8Start Launcher review

With 8Start Launcher, you can create a customised quick launch pad of regularly used applications.

This enables you to remove all the clutter from your desktop and means you never have to delve through a cluttered Start menu to look for an application. You can even change the look and feel of the pad with a range of different styles, or 'skins'. There are currently 37 to choose from, including metal, wood and a semi-transparent black glass effect that looks like Windows Vista's Aero interface.

Creating your own launch pad is a little tricky and the configuration settings can be confusing, as there are lots of buttons and windows to deal with. The basic principle is simple, though. First, you create categories, then groups for each category (think of these as sub-categories), and then you choose the programs and files for which you want links. You can link to individual files and desktop items as well as applications from the Start menu, although the fiddly file selector makes this harder than it should be. The application also crashes if you're using Windows Vista and you try to select anything from the Start menu.

Once you've finished setting up 8Start Launcher, it's very easy to use. Program icons are displayed clearly, and your categories and groups can help you find your applications by type. You can also set up individual launch pads for each user account, so 8Start Launcher is handy for less able users, as you can place the most commonly used applications within clear view.

Windows XP and Vista do some of these tasks already. Both display a list of the most commonly used applications in the Start menu, and Vista does an even better job by letting you find an application by typing a keyword. Still, if you want quick access to those applications you use a lot, 8Start works well once you have grappled with its needlessly confusing configuration.