Office 97 Small Business Edition review

Office 97 is the latest incarnation of the office suite that needs no introduction.

This year, instead of releasing the usual Standard and Professional versions, Microsoft is specifically targeting the Small Business market with this special edition.

Starting from the default Office 97 package (reviewed Issue 73, page 42), Microsoft has removed some existing components and added others to change the overall emphasis.

The core programs are still Word and Excel 97, both the latest versions of the best word processor and spreadsheet programs on the market. You also get Outlook for communications and scheduling - this 'desktop information manager' combines Exchange and Schedule+ into one polished package.

Publisher 97 is added to let you put together impressive brochures, newsletters, certificates, banners and the like. And AutoRoute Express will help you get to that remote business meeting with the minimum of fuss. Finally there's a voucher in the box for Small Business Financial Manager 97, a rather weighty-sounding application that will be shipped to early buyers as soon as it's available.

To round out the package, Microsoft throws in 30 days free membership of the MSN, and a copy of Internet Explorer 3.01 - although as both of these are available for nothing, their value is dubious.

All of these apps are top class, and some are the best of their kind currently available. Word and Excel are practically beyond reproach, still managing to outclass their nearest rivals by some margin. Outlook is slick and easy to use, although it will only come into its own if you're on a network. Publisher is powerful and quick, although not suitable if you're publishing long or complex documents. AutoRoute Express runs rather slowly, but is still packed with details and nice features. Financial Manager is not intended to be a full accounts or personal finance package; but it does offer some handy functions like automatic financial reports and risk forecasting.

If you're used to Office 95, you'll notice a few differences about the 97 edition. First is the system requirements: Office has a heavy footprint, requiring 16Mb of RAM to be useful, and 32Mb if you want things done really quickly. It can also require upwards of 100Mb of disk space to install. The interface has changed too. Gone are the Sans Serif typeface on menus and the 3D buttons: they've been replaced by the funky Tahoma font and Internet Explorer-style buttons that illuminate as the pointer passes over them.

Speaking of the Internet, there's much better integration with the web and FTP across the whole suite - you can now design web pages in Word and Publisher even has a Web Page Wizard which walks you through the whole process.

To top it all off, the Office Assistant hovers around the screen, giving you help and tips while you work. You might hate its cute appearance, but it's great for novices.

Overall, this is a well put together and extremely powerful package. Assuming you don't need PowerPoint for presentations or Access for database work, it's the best suite for the home or small business.

Author: - Steve Reid