, customizable soundtracks and sound effects with dialogue in the improved multitrack environment for complete creative control.

Simplify audio workflows Make short work of everyday audio with a smooth, intuitive workflow that features task-based tools and tight integration with other Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium components.
Fix audio problems fast Automatically detect and fix common flaws in audio such as hisses, hums, phase problems, crackling, and pops. Add reverb to match on-location room ambience. Match the volume of different dialogue clips.
Create soundtracks easily Drag and drop Soundbooth Scores to create soundtracks. Make the music fit your visuals with easy adjustments to timing, and suit your project's mood with easy adjustments to intensity, atmosphere, and instrumentation.
Get professional-sounding mixes Combine music, dialogue, and sound effects on multiple tracks. Easily control EQ, volume, pan, and effects on each track using automation. Add mastering effects for final polish.
Locate dialogue quickly Convert spoken dialogue into searchable text, and use custom dictionaries to increase the accuracy of asset search. Export transcripts to create searchable video.
Searchable web DVDs and other enhancements in Adobe Encore CS5 Adobe Encore CS5 software is a versatile, interactive authoring tool for video distribution that allows you to deliver your projects beyond DVD and Blu-ray Disc. In a single operation, you can easily turn your DVD and Blu-ray Disc projects into web DVDs that now include a search interface. The new interface gives viewers a more engaging experience by enabling them to search within a web DVD using keywords. During authoring, Encore automatically creates a search database using metadata from speech-analysis text, subtitles in timelines and slideshows, and menu and button names.
Efficient production and tapeless camera support in Adobe OnLocation CS5 Adobe OnLocation CS5 provides an impressive array of production tools to help you shoot better and faster while saving time and money, both on set and off. New support for tapeless cameras extend the ways you can use OnLocation in your production workflows.
Spot problems in imported tapeless footage. Thanks to new tapeless camera support, you can use the comprehensive software waveform monitor and vectorscope as well as the audio spectrum analyzer in OnLocation to identify image and audio problems in imported files by quickly scanning your footage for audio pops, clipping, and video overbrights.
Logging with tapeless cameras. Get all the benefits of real-time, on-set logging when working with tapeless cameras. Simply tell OnLocation which shot is currently recording and then enter notes, comments, and additional metadata into placeholder clips. Using timecode as a reference, OnLocation automatically matches the information to the recorded clips when they are imported from the tapeless media, regardless of whether the camera is tethered to OnLocation on-set or whether the clips are imported during post-production.
Faster logging with Turbo Comments. While recording, the new Turbo Comments feature lets you add frequently used words--cast names, sports highlights, and so on--with a single keystroke to log live action accurately, consistently, and efficiently. OnLocation lets you store up to nine comments with unique shortcuts, for immediate, timecode-accurate logging.
Adobe Creative Suite 5 With powerful new creative tools, enhanced performance and workflows, and the ability to integrate with timesaving new Adobe CS Live online services, Adobe Creative Suite 5 software provides the edge you need to create rich content for virtually any media--print, web, interactive, video, audio, and mobile. Whether you need to produce printed pages efficiently or design and distribute engaging content online, on film, on air, and on device, you'll find the right combination of Adobe tools to increase your productivity and keep pace with your creative vision.

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OfficeMax 50-Pack Slimline CD Jewel Cases Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Is this Lightwave 3D or is it some empty cases? Who wants to spend hundreds of dollars to find out?

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Save space with these slimline jewel cases for CDs or DVDs.

