Microsoft Works 8.0 review:1 stars (Database report problem) - I had my boss buy this for work. I regret that decision! Everytime we try to print reports from the database, the field widths keep changing!!! I keep 'fixing' them and saving, but they keep changing everytime! This is a very frustrating and time consuming bug. I didn't have this problem with older versions of MS Works. I've been going on line to find help for this problem and still have not found any. I wish I had researched this version before assuming it was as good as the older version.

Our wordprocessor needs are very basic and this version suits our needs. (we use Corel Draw for more graphics intense needs) Same with the spread sheet. Our need is limited and it's 'good enough'. The mail merging feature from Database to Word processor is also acceptable for our use.5 stars (Contains enhanced interface and a more substantive dictionar) - Microsoft Works provides a workable word processor The new calendar applet is much easier to use and will import your old addresses if you have the 7.0 version. Works can perform very easily most of the major tasks that Word provides such as footnoting, page numbering, typesetting of longer documents.
In contrast to the products offered by Sun Micro, the Works CD includes multitudes of useful clipart and there is a link in the Help menu to help you download multitudes more. The dictionary links to Encarta Encyclopedia. The one thing I didn't like so much was still the underdeveloped nature of the spreadsheet. It is more suited to home-related tasks and not to linear algegebraic functions. Still, it was nice to be able to edit excel 2003 documents and save them in a usable format for work.3 stars (A Great Option for Some) - If you are really cheap or totally bankrupt when it comes to buying a set of productivity tools, here's a savior or option. This is really low-end software and I really don't recommend it, but it is commendable enough to do simple task such as typing a one-page document, adding numbers in the spreadsheet program. But the database is just not good at all. It's unreliable and not powerful to handle complex task such as creating complex queries or even reports. Works 8.0 cost forty dollars but if you have an extra thirty dollars, buy Star Office 7.0 instead, if you were to compare that to Works, Star Office would look more like Microsoft Office. Not much has changed since version 7.0, but the Wizards are more tasks intensive and focus on accomplishing your work more efficiently. The Task Center is much leaner and sleeker, but comparing it to prior versions, its not much a of a improvement. One of the great features of Works I always appreciate, is the pre-made templates that come bundled, you can't go wrong there, and to be honest its bit more intuitive compared to Star Office.

Star Office is a full-featured productivity suite that includes a satisfactory word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics and drawing program. The only time I can recall when I really, really appreciated Works was version 4.5, which was the ultimate Works; the Wizards were intuitive and easy to use. It guided you along the way; this really made Works friendlier and useful than recent versions. So, as I said before if you have the extra 30 dollars go for Star Office you won't regret it or just save and buy WordPerfect Office, WordPerfect Productivity Pack or Microsoft Office Teacher & Student Edition, a $150 value and you get four of Microsoft's major productivity applications, Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, only problem with it, you can't upgrade to future versions of Office.

Microsoft Works 8.0 Features:
wordprocessing (wordprocessors)
Utilities
Maintenance
Diagnostics (Diagnostic)
Computer software (programs)
Spreadsheet
Word Processing (Processor)
Text Editors
Spell Checkers (Spelling Check)
CD
View PowerPoint presentations; auto-save and document recovery
Essential productivity tools for the home PC
Word processor; spreadsheet; database; email/Internet tools
New dictionary tool with thesaurus; enhanced calendar
Share and edit documents with Microsoft Word and Excel users

Microsoft Works 8.0 is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 40.99USD.