Office Word 2007 is a powerful authoring program that gives you the ability to create and share documents by combining a comprehensive set of writing tools with an easy-to-use interface.

This is a very comprehensive, excellent software program for children in year two, aged six to seven years, which supports the National Curriculum and covers reading, maths, geography, history, the solar system, art and music.

The activities are not classroom based, as in the case of many other CD-ROMs in this range, but they are built around adventures that begin when school ends. CJ the Frog and his friend Newton begin a journey to their secret clubhouse. Your child can develop maths skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, money value, measuring and logic) while racing sharks and crossing dangerous rivers. Reading and comprehension skills are also covered, including spelling, parts of speech, nouns, verbs and adjectives, and the countries can be discovered while learning about the people and events in history. All activities are presented in a fun way and are offered at different levels with progress reports, assessments and a printable workbook included. There is also a pamphlet containing basic technical and installation information, which should be read before starting. --Susan Naylor

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

A real bargin, 30 Aug 2008
This is a great little piece of kit for the money. It's relatively easy to use (although the lack of written instructions make it a bit daunting to start with), and allows you to create wonderful designs. I've been particularly pleased with its ability to convert pictures, but be warned they can be quite big. I would advise that you buy a shade card as well, from one of the main silk manufactures like DMC, as it allows you check the shade the computer is suggesting against the real thing.

extremely good value for money, 20 Jan 2008
This is a fantastic product. I imagined something extremely basic for the price, so was amazed at the different features available. It is extremely easy to import photo files of various types - within seconds you see them as cross stich patterns, which you can edit (i.e. delete out confusing shadows or undesirable lines). It's also nice starting from scratch with your own pattern. Adding block after block in 99 different colours is a great way to doodle a pattern, and is very addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cross stitch designer program.

Great, 18 Nov 2007
Reasonably easy to use. Has a help section which is helpful. Great way to design your own patterns. xx

Jane Greenoff's Cross Stitch Designer, 28 Aug 2003
Overall this is a great product. It is wonderfully easy to use and offers a great selection of thread manufacturers so that you can plan your designs to include your favourite thread range. One downside, however is that you are unable to personalise your pallette of colours to your favourites, and so I often need to reselect colours whenever i start a new design. Other great features include the handy video tutorials with sound - these are brilliant for beginners and offer many handy tips! Designs can be viewed as b/w symbols, colour blocks or colour stitches on a wide selection of aida colours, although options for other fabrics are not available.

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

A real bargin, 30 Aug 2008
This is a great little piece of kit for the money. It's relatively easy to use (although the lack of written instructions make it a bit daunting to start with), and allows you to create wonderful designs. I've been particularly pleased with its ability to convert pictures, but be warned they can be quite big. I would advise that you buy a shade card as well, from one of the main silk manufactures like DMC, as it allows you check the shade the computer is suggesting against the real thing.

extremely good value for money, 20 Jan 2008
This is a fantastic product. I imagined something extremely basic for the price, so was amazed at the different features available. It is extremely easy to import photo files of various types - within seconds you see them as cross stich patterns, which you can edit (i.e. delete out confusing shadows or undesirable lines). It's also nice starting from scratch with your own pattern. Adding block after block in 99 different colours is a great way to doodle a pattern, and is very addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cross stitch designer program.

Great, 18 Nov 2007
Reasonably easy to use. Has a help section which is helpful. Great way to design your own patterns. xx

Jane Greenoff's Cross Stitch Designer, 28 Aug 2003
Overall this is a great product. It is wonderfully easy to use and offers a great selection of thread manufacturers so that you can plan your designs to include your favourite thread range. One downside, however is that you are unable to personalise your pallette of colours to your favourites, and so I often need to reselect colours whenever i start a new design. Other great features include the handy video tutorials with sound - these are brilliant for beginners and offer many handy tips! Designs can be viewed as b/w symbols, colour blocks or colour stitches on a wide selection of aida colours, although options for other fabrics are not available.

Pretty good., 03 Jun 2007
Pretty good software - and popular too. A very strong feature is the 100% GEDCOM compatability. I found it slightly difficult to get to its way of organising the data input screens but the tutorials with it are thorough.

A Great Genealogy Program, 21 May 2007
Having tried a few different programs over a period of about 6 years this is undoubtedly the best and most comprehensive that I have used. Not the easiest to understand if you are just begining with genealogy but for a more experienced user I would say it is unrivaled. The way it reads native GEDCOM files is a real boon. Its split tree facility is wonderfull if you just want to extract part of your tree to give to someone else. The ability to just extract a head from a group picture is so usefull.
Great value and thoroughly recommended

Good product, but let down by a poor basic printed manual, 18 Jan 2007
As a novice to family history research I read several reviews of different products vying for this market before I took the plunge and committed myself to a purchase. Calico Pie's 'Family Historian' software came out consistently near or at 'the top of the heap' in most software reviews, and on that basis I decided that it was the one for me to buy. I have found that indeed, it does have many easy-to-use and very useful features. But I feel that it is let down by a very brief printed Introductory User Manual that comes with the software package. While Calico Pie include a more comprehensive manual in Adobe format, I feel that this is a bit penny-pinching of them. I, for one, do not have the inclination nor the time to print off a 200-plus page Comprehensive Manual. I would have been prepared to grit my teeth, unleash my credit card and buy a printed version, but sadly this does not appear to be an option. So, if you do choose this (otherwise very good) product, then if you want to get the most out of it, I would also advise you to purchase several reams of print-off paper, a clip file or ring binder in which to store the resulting output, and some additional ink cartridges for your printer. You might also decide to add some instant coffee to this list while you wait patiently for your printer to chug through the ensuing output!