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Freeway 5 Express Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been wanting to get a website up for YEARS but was always intimidated by the software and having to learn html. Push finally came to shove and I decided to JUMP and get this program. I had thought about doing one of the 'freebie' template based offers but I am an artist and wanted ultimate control. Same thing goes with paying someone else to do it, I wanted the option to change it on a whim.
One thing I could NOT live without is a hard copy of the manual. You get it as a .pdf file and my friendly neighborhood print shop (Paradise Copies, Northampton) printed out back to back and bound it for about $14? INVALUABLE. The little book that comes with the CD-ROMs is also very helfpul for what it is and worth reading. There are also online tutorials.
My Mac is almost 5 years old (OS 10.4) but the program worked well except for a glitch in resizing graphics that should be fixed with the new update. I didn't want to update in the middle of my project. I ended up resizing through the drop down menu instead of with key strokes. It's not difficult to learn and works a lot like Illustrator. You draw an html box and type in it. You draw a graphic box and either import visuals (photos, little things you've created in Illustrator or Photoshop) OR you can do 'graphic text' with any of your fonts but whatever you type in this way is treated as a graphic and won't be picked up with search engines.
So far, I have only done one page things (my own is at figleef dot com) but for a quick and easy web presence, I could knock out something simple in a couple of hours. You certainly CAN do sites with more pages, I'm just lazy. Adding music was very easy. And 99% of the time, what I placed on the page is what showed up in the browser (you can check how it will look/act in a browser while you are working on it). I also chose different colors (outside of the 216) with the help of the sliders. I only touched the surface of what this little program can do. If you are pretty tech savvy, you'll probably REALLY be able to do more than I did.
The ONLY glitch was uploading it and that took a week of calls and emails to GoDaddy (where my hosting account is) and the Freeway Express USA office. I'm going to explain how to do it here, as I had to get JUST the right guy at GoDaddy to figure it out. I use Fetch to get into my hosting account. I have several websites so I had to click twice on the folder for the site to which I wanted to upload and THEN, 'PUT' the contents of the SITE folder. That's all. Just the stuff in the site folder. Seems simple now but it took EONS to figure this out as I was uploading the actual Freeway file (has a yellow circled f). Once we figured it out, it was super easy.
I do ramble don't I? Anyway, it's great and if I can figure it out, you can too. I have NOT tried any other software but did a lot of research before deciding on this one. Hope this helps someone struggling with wanting to make their own website and not being particularly techy.

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Freeway 5 Express - our new entry-level application for easy and fun Web design features hundreds of new features and improvements, all with the legendary WYSIWYG control that makes Freeway such a joy to use.Design exactly what you see in your mind’s eye. Simply draw the page the way you want it to appear, and publish. Freeway calculates the most efficient layout code possible to reproduce your vision on the widest range of browsers and operating systems.Stay close to your design by making graphic headlines, cropping, rotating, or scaling photographs and illustrations right in your layout.Import graphics of almost any resolution or size. Freeway 5 automatically compresses and resamples high-resolution artwork without changing the original files.

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Web Easy 7.0 Professional Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I used Web Easy 7 Professional to make a very professional-looking web site, equal to sites created by much more expensive software. Web Easy did almost everything I required. I created my own page style and format, inserted text and hypertext links, and imported graphics and photos. Pages within a site can be different lengths, but if you start with a supplied template of a certain width, you apparently can't change it.
It's easy to preview the site you create, and what you see is really what you get. You can include meta tags on your site, but it seems that all pages of your site will have the same meta tags. You can insert a visitor counter, but you may need assistance from your ISP to have it count correctly. Many feedback form styles are available, but I haven't yet figured out how to make them send all of the information entered in the fields. The tables I could make in Web Easy were not satisfactory for a catalog with more than 50 items. You could divide your catalog up into several web pages, or use a link to open an Excel spreadsheet or Word document. Also, I couldn't paste a whole Excel or Word table into a Web Easy table.
Learning to use Web Easy took some effort, particularly because I wanted to create my own web site from scratch rather than using one of the templates supplied. The user's manual is pretty elementary, but the help menu is detailed, searchable, and generally helpful. Uploading my site to the web was frustrating. You need to enter host information into the Publish Assistant without many clues from the manual or the help menu. When I finally entered the right information, I got the cryptic error message "The web site package is older than the web site document", and only one page of my site uploaded, even though the site looked fine with the preview function. The error message should have described how to fix the problem. Eventually I figured out that it could easily be fixed by clicking Build / Web Site. You can visit my site at www.KeySynthesis.com

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Create a great website has never been easier. WebEasy includes everything you need in a one box to create your ideal website with built-in templates and e-commerce tools. Drag-and-drop simplicity and automatically HTML code generation, create the website you want without any programming or technical skills required.

