Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Great value, 04 Jan 2006
I bought this software because I wanted to try writing a novel and because it was cheap. I didn't expect much at the price but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I can now keep all my notes neatly organised. The editor is basic but it works well and doesn't distract me. I like how easily I can convert my story into a formatted manuscript. This is very simple. I also like the ideas generator - it's helped me a few times when I'm stuck.

It was good but a bit unorgenised (Dutch), 11 May 2005
It looks like a good and learnfull book, I can't wait to start with it...after that I want to write with the Pro version

great place to start......., 09 May 2005
I chose to purchase this standard version instead of the professional mainly because of the price, and i thought it would be a great place to start, i think it is for the price, i have many books on how to write a novel, how to create scenes, characters etc, so all i really wanted is a tidy software package to put all my ideas into, this standard version gives you chapter, notes, event etc sections to write down your ideas, relationship charts for characters, timeline chart to make sure you get the right order of events which is really benifical so you chose the year your story starts and finishes, time of day each scene starts and finishes, it has a generate names section, 25,000 first names and surnames. Each chapter you write is done separately, so you can work on chapter 5 first if you want to.
A great place to start.

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Great value, 04 Jan 2006
I bought this software because I wanted to try writing a novel and because it was cheap. I didn't expect much at the price but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I can now keep all my notes neatly organised. The editor is basic but it works well and doesn't distract me. I like how easily I can convert my story into a formatted manuscript. This is very simple. I also like the ideas generator - it's helped me a few times when I'm stuck.

It was good but a bit unorgenised (Dutch), 11 May 2005
It looks like a good and learnfull book, I can't wait to start with it...after that I want to write with the Pro version

great place to start......., 09 May 2005
I chose to purchase this standard version instead of the professional mainly because of the price, and i thought it would be a great place to start, i think it is for the price, i have many books on how to write a novel, how to create scenes, characters etc, so all i really wanted is a tidy software package to put all my ideas into, this standard version gives you chapter, notes, event etc sections to write down your ideas, relationship charts for characters, timeline chart to make sure you get the right order of events which is really benifical so you chose the year your story starts and finishes, time of day each scene starts and finishes, it has a generate names section, 25,000 first names and surnames. Each chapter you write is done separately, so you can work on chapter 5 first if you want to.
A great place to start.

Not as easy as it says, 07 Mar 2007
I know this is an inexpensive product, so I wasn't expecting top of the line. The instructions, however, are not very helpful. I bought the product to make a will for both my husband and myself. I was very pleased wih the actual documents, they do just about what I wanted them to do. However, even though the instructions say that I can "save as," so that I can save two separate documents, this is not the case. What actually has to happen is that I have to export each document to my word processor, then start over in Will Maker if I have any changes to make. Quite clumsy, really.

However--in the end, it does what it says it does, the forms are good, and the price is right.

Produce 'paintings' from ordinary snapshots in minutes - in any style from abstract to impressionist, in media from charcoal to oils. So easy that anyone from 8 - 80 can use it, even the artistically challenged. The results really are remarkable and all you need is digital photo (or a scanner) and an ordinary colour printer. Frame your prints and you'll have instant gifts for friends and family. The 'Classic' edition creates 47 different pictures variants, while the deluxe 'Silver' edition creates 160 variants.

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Great value, 04 Jan 2006
I bought this software because I wanted to try writing a novel and because it was cheap. I didn't expect much at the price but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I can now keep all my notes neatly organised. The editor is basic but it works well and doesn't distract me. I like how easily I can convert my story into a formatted manuscript. This is very simple. I also like the ideas generator - it's helped me a few times when I'm stuck.

It was good but a bit unorgenised (Dutch), 11 May 2005
It looks like a good and learnfull book, I can't wait to start with it...after that I want to write with the Pro version

great place to start......., 09 May 2005
I chose to purchase this standard version instead of the professional mainly because of the price, and i thought it would be a great place to start, i think it is for the price, i have many books on how to write a novel, how to create scenes, characters etc, so all i really wanted is a tidy software package to put all my ideas into, this standard version gives you chapter, notes, event etc sections to write down your ideas, relationship charts for characters, timeline chart to make sure you get the right order of events which is really benifical so you chose the year your story starts and finishes, time of day each scene starts and finishes, it has a generate names section, 25,000 first names and surnames. Each chapter you write is done separately, so you can work on chapter 5 first if you want to.
A great place to start.