The best just got better, 05 Jan 2007
Version 3 adds a whole range of powerful features to an already comprehensive program. There is a learning curve for this program especially for computer novices, but the pay off is an exceptionally flexible program allowing customisation of many areas of its output. With the added benefit of an active mailing list and user group forum, new users have a large variety of sources for help. If you want a program just to draw a quick family tree then Family Historian is not for you. If you want a program to document your family history, analyse and extract information and then produce comprehensive reports and charts then Family Historian is for you. If you are not sure then why not download the Demo version from the family-historian.co.uk website and try it out to see if it suits you, first.

A good choice for the UK user, 25 Nov 2006
As a novice I don't ultimately know how my needs will evolve. I tried various demo packages and have opted for this for the following reasons:

1) Written for the UK market
2) Interface allows lots of editing from diagrams
3) Good support from the forum and user community
4) 100% GEDCOM compatible
5) Good tools to link a picture to multiple individuals.

Since buying it I have been impressed with the quality, the free vouchers and an upgrade to 3.1 downloaded fine.

Highly recommended.

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

A real bargin, 30 Aug 2008
This is a great little piece of kit for the money. It's relatively easy to use (although the lack of written instructions make it a bit daunting to start with), and allows you to create wonderful designs. I've been particularly pleased with its ability to convert pictures, but be warned they can be quite big. I would advise that you buy a shade card as well, from one of the main silk manufactures like DMC, as it allows you check the shade the computer is suggesting against the real thing.

extremely good value for money, 20 Jan 2008
This is a fantastic product. I imagined something extremely basic for the price, so was amazed at the different features available. It is extremely easy to import photo files of various types - within seconds you see them as cross stich patterns, which you can edit (i.e. delete out confusing shadows or undesirable lines). It's also nice starting from scratch with your own pattern. Adding block after block in 99 different colours is a great way to doodle a pattern, and is very addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cross stitch designer program.

Great, 18 Nov 2007
Reasonably easy to use. Has a help section which is helpful. Great way to design your own patterns. xx

Jane Greenoff's Cross Stitch Designer, 28 Aug 2003
Overall this is a great product. It is wonderfully easy to use and offers a great selection of thread manufacturers so that you can plan your designs to include your favourite thread range. One downside, however is that you are unable to personalise your pallette of colours to your favourites, and so I often need to reselect colours whenever i start a new design. Other great features include the handy video tutorials with sound - these are brilliant for beginners and offer many handy tips! Designs can be viewed as b/w symbols, colour blocks or colour stitches on a wide selection of aida colours, although options for other fabrics are not available.

Pretty good., 03 Jun 2007
Pretty good software - and popular too. A very strong feature is the 100% GEDCOM compatability. I found it slightly difficult to get to its way of organising the data input screens but the tutorials with it are thorough.

A Great Genealogy Program, 21 May 2007
Having tried a few different programs over a period of about 6 years this is undoubtedly the best and most comprehensive that I have used. Not the easiest to understand if you are just begining with genealogy but for a more experienced user I would say it is unrivaled. The way it reads native GEDCOM files is a real boon. Its split tree facility is wonderfull if you just want to extract part of your tree to give to someone else. The ability to just extract a head from a group picture is so usefull.
Great value and thoroughly recommended

Good product, but let down by a poor basic printed manual, 18 Jan 2007
As a novice to family history research I read several reviews of different products vying for this market before I took the plunge and committed myself to a purchase. Calico Pie's 'Family Historian' software came out consistently near or at 'the top of the heap' in most software reviews, and on that basis I decided that it was the one for me to buy. I have found that indeed, it does have many easy-to-use and very useful features. But I feel that it is let down by a very brief printed Introductory User Manual that comes with the software package. While Calico Pie include a more comprehensive manual in Adobe format, I feel that this is a bit penny-pinching of them. I, for one, do not have the inclination nor the time to print off a 200-plus page Comprehensive Manual. I would have been prepared to grit my teeth, unleash my credit card and buy a printed version, but sadly this does not appear to be an option. So, if you do choose this (otherwise very good) product, then if you want to get the most out of it, I would also advise you to purchase several reams of print-off paper, a clip file or ring binder in which to store the resulting output, and some additional ink cartridges for your printer. You might also decide to add some instant coffee to this list while you wait patiently for your printer to chug through the ensuing output!

The best just got better, 05 Jan 2007
Version 3 adds a whole range of powerful features to an already comprehensive program. There is a learning curve for this program especially for computer novices, but the pay off is an exceptionally flexible program allowing customisation of many areas of its output. With the added benefit of an active mailing list and user group forum, new users have a large variety of sources for help. If you want a program just to draw a quick family tree then Family Historian is not for you. If you want a program to document your family history, analyse and extract information and then produce comprehensive reports and charts then Family Historian is for you. If you are not sure then why not download the Demo version from the family-historian.co.uk website and try it out to see if it suits you, first.