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Cosmic Blobs: Lab Rat Edition - Deluxe Version (Win/Mac) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My 8-year-old granddaughters love creating and animating animals with this software. They combine animals at will (frog+gorilla=frogilla.) They have only skimmed the possibilities available in this program, so suspect this will be a computer activity that they won't outgrow. There is a tutorial and they needed it. It was kid friendly and very helpful.

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Cosmic Blobs® lets boys and girls from 7 to 14 years old create amazing 3D computer graphics that look like today's coolest computer generated cartoons and video games. It works like modeling clay on the computer for building fantastic 3D models with easy-to-use mouse controls and colorful decorating activities. Bend, pull, poke and flatten basic shapes into animals, vehicles, characters or anything else that can be imagined. Decorate any Blobs surface with paints, decals, patterns or your own photographs. Real computer animations such as hopping, slithering, and running bring the 3D creations to life in a world created by you.

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Rise of Nations Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As you probably have read, this game is a "thinking mans RTS". I play w/ a group of co-workers who bragged constantly about how cool this game was, but I was put off by the "bigness" of it. The instruction booklet is massive, and ironically, my biggest complaint about the game is that it's not nearly big enough to even give you a good working understanding of the game!
Now, if you aren't afraid of an extraordinarily complex game, this is, in my opinion, the best RTS out there today. Over 10 different nationalities progress and fight thier way through different ages (starting w/ the Ancient Age, and progressing to the Information Age). Each age allows newer and better production, warwaging units, and capabilities. It's hilarious watching inferior players defending their cities w/ catapults while a highly skilled player rolls over them w/ tanks -- or Archers being gunned down by an opposing player who's discoved Gunpowder. Yum, gaming goodness!!!
Many new concepts have been introduced in this game. My favorite is "National Borders". At a point in the game, each territory has borders that eminate from their civilizations center of power. What a blast it is to see the colored borders creep out and eventually meet other territories (doing damage to enemy buildings and units it envelops).
Difficult to learn, yes, but the payoff is (in my opinion) very well worth the investment.
Hope my input is helpful.
Enjoy...

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Rise of Nations is a historical real time strategy game from Big Huge Games’ Brian Reynolds, designer of PC game classics such as Civilization 2 and Alpha Centauri.
Dominate 6,000 years of history from the Ancient Age to the Information Age. Which forces will you deploy to lead your nation to global prominence? Trade, espionage, diplomacy…war? Whichever path you choose, you’ll experience the pulse pounding thrill and speed of real-time gaming combined with the epic scope and depth of turn-based strategy games – brought together for the first time ever in Rise of Nations.

In Rise of Nations, you'll create new cities, improve city infrastructures and expand national borders. Conquer foes through military might using everything from sling-shots to cannons to stealth bombers to nuclear weapons; corner the market on key commodities and consolidate power under your rule; wheel and deal across time with history's eminent cultures.

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Dreamweaver UltraDev 4.0/Fireworks 4.0 Studio Upgrade (from UltraDev Only) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to begin this review by saying that Macromedia rocks!!! They truely have THE HIGHEST standards of quality in their products.
Both of these applications deserve a 5 Star Rating.
Fireworks 4 is just awesome. It is the best image editing program you could ever own for the web. I have been using Fireworks since its 1.0 version and I have loved every upgrade and this one is no exception.
Amazing!!!
My hats off to you Macromedia!

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This Macromedia UltraDev 4/Fireworks 4 bundle is an efficient way to develop ASP, JSP, or ColdFusion Web applications. Rapidly build database-driven Web applications with total control over source code, plus integrated Web graphics. Professional hand-coding environment includes ASP, JSP, and CFML keyword color-coding, autoindenting, punctuation balancing, and the ability to debug client-side JavaScript directly in your browser. Create, edit, and animate Web graphics in Fireworks 4; add advanced interactivity; optimize images; and integrate seamlessly with UltraDev 4 for efficient development. View live, server-side data in the workspace, and make edits to layout and logic on the fly. Maximize productivity with built-in server behaviors, the ability to create your own library of reusable server behaviors easily, and powerful shortcuts for creating user authentication, master/detail pages, and more. Improve development efficiency with sitewide reports, project tracking, and integration with version-control systems like Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows and leading content-management systems.

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