Not as easy as it says, 07 Mar 2007
I know this is an inexpensive product, so I wasn't expecting top of the line. The instructions, however, are not very helpful. I bought the product to make a will for both my husband and myself. I was very pleased wih the actual documents, they do just about what I wanted them to do. However, even though the instructions say that I can "save as," so that I can save two separate documents, this is not the case. What actually has to happen is that I have to export each document to my word processor, then start over in Will Maker if I have any changes to make. Quite clumsy, really.

However--in the end, it does what it says it does, the forms are good, and the price is right.

If only it worked with Vista!, 27 Jun 2008
This really was a brilliant program, and I have many enhanced pictures on disk to prove it. Sadly, having now progressed(?) to Vista I am unable to use it, and the company has disappeared so no fixes. A sad loss!

photo art, 30 Dec 2005
brilliant bit of software it makes some great art work with your standard photo, well worth the money buy it, it's a must !!

Oil paintings fron digital photo's, 28 Jun 2005
Having read the review in "digital photo art" which ran to three pages, where they thourghly recommended this product, I was not disappointed when the product arrived and I'd installed it. Very clever piece of software allows you to take a digital image and then transform it into a watrecolour, oil painting or a variety of other styles. Take a little time to get used to this and it will be very rewarding.
Very good, glad I bought it, I can thourghly recommend.

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Great value, 04 Jan 2006
I bought this software because I wanted to try writing a novel and because it was cheap. I didn't expect much at the price but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I can now keep all my notes neatly organised. The editor is basic but it works well and doesn't distract me. I like how easily I can convert my story into a formatted manuscript. This is very simple. I also like the ideas generator - it's helped me a few times when I'm stuck.

It was good but a bit unorgenised (Dutch), 11 May 2005
It looks like a good and learnfull book, I can't wait to start with it...after that I want to write with the Pro version

great place to start......., 09 May 2005
I chose to purchase this standard version instead of the professional mainly because of the price, and i thought it would be a great place to start, i think it is for the price, i have many books on how to write a novel, how to create scenes, characters etc, so all i really wanted is a tidy software package to put all my ideas into, this standard version gives you chapter, notes, event etc sections to write down your ideas, relationship charts for characters, timeline chart to make sure you get the right order of events which is really benifical so you chose the year your story starts and finishes, time of day each scene starts and finishes, it has a generate names section, 25,000 first names and surnames. Each chapter you write is done separately, so you can work on chapter 5 first if you want to.
A great place to start.

Not as easy as it says, 07 Mar 2007
I know this is an inexpensive product, so I wasn't expecting top of the line. The instructions, however, are not very helpful. I bought the product to make a will for both my husband and myself. I was very pleased wih the actual documents, they do just about what I wanted them to do. However, even though the instructions say that I can "save as," so that I can save two separate documents, this is not the case. What actually has to happen is that I have to export each document to my word processor, then start over in Will Maker if I have any changes to make. Quite clumsy, really.

However--in the end, it does what it says it does, the forms are good, and the price is right.

If only it worked with Vista!, 27 Jun 2008
This really was a brilliant program, and I have many enhanced pictures on disk to prove it. Sadly, having now progressed(?) to Vista I am unable to use it, and the company has disappeared so no fixes. A sad loss!

photo art, 30 Dec 2005
brilliant bit of software it makes some great art work with your standard photo, well worth the money buy it, it's a must !!

Oil paintings fron digital photo's, 28 Jun 2005
Having read the review in "digital photo art" which ran to three pages, where they thourghly recommended this product, I was not disappointed when the product arrived and I'd installed it. Very clever piece of software allows you to take a digital image and then transform it into a watrecolour, oil painting or a variety of other styles. Take a little time to get used to this and it will be very rewarding.
Very good, glad I bought it, I can thourghly recommend.

A NIGHTMARE TO USE-RUBBISH - RUBBISH - RUBBISH!, 07 Nov 2007
I had nothing but trouble and hassle with this program. It wouldn't save then saved additional programmes and left lots of icons on the desk top. It won't save the whole programme, standalone, so I was forced to save every few lines I wrote, then those lines disappeared plus many other issues to bothersome to note, i've had it with this piece of rubbish! even the huge, wide box hides a tiny, single CD that I guess is designed to make it look more expensive. SHOULD BE £5.99 - NOT £29.99 - RUBBISH!