A good choice for the UK user, 25 Nov 2006
As a novice I don't ultimately know how my needs will evolve. I tried various demo packages and have opted for this for the following reasons:

1) Written for the UK market
2) Interface allows lots of editing from diagrams
3) Good support from the forum and user community
4) 100% GEDCOM compatible
5) Good tools to link a picture to multiple individuals.

Since buying it I have been impressed with the quality, the free vouchers and an upgrade to 3.1 downloaded fine.

Highly recommended.



It does work with Vista!, 27 May 2008
I run an Online Astronomy Group HantsAstro.org. This product, once updated works fine with Vista Premium. Visually it's not as pretty as Starry Night, but for the price offers telescope control with updated ASCOM drivers and runs an LXD75 telescope fine in our tests. The star catalogs are accurate and the interface, once learnt is quite useful, if a little clunky compared to Starry Night. As planetarium software goes, with introduction presentations to the night sky it does quite well. The 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' intro turns from amusing to a bit tacky after the third time you load it, but thankfully this can be turned off. Being able to generate your own reports for a nights oberving is a useful feature. If you want telescope control, this is a good deal but if you want eye candy too and don't mind paying (much) more, then Starry Night is the way to go...

Redshift 6 premium edition is not Vista compatible!, 13 May 2008
This product was advertised on the Amazon website as compatible with Windows Vista. Having just bought the product, the system requirements printed on the box are as follows: Operating System - Windows ME / 2000 / XP / x64.
No mention of Vista. Therefore I am making the assumption it is not Vista compatible. Amazon would be advised to read what is says on the tin before selling it!

Office PowerPoint 2007 enables you to quickly create high-impact, dynamic presentations, while integrating workflow and ways to easily share this information. From the redesigned user interface to the new SmartArt Graphics and formatting capabilities, Office PowerPoint 2007 puts the control in your hands to create great-looking presentations. Powerpoint Home and Student 2007 makes working at home easier and more enjoyable.Main Features:Create Dynamic Presentations - Quickly create dynamic and great-looking ...

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

A real bargin, 30 Aug 2008
This is a great little piece of kit for the money. It's relatively easy to use (although the lack of written instructions make it a bit daunting to start with), and allows you to create wonderful designs. I've been particularly pleased with its ability to convert pictures, but be warned they can be quite big. I would advise that you buy a shade card as well, from one of the main silk manufactures like DMC, as it allows you check the shade the computer is suggesting against the real thing.

extremely good value for money, 20 Jan 2008
This is a fantastic product. I imagined something extremely basic for the price, so was amazed at the different features available. It is extremely easy to import photo files of various types - within seconds you see them as cross stich patterns, which you can edit (i.e. delete out confusing shadows or undesirable lines). It's also nice starting from scratch with your own pattern. Adding block after block in 99 different colours is a great way to doodle a pattern, and is very addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cross stitch designer program.

Great, 18 Nov 2007
Reasonably easy to use. Has a help section which is helpful. Great way to design your own patterns. xx

Jane Greenoff's Cross Stitch Designer, 28 Aug 2003
Overall this is a great product. It is wonderfully easy to use and offers a great selection of thread manufacturers so that you can plan your designs to include your favourite thread range. One downside, however is that you are unable to personalise your pallette of colours to your favourites, and so I often need to reselect colours whenever i start a new design. Other great features include the handy video tutorials with sound - these are brilliant for beginners and offer many handy tips! Designs can be viewed as b/w symbols, colour blocks or colour stitches on a wide selection of aida colours, although options for other fabrics are not available.

Pretty good., 03 Jun 2007
Pretty good software - and popular too. A very strong feature is the 100% GEDCOM compatability. I found it slightly difficult to get to its way of organising the data input screens but the tutorials with it are thorough.

A Great Genealogy Program, 21 May 2007
Having tried a few different programs over a period of about 6 years this is undoubtedly the best and most comprehensive that I have used. Not the easiest to understand if you are just begining with genealogy but for a more experienced user I would say it is unrivaled. The way it reads native GEDCOM files is a real boon. Its split tree facility is wonderfull if you just want to extract part of your tree to give to someone else. The ability to just extract a head from a group picture is so usefull.
Great value and thoroughly recommended

Good product, but let down by a poor basic printed manual, 18 Jan 2007
As a novice to family history research I read several reviews of different products vying for this market before I took the plunge and committed myself to a purchase. Calico Pie's 'Family Historian' software came out consistently near or at 'the top of the heap' in most software reviews, and on that basis I decided that it was the one for me to buy. I have found that indeed, it does have many easy-to-use and very useful features. But I feel that it is let down by a very brief printed Introductory User Manual that comes with the software package. While Calico Pie include a more comprehensive manual in Adobe format, I feel that this is a bit penny-pinching of them. I, for one, do not have the inclination nor the time to print off a 200-plus page Comprehensive Manual. I would have been prepared to grit my teeth, unleash my credit card and buy a printed version, but sadly this does not appear to be an option. So, if you do choose this (otherwise very good) product, then if you want to get the most out of it, I would also advise you to purchase several reams of print-off paper, a clip file or ring binder in which to store the resulting output, and some additional ink cartridges for your printer. You might also decide to add some instant coffee to this list while you wait patiently for your printer to chug through the ensuing output!

