Microsoft's Office 98 delivers a feature-rich and Mac-friendly version of the application suite that has become a fixture on personal computers around the world. Right from the installation process--which is as simple as dragging a single folder from the CD onto your desktop--it's clear that in this outing Microsoft has taken the Mac's reputation for user-friendliness seriously while not sacrificing any of the included applications' functionality. Word's AutoCorrect fixes typos on the fly, and its spelling and grammar checkers combine with elegant editing and versioning tools to become a sophisticated document creation package. More subtle, but no less handy, is the font menu that shows you what the fonts really look like, the control-click that pops up a selection of synonyms, and the new table drawing tools. For number-crunching tasks, Excel will check your formulas for common errors, give multiple users the ability to access and edit shared workbooks simultaneously, and let you build equations using natural language. An improved, centralized chart wizard and custom cell formatting help make your numbers look their best. PowerPoint, Office's popular presentation tool, features redesigned templates and new transitions as well as the flexibility to create multiple customized presentations from a single PowerPoint document.
Office 98 also includes support for drag and drop--so moving content from one program to another is easy--and QuickTime, wizards that help you quickly create standard office documents from templates, an Assistant that can give you step-by-step instructions for most tasks, and the key ability to undo multiple changes. The only thing Office 98 lacks is a Mac version of Microsoft Access, which leaves the suite without a database program. --Jack Gardiner