Not for everyone, 17 Mar 2007
I personally swear by this program. I use it to write my novels and have had no problems with it. However if you find a standard word processors OK then this program isn't for you. However if like me, you find standard wordprocessors useless for writing then you might like to give it a go.

Really, don't bother., 07 Feb 2007
This is a truly awful piece of software. Whilst it may well be useful to be able to organise ideas for writing into subsections regarding character, event, location etc. etc.; it is simply ABOMINABLE that you can lose hours of irretrievable creative work at the click of a mouse. I was lucky that I had the foresight to mess around with it a little before putting in any serious work. Every time I switched tabs to differing sections of information I had entered another piece of said information would just disappear. This one simple bug makes the package completely unusable unless you are prepared to save every tiny detail you enter bit by bit - we're talking sentences here. I was also annoyed that GSP saw fit to package the program in a large box (presumably in an effort to make it look professional) which contained one CD and no printed manual. I can't explain my frustration and disappointment enough. The features SEEM useful but the information loss just destroys the program completely. This product should be removed from sale period.

Would be lovely if it were somewhat better., 17 Nov 2005
The only problem with this software is that it could be better. If GSP created some 'add-on' downloads for users it would be lovely. This is a fun bit of software to work with and more 'clean-cut' than a lot of writers' software out there. Let me put one thing straight to begin with - this software does not teach you to write; neither will it help you write your novel as far as the process of writing itself goes. What it does is help you organise.

I have three main issues with it. The Submission tracker is great but is linked to the story - it would have been brilliant if it also had the option just to work as a tracker independently so you didn't have to open the story to work with the tracker.

This software could seriously do with a Grammar checker. It has spelling and thesaurus and the readability check will give you a word count but usually the most basic word processor comes with some sort of grammar checker included now and considering the price you feel cheated that one isn't included. On a side note regarding the price, having used the professional version I cannot imagine what good the standard would be despite the cheaper £ tag.

You can write into it no problem and export into an rtf file that any other software can open. The trouble with this is that it uses plain punctuation eg: straight 'quotes'. This is all very well but most word processing software types with curly quotes and the option to use the better format of punctuation would be nice as most WP software doesn't give you the option to then change it unless you want to plough manually through the document. It also exports in what they call a submission layout. Though close, the layout isn't perfect and not exactly what every publisher wants. The really annoying thing about this though is if you've done a couple of returns to indicate a paragraph the software changes this into double line spacing as well so each paragraph is exported with GREAT gaps in between. For it to work correctly you have to get used to typing all the lines right under each other and relying on the software to convert it for you.

The 'help' is about as helpful as any software - in other words you learn how to use by fiddling about most of the time and by looking at the example. Still, it's pleasant to work with - but a heads up to the designers - some add-on's would be great!

excellent tool for real writers, 30 Jul 2005
This software is NOT for the writer who needs to be led by the nose through a formula for designing a piece of fiction; it won't provide you with a bunch of formulas or standard plots like so many of the other writer's software packages do. It's not intended to be a coach or trainer. This program is designed for the actual writing and for keeping all your notes, ideas, etc., in one place. This is a great convenience.

The outliner is very good both for checking sequence of events and chapters, as well as for navigation.

The links are very useful.

The interface is plain and pleasing without any flashiness. Programs like this don't need flash.

Programs like this also don't need all the bells and whistles of a "real" word processor, and this program doesn't have them. It's about writing, not playing with formatting toys and other fluff.

I've been using this software in various versions for about 2 years--it suits my way of working better than any other (and I've tried many). There are parts that I don't use, or don't use much, but that's standard with most software of any type--ignore the bits you don't need.

Over all, this is an excellent tool at a reasonable price.

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Great value, 04 Jan 2006
I bought this software because I wanted to try writing a novel and because it was cheap. I didn't expect much at the price but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I can now keep all my notes neatly organised. The editor is basic but it works well and doesn't distract me. I like how easily I can convert my story into a formatted manuscript. This is very simple. I also like the ideas generator - it's helped me a few times when I'm stuck.