The best just got better, 05 Jan 2007
Version 3 adds a whole range of powerful features to an already comprehensive program. There is a learning curve for this program especially for computer novices, but the pay off is an exceptionally flexible program allowing customisation of many areas of its output. With the added benefit of an active mailing list and user group forum, new users have a large variety of sources for help. If you want a program just to draw a quick family tree then Family Historian is not for you. If you want a program to document your family history, analyse and extract information and then produce comprehensive reports and charts then Family Historian is for you. If you are not sure then why not download the Demo version from the family-historian.co.uk website and try it out to see if it suits you, first.

A good choice for the UK user, 25 Nov 2006
As a novice I don't ultimately know how my needs will evolve. I tried various demo packages and have opted for this for the following reasons:

1) Written for the UK market
2) Interface allows lots of editing from diagrams
3) Good support from the forum and user community
4) 100% GEDCOM compatible
5) Good tools to link a picture to multiple individuals.

Since buying it I have been impressed with the quality, the free vouchers and an upgrade to 3.1 downloaded fine.

Highly recommended.



It does work with Vista!, 27 May 2008
I run an Online Astronomy Group HantsAstro.org. This product, once updated works fine with Vista Premium. Visually it's not as pretty as Starry Night, but for the price offers telescope control with updated ASCOM drivers and runs an LXD75 telescope fine in our tests. The star catalogs are accurate and the interface, once learnt is quite useful, if a little clunky compared to Starry Night. As planetarium software goes, with introduction presentations to the night sky it does quite well. The 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' intro turns from amusing to a bit tacky after the third time you load it, but thankfully this can be turned off. Being able to generate your own reports for a nights oberving is a useful feature. If you want telescope control, this is a good deal but if you want eye candy too and don't mind paying (much) more, then Starry Night is the way to go...

Redshift 6 premium edition is not Vista compatible!, 13 May 2008
This product was advertised on the Amazon website as compatible with Windows Vista. Having just bought the product, the system requirements printed on the box are as follows: Operating System - Windows ME / 2000 / XP / x64.
No mention of Vista. Therefore I am making the assumption it is not Vista compatible. Amazon would be advised to read what is says on the tin before selling it!

Fun to play and easy to use, 31 Dec 2007
I really enjoyed playing Test and Improve Your Memory. I noticed my ability increasing very quickly at the various puzzles, so regular training probably would be beneficial.

If I had to knock the product down one star, it would be because I found the feedback was insufficiently detailed. For example: "People scored between X and X points, and completed the puzzle between X and X seconds". This could mean that they achieved low or high points within the time allowed. It could also mean that they achieved full marks within a very short or very long time. I would have preferred something that enabled you to calculate a bit more accurately where you stood in terms of percentage of the population.

Good, well designed, fun tests but it helps if you are an American, 25 Nov 2007
I've enjoyed using this product. It has approximately 12 different types of games. Each of which you can set to different skill levels. You can monitor your progresss against others of a similar gender/age/education level and against yourself over time.

I find the user interface (UI) a little basic and, having briefly seen the Nintendo DS, the UI is not as good as that product, in my opinion. However there is of course a huge difference in price (approx £100 if you already have a PC).

The Help functions aren't bad but could be better (mainly more intuitive to use).

My main frustration is that the spellings and references are American, which is not good for me (being English), when doing the games that involve general knowledge or words. I'd like to carry on using this product, as my brain could certainly do with a workout! However, I may have to cut out some of the games, which is a shame.


Mindscapes Brain Trainer or Improve your Memory, 29 Jun 2007
I decided to improve my memory after I began to forget instructions and new job procedures given to me by my boss after a few minutes being distracted by something else in a busy office.

I bought both Mindscapes Brain Trainer (which i found bland and a little unclear in parts) and this.

This package is brilliantly and professionally presented, its all in full screen, full colour, with photographs, animations, music and a code update. The exersizes are fun to do and you can even interact with the examples and instructions.

The package is presented as a globe and you tour the world, doing exersizes in different locations, cultural games and pictures (dont worry, the games are not about the country itself, just set in that location and theme).

It says on the package that it is done by experts, this is not just selling blurb, its been designed really well and gives full instructions and even tells you how to train your mind, how long to spend and asks for your education level which it then matches to the tests it gives you. Regardless of your monitors resolution.. I run in 1280x1024, it fills the screen with full colours, music and animation.

Unfortunately, brain trainer doesnt do any of the above, its just a small box in the middle of your PC screen with 15 blandly presented tests, although it has colours and an annoying humming musical note during the tests. Dont get me wrong, brain trainer is good and does what it says, but thats it, whereas.. this pagage is FUN to play.

Make no mistake though.. this Improve your memory package CAN be very hard and it will really test you, so make sure you answer honestly when it asks you to what level you were educated, because it gets brutal, but its addictive as well because the fun games dont always seem like tests.

All in all a great package. If you want just a straight forward no multimedia designed bland 15 test memory package, buy brain trainer, but if you prefer a more colourful interactive multimedia approach, buy Test and Improve your memory. Its up to you.