It was good but a bit unorgenised (Dutch), 11 May 2005
It looks like a good and learnfull book, I can't wait to start with it...after that I want to write with the Pro version

great place to start......., 09 May 2005
I chose to purchase this standard version instead of the professional mainly because of the price, and i thought it would be a great place to start, i think it is for the price, i have many books on how to write a novel, how to create scenes, characters etc, so all i really wanted is a tidy software package to put all my ideas into, this standard version gives you chapter, notes, event etc sections to write down your ideas, relationship charts for characters, timeline chart to make sure you get the right order of events which is really benifical so you chose the year your story starts and finishes, time of day each scene starts and finishes, it has a generate names section, 25,000 first names and surnames. Each chapter you write is done separately, so you can work on chapter 5 first if you want to.
A great place to start.

Not as easy as it says, 07 Mar 2007
I know this is an inexpensive product, so I wasn't expecting top of the line. The instructions, however, are not very helpful. I bought the product to make a will for both my husband and myself. I was very pleased wih the actual documents, they do just about what I wanted them to do. However, even though the instructions say that I can "save as," so that I can save two separate documents, this is not the case. What actually has to happen is that I have to export each document to my word processor, then start over in Will Maker if I have any changes to make. Quite clumsy, really.

However--in the end, it does what it says it does, the forms are good, and the price is right.

If only it worked with Vista!, 27 Jun 2008
This really was a brilliant program, and I have many enhanced pictures on disk to prove it. Sadly, having now progressed(?) to Vista I am unable to use it, and the company has disappeared so no fixes. A sad loss!

photo art, 30 Dec 2005
brilliant bit of software it makes some great art work with your standard photo, well worth the money buy it, it's a must !!

Oil paintings fron digital photo's, 28 Jun 2005
Having read the review in "digital photo art" which ran to three pages, where they thourghly recommended this product, I was not disappointed when the product arrived and I'd installed it. Very clever piece of software allows you to take a digital image and then transform it into a watrecolour, oil painting or a variety of other styles. Take a little time to get used to this and it will be very rewarding.
Very good, glad I bought it, I can thourghly recommend.

A NIGHTMARE TO USE-RUBBISH - RUBBISH - RUBBISH!, 07 Nov 2007
I had nothing but trouble and hassle with this program. It wouldn't save then saved additional programmes and left lots of icons on the desk top. It won't save the whole programme, standalone, so I was forced to save every few lines I wrote, then those lines disappeared plus many other issues to bothersome to note, i've had it with this piece of rubbish! even the huge, wide box hides a tiny, single CD that I guess is designed to make it look more expensive. SHOULD BE £5.99 - NOT £29.99 - RUBBISH!

Not for everyone, 17 Mar 2007
I personally swear by this program. I use it to write my novels and have had no problems with it. However if you find a standard word processors OK then this program isn't for you. However if like me, you find standard wordprocessors useless for writing then you might like to give it a go.

Really, don't bother., 07 Feb 2007
This is a truly awful piece of software. Whilst it may well be useful to be able to organise ideas for writing into subsections regarding character, event, location etc. etc.; it is simply ABOMINABLE that you can lose hours of irretrievable creative work at the click of a mouse. I was lucky that I had the foresight to mess around with it a little before putting in any serious work. Every time I switched tabs to differing sections of information I had entered another piece of said information would just disappear. This one simple bug makes the package completely unusable unless you are prepared to save every tiny detail you enter bit by bit - we're talking sentences here. I was also annoyed that GSP saw fit to package the program in a large box (presumably in an effort to make it look professional) which contained one CD and no printed manual. I can't explain my frustration and disappointment enough. The features SEEM useful but the information loss just destroys the program completely. This product should be removed from sale period.

Would be lovely if it were somewhat better., 17 Nov 2005
The only problem with this software is that it could be better. If GSP created some 'add-on' downloads for users it would be lovely. This is a fun bit of software to work with and more 'clean-cut' than a lot of writers' software out there. Let me put one thing straight to begin with - this software does not teach you to write; neither will it help you write your novel as far as the process of writing itself goes. What it does is help you organise.

I have three main issues with it. The Submission tracker is great but is linked to the story - it would have been brilliant if it also had the option just to work as a tracker independently so you didn't have to open the story to work with the tracker.

This software could seriously do with a Grammar checker. It has spelling and thesaurus and the readability check will give you a word count but usually the most basic word processor comes with some sort of grammar checker included now and considering the price you feel cheated that one isn't included. On a side note regarding the price, having used the professional version I cannot imagine what good the standard would be despite the cheaper £ tag.