Help to improve your memory , 14 Dec 2006
After reading a recent article in my local paper I decided it was about time to try and improve my brain. I didn't want to spend nearly £100 on the Nintendo brain trainer, so I thought that this would be a cheap alternative.

I'm no genius, so I was prepared for a challenge when I got this cd home. I tentatively installed and opened the program and started playing some of the games. After the first few games I realised just how bad my brain was, but after a few more attempts I started to see my progress improve. Now almost a month on, my wife has noticed that I'm not quite as forgetful as I was previously, so now I've got no excuse for forgetting her birthday this year!

EDU EXCEL HOME AND STUDENT

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

A real bargin, 30 Aug 2008
This is a great little piece of kit for the money. It's relatively easy to use (although the lack of written instructions make it a bit daunting to start with), and allows you to create wonderful designs. I've been particularly pleased with its ability to convert pictures, but be warned they can be quite big. I would advise that you buy a shade card as well, from one of the main silk manufactures like DMC, as it allows you check the shade the computer is suggesting against the real thing.

extremely good value for money, 20 Jan 2008
This is a fantastic product. I imagined something extremely basic for the price, so was amazed at the different features available. It is extremely easy to import photo files of various types - within seconds you see them as cross stich patterns, which you can edit (i.e. delete out confusing shadows or undesirable lines). It's also nice starting from scratch with your own pattern. Adding block after block in 99 different colours is a great way to doodle a pattern, and is very addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cross stitch designer program.

Great, 18 Nov 2007
Reasonably easy to use. Has a help section which is helpful. Great way to design your own patterns. xx

Jane Greenoff's Cross Stitch Designer, 28 Aug 2003
Overall this is a great product. It is wonderfully easy to use and offers a great selection of thread manufacturers so that you can plan your designs to include your favourite thread range. One downside, however is that you are unable to personalise your pallette of colours to your favourites, and so I often need to reselect colours whenever i start a new design. Other great features include the handy video tutorials with sound - these are brilliant for beginners and offer many handy tips! Designs can be viewed as b/w symbols, colour blocks or colour stitches on a wide selection of aida colours, although options for other fabrics are not available.

Pretty good., 03 Jun 2007
Pretty good software - and popular too. A very strong feature is the 100% GEDCOM compatability. I found it slightly difficult to get to its way of organising the data input screens but the tutorials with it are thorough.

A Great Genealogy Program, 21 May 2007
Having tried a few different programs over a period of about 6 years this is undoubtedly the best and most comprehensive that I have used. Not the easiest to understand if you are just begining with genealogy but for a more experienced user I would say it is unrivaled. The way it reads native GEDCOM files is a real boon. Its split tree facility is wonderfull if you just want to extract part of your tree to give to someone else. The ability to just extract a head from a group picture is so usefull.
Great value and thoroughly recommended

Good product, but let down by a poor basic printed manual, 18 Jan 2007
As a novice to family history research I read several reviews of different products vying for this market before I took the plunge and committed myself to a purchase. Calico Pie's 'Family Historian' software came out consistently near or at 'the top of the heap' in most software reviews, and on that basis I decided that it was the one for me to buy. I have found that indeed, it does have many easy-to-use and very useful features. But I feel that it is let down by a very brief printed Introductory User Manual that comes with the software package. While Calico Pie include a more comprehensive manual in Adobe format, I feel that this is a bit penny-pinching of them. I, for one, do not have the inclination nor the time to print off a 200-plus page Comprehensive Manual. I would have been prepared to grit my teeth, unleash my credit card and buy a printed version, but sadly this does not appear to be an option. So, if you do choose this (otherwise very good) product, then if you want to get the most out of it, I would also advise you to purchase several reams of print-off paper, a clip file or ring binder in which to store the resulting output, and some additional ink cartridges for your printer. You might also decide to add some instant coffee to this list while you wait patiently for your printer to chug through the ensuing output!

The best just got better, 05 Jan 2007
Version 3 adds a whole range of powerful features to an already comprehensive program. There is a learning curve for this program especially for computer novices, but the pay off is an exceptionally flexible program allowing customisation of many areas of its output. With the added benefit of an active mailing list and user group forum, new users have a large variety of sources for help. If you want a program just to draw a quick family tree then Family Historian is not for you. If you want a program to document your family history, analyse and extract information and then produce comprehensive reports and charts then Family Historian is for you. If you are not sure then why not download the Demo version from the family-historian.co.uk website and try it out to see if it suits you, first.

A good choice for the UK user, 25 Nov 2006
As a novice I don't ultimately know how my needs will evolve. I tried various demo packages and have opted for this for the following reasons:

1) Written for the UK market
2) Interface allows lots of editing from diagrams
3) Good support from the forum and user community
4) 100% GEDCOM compatible
5) Good tools to link a picture to multiple individuals.

Since buying it I have been impressed with the quality, the free vouchers and an upgrade to 3.1 downloaded fine.

Highly recommended.



It does work with Vista!, 27 May 2008
I run an Online Astronomy Group HantsAstro.org. This product, once updated works fine with Vista Premium. Visually it's not as pretty as Starry Night, but for the price offers telescope control with updated ASCOM drivers and runs an LXD75 telescope fine in our tests. The star catalogs are accurate and the interface, once learnt is quite useful, if a little clunky compared to Starry Night. As planetarium software goes, with introduction presentations to the night sky it does quite well. The 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' intro turns from amusing to a bit tacky after the third time you load it, but thankfully this can be turned off. Being able to generate your own reports for a nights oberving is a useful feature. If you want telescope control, this is a good deal but if you want eye candy too and don't mind paying (much) more, then Starry Night is the way to go...