You can write into it no problem and export into an rtf file that any other software can open. The trouble with this is that it uses plain punctuation eg: straight 'quotes'. This is all very well but most word processing software types with curly quotes and the option to use the better format of punctuation would be nice as most WP software doesn't give you the option to then change it unless you want to plough manually through the document. It also exports in what they call a submission layout. Though close, the layout isn't perfect and not exactly what every publisher wants. The really annoying thing about this though is if you've done a couple of returns to indicate a paragraph the software changes this into double line spacing as well so each paragraph is exported with GREAT gaps in between. For it to work correctly you have to get used to typing all the lines right under each other and relying on the software to convert it for you.

The 'help' is about as helpful as any software - in other words you learn how to use by fiddling about most of the time and by looking at the example. Still, it's pleasant to work with - but a heads up to the designers - some add-on's would be great!

excellent tool for real writers, 30 Jul 2005
This software is NOT for the writer who needs to be led by the nose through a formula for designing a piece of fiction; it won't provide you with a bunch of formulas or standard plots like so many of the other writer's software packages do. It's not intended to be a coach or trainer. This program is designed for the actual writing and for keeping all your notes, ideas, etc., in one place. This is a great convenience.

The outliner is very good both for checking sequence of events and chapters, as well as for navigation.

The links are very useful.

The interface is plain and pleasing without any flashiness. Programs like this don't need flash.

Programs like this also don't need all the bells and whistles of a "real" word processor, and this program doesn't have them. It's about writing, not playing with formatting toys and other fluff.

I've been using this software in various versions for about 2 years--it suits my way of working better than any other (and I've tried many). There are parts that I don't use, or don't use much, but that's standard with most software of any type--ignore the bits you don't need.

Over all, this is an excellent tool at a reasonable price.

Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware), 04 Oct 2007
Having bought the Mavis Beacon typing tutor I thought I was on to a good thing here as the teaching style of that piece of software is excellent, with LOTS of interactive exercises which reinforce the learning material. BTW, the ONLY reference to Mavis Beacon I have seen so far in this product is her picture on the outside of the box. Everything including the help file is labelled 'all in one office training', which is fine but in my view misrepresentation.

On my machine, P4 with win XP & 1GB ram, a reasonable box, selecting ANY of the exams produced 'Please wait, exam loading', still like that after half an hour. Contacted customer support after searching the faq page on the web site for the product, which had one entry, and although they were quick to respond, their complex solution did not solve the problem.

I based my purchase on the Mavis Beacon name and the single 5 star review listed here. After purchase, I checked other reviews made by the same reviewer. Only GSP software (the publishers of this product) and all reviews have 5 stars, my my. I will be interested to see if this review makes it into the lineup and I will be carrying out a bit more research on my software purchases in future.

Excellent software, 04 Apr 2007
This interactive learning software is better than any other "learn Microsoft Office" title I've tried.

This is the most non-intimidating interactive learning software ever. You go step by step from the absolute beginning to the more advanced techniques. Main menu navigation allows you to skip what you may already know, enabling you to zero in on what you may want to work on at the moment.

You are not only shown what you want to know, but then must do it yourself. NOTE: you DO NOT need to have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. All the interactivity exists in the program.

Constant exercises, end of chapter reviews, and chapter quizzes make this a great way to learn Microsoft Office anytime and anywhere. I strongly recommend this to any serious learner.

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Very useful piece of software for the price, 03 Apr 2006
I was very impressed with this software as I had ideas for novels but just didn't seem to know where to start. The program helps you divide the novel writing into sections, allowing you to develop your characters, plan out all the important events and then finally write all the chapters. It's an excellent way of keeping track of the storyline and the characters without having to re-read what you have written several times.

The ability to generate names, characters and ideas is also particularly useful, although only if you are writing a contemporary novel as all the ideas and names are modern. The program does let you quite easily insert your own names and ideas though. For instance the Standard edition only comes with British and American names but you can quite easily get a list of French names and add a French name section to the program and paste the names in.

The notes section is also particularly useful for storing all of your research, the only downside is that you can't insert pictures or even link to them.

This program also helps put writing a novel into perspective, its no easy task by any means and is going to take a lot of time and hard work. Simply creating the characters, their relationships, the locations and the major events in the story can take a very long time and then you have to start writing the novel!