Redshift 6 premium edition is not Vista compatible!, 13 May 2008
This product was advertised on the Amazon website as compatible with Windows Vista. Having just bought the product, the system requirements printed on the box are as follows: Operating System - Windows ME / 2000 / XP / x64.
No mention of Vista. Therefore I am making the assumption it is not Vista compatible. Amazon would be advised to read what is says on the tin before selling it!

Fun to play and easy to use, 31 Dec 2007
I really enjoyed playing Test and Improve Your Memory. I noticed my ability increasing very quickly at the various puzzles, so regular training probably would be beneficial.

If I had to knock the product down one star, it would be because I found the feedback was insufficiently detailed. For example: "People scored between X and X points, and completed the puzzle between X and X seconds". This could mean that they achieved low or high points within the time allowed. It could also mean that they achieved full marks within a very short or very long time. I would have preferred something that enabled you to calculate a bit more accurately where you stood in terms of percentage of the population.

Good, well designed, fun tests but it helps if you are an American, 25 Nov 2007
I've enjoyed using this product. It has approximately 12 different types of games. Each of which you can set to different skill levels. You can monitor your progresss against others of a similar gender/age/education level and against yourself over time.

I find the user interface (UI) a little basic and, having briefly seen the Nintendo DS, the UI is not as good as that product, in my opinion. However there is of course a huge difference in price (approx £100 if you already have a PC).

The Help functions aren't bad but could be better (mainly more intuitive to use).

My main frustration is that the spellings and references are American, which is not good for me (being English), when doing the games that involve general knowledge or words. I'd like to carry on using this product, as my brain could certainly do with a workout! However, I may have to cut out some of the games, which is a shame.


Mindscapes Brain Trainer or Improve your Memory, 29 Jun 2007
I decided to improve my memory after I began to forget instructions and new job procedures given to me by my boss after a few minutes being distracted by something else in a busy office.

I bought both Mindscapes Brain Trainer (which i found bland and a little unclear in parts) and this.

This package is brilliantly and professionally presented, its all in full screen, full colour, with photographs, animations, music and a code update. The exersizes are fun to do and you can even interact with the examples and instructions.

The package is presented as a globe and you tour the world, doing exersizes in different locations, cultural games and pictures (dont worry, the games are not about the country itself, just set in that location and theme).

It says on the package that it is done by experts, this is not just selling blurb, its been designed really well and gives full instructions and even tells you how to train your mind, how long to spend and asks for your education level which it then matches to the tests it gives you. Regardless of your monitors resolution.. I run in 1280x1024, it fills the screen with full colours, music and animation.

Unfortunately, brain trainer doesnt do any of the above, its just a small box in the middle of your PC screen with 15 blandly presented tests, although it has colours and an annoying humming musical note during the tests. Dont get me wrong, brain trainer is good and does what it says, but thats it, whereas.. this pagage is FUN to play.

Make no mistake though.. this Improve your memory package CAN be very hard and it will really test you, so make sure you answer honestly when it asks you to what level you were educated, because it gets brutal, but its addictive as well because the fun games dont always seem like tests.

All in all a great package. If you want just a straight forward no multimedia designed bland 15 test memory package, buy brain trainer, but if you prefer a more colourful interactive multimedia approach, buy Test and Improve your memory. Its up to you.

Help to improve your memory , 14 Dec 2006
After reading a recent article in my local paper I decided it was about time to try and improve my brain. I didn't want to spend nearly £100 on the Nintendo brain trainer, so I thought that this would be a cheap alternative.

I'm no genius, so I was prepared for a challenge when I got this cd home. I tentatively installed and opened the program and started playing some of the games. After the first few games I realised just how bad my brain was, but after a few more attempts I started to see my progress improve. Now almost a month on, my wife has noticed that I'm not quite as forgetful as I was previously, so now I've got no excuse for forgetting her birthday this year!


Excel is good, but for the price you're better off using Open Office, 15 Jun 2007
Why would anyone pay over £170 for a piece of software which does nothing more than Open Office.org does -- and OpenOffice.org is completely free of charge?

Makes learning fun! Great motivator!, 01 Mar 2007
I bought this for my 6 year old daughter to help improve her English and Math skills, and I can't praise this programme enough!

My daughter actually looks forward to playing the games and frequently comes up to me saying "Mummy, can I play Jump Ahead Year 2 now please?" with much enthusiasm. I thought it might be just a fad - like with all toys! But she really does enjoy it. I think its because the math games are challenging and she enjoys the excitement of the "theme" of the game, like jumping over crocodiles to get across a river.

I can tell you one thing, I wish I had something like this when I was little learning maths because it would have made the subject less scary. This actually makes maths look fun and because of the way learning is somewhat 'disguised' children lose the fear that a subject is daunting/difficult.

Kid's can also learn how to construct stories and the mechanics behind types of words like verbs, nouns and adjectives. The CD teaches these in a very clever way by making the definitions into a song. As a parent you'll find not only your child singing along, but YOU too!