Great value, 04 Jan 2006
I bought this software because I wanted to try writing a novel and because it was cheap. I didn't expect much at the price but I've been pleasantly surprised.

I can now keep all my notes neatly organised. The editor is basic but it works well and doesn't distract me. I like how easily I can convert my story into a formatted manuscript. This is very simple. I also like the ideas generator - it's helped me a few times when I'm stuck.

It was good but a bit unorgenised (Dutch), 11 May 2005
It looks like a good and learnfull book, I can't wait to start with it...after that I want to write with the Pro version

great place to start......., 09 May 2005
I chose to purchase this standard version instead of the professional mainly because of the price, and i thought it would be a great place to start, i think it is for the price, i have many books on how to write a novel, how to create scenes, characters etc, so all i really wanted is a tidy software package to put all my ideas into, this standard version gives you chapter, notes, event etc sections to write down your ideas, relationship charts for characters, timeline chart to make sure you get the right order of events which is really benifical so you chose the year your story starts and finishes, time of day each scene starts and finishes, it has a generate names section, 25,000 first names and surnames. Each chapter you write is done separately, so you can work on chapter 5 first if you want to.
A great place to start.

Not as easy as it says, 07 Mar 2007
I know this is an inexpensive product, so I wasn't expecting top of the line. The instructions, however, are not very helpful. I bought the product to make a will for both my husband and myself. I was very pleased wih the actual documents, they do just about what I wanted them to do. However, even though the instructions say that I can "save as," so that I can save two separate documents, this is not the case. What actually has to happen is that I have to export each document to my word processor, then start over in Will Maker if I have any changes to make. Quite clumsy, really.

However--in the end, it does what it says it does, the forms are good, and the price is right.

If only it worked with Vista!, 27 Jun 2008
This really was a brilliant program, and I have many enhanced pictures on disk to prove it. Sadly, having now progressed(?) to Vista I am unable to use it, and the company has disappeared so no fixes. A sad loss!

photo art, 30 Dec 2005
brilliant bit of software it makes some great art work with your standard photo, well worth the money buy it, it's a must !!

Oil paintings fron digital photo's, 28 Jun 2005
Having read the review in "digital photo art" which ran to three pages, where they thourghly recommended this product, I was not disappointed when the product arrived and I'd installed it. Very clever piece of software allows you to take a digital image and then transform it into a watrecolour, oil painting or a variety of other styles. Take a little time to get used to this and it will be very rewarding.
Very good, glad I bought it, I can thourghly recommend.

A NIGHTMARE TO USE-RUBBISH - RUBBISH - RUBBISH!, 07 Nov 2007
I had nothing but trouble and hassle with this program. It wouldn't save then saved additional programmes and left lots of icons on the desk top. It won't save the whole programme, standalone, so I was forced to save every few lines I wrote, then those lines disappeared plus many other issues to bothersome to note, i've had it with this piece of rubbish! even the huge, wide box hides a tiny, single CD that I guess is designed to make it look more expensive. SHOULD BE £5.99 - NOT £29.99 - RUBBISH!

Not for everyone, 17 Mar 2007
I personally swear by this program. I use it to write my novels and have had no problems with it. However if you find a standard word processors OK then this program isn't for you. However if like me, you find standard wordprocessors useless for writing then you might like to give it a go.

Really, don't bother., 07 Feb 2007
This is a truly awful piece of software. Whilst it may well be useful to be able to organise ideas for writing into subsections regarding character, event, location etc. etc.; it is simply ABOMINABLE that you can lose hours of irretrievable creative work at the click of a mouse. I was lucky that I had the foresight to mess around with it a little before putting in any serious work. Every time I switched tabs to differing sections of information I had entered another piece of said information would just disappear. This one simple bug makes the package completely unusable unless you are prepared to save every tiny detail you enter bit by bit - we're talking sentences here. I was also annoyed that GSP saw fit to package the program in a large box (presumably in an effort to make it look professional) which contained one CD and no printed manual. I can't explain my frustration and disappointment enough. The features SEEM useful but the information loss just destroys the program completely. This product should be removed from sale period.

Would be lovely if it were somewhat better., 17 Nov 2005
The only problem with this software is that it could be better. If GSP created some 'add-on' downloads for users it would be lovely. This is a fun bit of software to work with and more 'clean-cut' than a lot of writers' software out there. Let me put one thing straight to begin with - this software does not teach you to write; neither will it help you write your novel as far as the process of writing itself goes. What it does is help you organise.

I have three main issues with it. The Submission tracker is great but is linked to the story - it would have been brilliant if it also had the option just to work as a tracker independently so you didn't have to open the story to work with the tracker.

This software could seriously do with a Grammar checker. It has spelling and thesaurus and the readability check will give you a word count but usually the most basic word processor comes with some sort of grammar checker included now and considering the price you feel cheated that one isn't included. On a side note regarding the price, having used the professional version I cannot imagine what good the standard would be despite the cheaper £ tag.

You can write into it no problem and export into an rtf file that any other software can open. The trouble with this is that it uses plain punctuation eg: straight 'quotes'. This is all very well but most word processing software types with curly quotes and the option to use the better format of punctuation would be nice as most WP software doesn't give you the option to then change it unless you want to plough manually through the document. It also exports in what they call a submission layout. Though close, the layout isn't perfect and not exactly what every publisher wants. The really annoying thing about this though is if you've done a couple of returns to indicate a paragraph the software changes this into double line spacing as well so each paragraph is exported with GREAT gaps in between. For it to work correctly you have to get used to typing all the lines right under each other and relying on the software to convert it for you.

The 'help' is about as helpful as any software - in other words you learn how to use by fiddling about most of the time and by looking at the example. Still, it's pleasant to work with - but a heads up to the designers - some add-on's would be great!

excellent tool for real writers, 30 Jul 2005
This software is NOT for the writer who needs to be led by the nose through a formula for designing a piece of fiction; it won't provide you with a bunch of formulas or standard plots like so many of the other writer's software packages do. It's not intended to be a coach or trainer. This program is designed for the actual writing and for keeping all your notes, ideas, etc., in one place. This is a great convenience.

The outliner is very good both for checking sequence of events and chapters, as well as for navigation.

The links are very useful.

The interface is plain and pleasing without any flashiness. Programs like this don't need flash.

Programs like this also don't need all the bells and whistles of a "real" word processor, and this program doesn't have them. It's about writing, not playing with formatting toys and other fluff.

I've been using this software in various versions for about 2 years--it suits my way of working better than any other (and I've tried many). There are parts that I don't use, or don't use much, but that's standard with most software of any type--ignore the bits you don't need.

Over all, this is an excellent tool at a reasonable price.

Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware), 04 Oct 2007
Having bought the Mavis Beacon typing tutor I thought I was on to a good thing here as the teaching style of that piece of software is excellent, with LOTS of interactive exercises which reinforce the learning material. BTW, the ONLY reference to Mavis Beacon I have seen so far in this product is her picture on the outside of the box. Everything including the help file is labelled 'all in one office training', which is fine but in my view misrepresentation.

On my machine, P4 with win XP & 1GB ram, a reasonable box, selecting ANY of the exams produced 'Please wait, exam loading', still like that after half an hour. Contacted customer support after searching the faq page on the web site for the product, which had one entry, and although they were quick to respond, their complex solution did not solve the problem.

I based my purchase on the Mavis Beacon name and the single 5 star review listed here. After purchase, I checked other reviews made by the same reviewer. Only GSP software (the publishers of this product) and all reviews have 5 stars, my my. I will be interested to see if this review makes it into the lineup and I will be carrying out a bit more research on my software purchases in future.

Excellent software, 04 Apr 2007
This interactive learning software is better than any other "learn Microsoft Office" title I've tried.

This is the most non-intimidating interactive learning software ever. You go step by step from the absolute beginning to the more advanced techniques. Main menu navigation allows you to skip what you may already know, enabling you to zero in on what you may want to work on at the moment.

You are not only shown what you want to know, but then must do it yourself. NOTE: you DO NOT need to have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. All the interactivity exists in the program.

Constant exercises, end of chapter reviews, and chapter quizzes make this a great way to learn Microsoft Office anytime and anywhere. I strongly recommend this to any serious learner.



Software recommended online service, 20 Apr 2008
Software provides a Silver Inheritance Tax Edition Will.

The Gold Discretionary Trust Will (by phone or online only) is designed to minimise tax for couples with a home worth more than the inheritance tax-free allowance by creating a Discretionary Trust (saving up to £110,000 in tax).

Software offered a discount of £15 for a Gold Discretionary Trust Will. Felt it would have better going to a local solicitor in the first place.