There are also non educational benefits to this game. One of which is bonding. I found that whilst playing the games and singing along to songs, me and my daughter also had good quality bonding time, laughing and giggling. This is a great feel good factor, as well as boosting my daughter's moral (she felt she could accomplish acedemic tasks) and my moral (I felt I was spending good quality time with my child and I felt like a good parent because I was helping her learn important skills).

Definately a good buy! And GREAT for bonding with the kids!

excellent jump ahead, 09 Nov 2006
all the jump ahead are brilliant for children. they teach them so much without them even knowingit, and parents can keep up to date with their progress via the progress report.
if you children are 2 upwards buy them all as they finish one stage, get the next stage. if you children are older and you have just discovered the cd roms buy the stage they are at so far, and then continue buying from there. i do not know where i would be without these programmes, it keeps the kids concentrating for hours at a time. and they are learning every single second they are playing on them.

Jump Ahead Year 2 Reading, 14 Feb 2006
It worked. Our son is now keen to learn. Well done.

Fun, fun, fun, 15 Sep 2003
My daughter absolutely loves the games in JA Year 2. She has learnt so much in the space of one weekend! She can be on it all day if I do not stop her. She loves the noun, adjective and verb songs which are crazy but then it serves her memory well simply for that reason. She also loves the maths football pitch game, the "variable" stories she can write and many more! Her only complaint is this - she and ALL her friends could not figure out the Ice Cave maths game. The instructions were very unclear to me, too! Can anyone out there who has bought this CD-Rom help!!!

Jump Ahead Year 2, 03 Feb 2003
I am twelve years old now, and have had this programme since I was eight and (even now) I still enjoy it. I love the many things for you to do and the way you can build up points on every activity you do. Every 100 points you get (each activity, depending how hard it is, wil give you from 2-15 points) you get a stamp from the Post Office in the game and build up your collection. I love the way it has been designed in a school. There is a clubhouse (which you get to by climbing the tree or using the secret lift), a classroom, and then many floors below. The graphics are all really good, and fun. In the classroom for instance, you get to write stories and see animated songs about grammar, and when you click on different items in the classroom, they animate. The songs about the grammar don't sound that interesting do they? Think again. They are funny and catchy and... I'm quite embarrassed to admit this (but it's the truth)...that listening and watching these songs completly made me learn what a noun, a verb and an adjective are!!!!! You go around freely, with our friends CJ (a large friendly frog) and Newton (a funny firefly). The activities go from Maths, to English, to matching pairs, to listening to songs...to jumping logs and crocs, shooting at aliens from Mars and even playing football!!!! You won't even notice you are learning some key lessons in life, as well as having great fun, and I really recommend this CD ROM to any child from the age of 6 to 10, as you can adjust the levels of the games so it's never to easy! So my advice is...go out there and buy it!!!
by Rachel James

A real bargin, 30 Aug 2008
This is a great little piece of kit for the money. It's relatively easy to use (although the lack of written instructions make it a bit daunting to start with), and allows you to create wonderful designs. I've been particularly pleased with its ability to convert pictures, but be warned they can be quite big. I would advise that you buy a shade card as well, from one of the main silk manufactures like DMC, as it allows you check the shade the computer is suggesting against the real thing.

extremely good value for money, 20 Jan 2008
This is a fantastic product. I imagined something extremely basic for the price, so was amazed at the different features available. It is extremely easy to import photo files of various types - within seconds you see them as cross stich patterns, which you can edit (i.e. delete out confusing shadows or undesirable lines). It's also nice starting from scratch with your own pattern. Adding block after block in 99 different colours is a great way to doodle a pattern, and is very addictive.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cross stitch designer program.

Great, 18 Nov 2007
Reasonably easy to use. Has a help section which is helpful. Great way to design your own patterns. xx

Jane Greenoff's Cross Stitch Designer, 28 Aug 2003
Overall this is a great product. It is wonderfully easy to use and offers a great selection of thread manufacturers so that you can plan your designs to include your favourite thread range. One downside, however is that you are unable to personalise your pallette of colours to your favourites, and so I often need to reselect colours whenever i start a new design. Other great features include the handy video tutorials with sound - these are brilliant for beginners and offer many handy tips! Designs can be viewed as b/w symbols, colour blocks or colour stitches on a wide selection of aida colours, although options for other fabrics are not available.

Pretty good., 03 Jun 2007
Pretty good software - and popular too. A very strong feature is the 100% GEDCOM compatability. I found it slightly difficult to get to its way of organising the data input screens but the tutorials with it are thorough.

A Great Genealogy Program, 21 May 2007
Having tried a few different programs over a period of about 6 years this is undoubtedly the best and most comprehensive that I have used. Not the easiest to understand if you are just begining with genealogy but for a more experienced user I would say it is unrivaled. The way it reads native GEDCOM files is a real boon. Its split tree facility is wonderfull if you just want to extract part of your tree to give to someone else. The ability to just extract a head from a group picture is so usefull.
Great value and thoroughly recommended

Good product, but let down by a poor basic printed manual, 18 Jan 2007
As a novice to family history research I read several reviews of different products vying for this market before I took the plunge and committed myself to a purchase. Calico Pie's 'Family Historian' software came out consistently near or at 'the top of the heap' in most software reviews, and on that basis I decided that it was the one for me to buy. I have found that indeed, it does have many easy-to-use and very useful features. But I feel that it is let down by a very brief printed Introductory User Manual that comes with the software package. While Calico Pie include a more comprehensive manual in Adobe format, I feel that this is a bit penny-pinching of them. I, for one, do not have the inclination nor the time to print off a 200-plus page Comprehensive Manual. I would have been prepared to grit my teeth, unleash my credit card and buy a printed version, but sadly this does not appear to be an option. So, if you do choose this (otherwise very good) product, then if you want to get the most out of it, I would also advise you to purchase several reams of print-off paper, a clip file or ring binder in which to store the resulting output, and some additional ink cartridges for your printer. You might also decide to add some instant coffee to this list while you wait patiently for your printer to chug through the ensuing output!

The best just got better, 05 Jan 2007
Version 3 adds a whole range of powerful features to an already comprehensive program. There is a learning curve for this program especially for computer novices, but the pay off is an exceptionally flexible program allowing customisation of many areas of its output. With the added benefit of an active mailing list and user group forum, new users have a large variety of sources for help. If you want a program just to draw a quick family tree then Family Historian is not for you. If you want a program to document your family history, analyse and extract information and then produce comprehensive reports and charts then Family Historian is for you. If you are not sure then why not download the Demo version from the family-historian.co.uk website and try it out to see if it suits you, first.

A good choice for the UK user, 25 Nov 2006
As a novice I don't ultimately know how my needs will evolve. I tried various demo packages and have opted for this for the following reasons:

1) Written for the UK market
2) Interface allows lots of editing from diagrams
3) Good support from the forum and user community
4) 100% GEDCOM compatible
5) Good tools to link a picture to multiple individuals.

Since buying it I have been impressed with the quality, the free vouchers and an upgrade to 3.1 downloaded fine.

Highly recommended.



It does work with Vista!, 27 May 2008
I run an Online Astronomy Group HantsAstro.org. This product, once updated works fine with Vista Premium. Visually it's not as pretty as Starry Night, but for the price offers telescope control with updated ASCOM drivers and runs an LXD75 telescope fine in our tests. The star catalogs are accurate and the interface, once learnt is quite useful, if a little clunky compared to Starry Night. As planetarium software goes, with introduction presentations to the night sky it does quite well. The 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' intro turns from amusing to a bit tacky after the third time you load it, but thankfully this can be turned off. Being able to generate your own reports for a nights oberving is a useful feature. If you want telescope control, this is a good deal but if you want eye candy too and don't mind paying (much) more, then Starry Night is the way to go...

Redshift 6 premium edition is not Vista compatible!, 13 May 2008
This product was advertised on the Amazon website as compatible with Windows Vista. Having just bought the product, the system requirements printed on the box are as follows: Operating System - Windows ME / 2000 / XP / x64.
No mention of Vista. Therefore I am making the assumption it is not Vista compatible. Amazon would be advised to read what is says on the tin before selling it!

Fun to play and easy to use, 31 Dec 2007
I really enjoyed playing Test and Improve Your Memory. I noticed my ability increasing very quickly at the various puzzles, so regular training probably would be beneficial.

If I had to knock the product down one star, it would be because I found the feedback was insufficiently detailed. For example: "People scored between X and X points, and completed the puzzle between X and X seconds". This could mean that they achieved low or high points within the time allowed. It could also mean that they achieved full marks within a very short or very long time. I would have preferred something that enabled you to calculate a bit more accurately where you stood in terms of percentage of the population.

Good, well designed, fun tests but it helps if you are an American, 25 Nov 2007
I've enjoyed using this product. It has approximately 12 different types of games. Each of which you can set to different skill levels. You can monitor your progresss against others of a similar gender/age/education level and against yourself over time.

I find the user interface (UI) a little basic and, having briefly seen the Nintendo DS, the UI is not as good as that product, in my opinion. However there is of course a huge difference in price (approx £100 if you already have a PC).

The Help functions aren't bad but could be better (mainly more intuitive to use).

My main frustration is that the spellings and references are American, which is not good for me (being English), when doing the games that involve general knowledge or words. I'd like to carry on using this product, as my brain could certainly do with a workout! However, I may have to cut out some of the games, which is a shame.


Mindscapes Brain Trainer or Improve your Memory, 29 Jun 2007
I decided to improve my memory after I began to forget instructions and new job procedures given to me by my boss after a few minutes being distracted by something else in a busy office.

I bought both Mindscapes Brain Trainer (which i found bland and a little unclear in parts) and this.

This package is brilliantly and professionally presented, its all in full screen, full colour, with photographs, animations, music and a code update. The exersizes are fun to do and you can even interact with the examples and instructions.

The package is presented as a globe and you tour the world, doing exersizes in different locations, cultural games and pictures (dont worry, the games are not about the country itself, just set in that location and theme).

It says on the package that it is done by experts, this is not just selling blurb, its been designed really well and gives full instructions and even tells you how to train your mind, how long to spend and asks for your education level which it then matches to the tests it gives you. Regardless of your monitors resolution.. I run in 1280x1024, it fills the screen with full colours, music and animation.

Unfortunately, brain trainer doesnt do any of the