Corel Suite 7

What is it: office software suite Applications: word processing, document presentation, DTP and Web service

CorelUs purchase of the entire WordPerfect group of products from Novell early this year has created a buzz of anticipation in the market. The companyUs aggressive marketing strategy is seen as WordPerfectUs last chance for success.

The corporate market relies heavily on office suites, and, for some time, Microsoft Office has faced little competition. If corporate users are to adopt Corel Suite 7, they must be convinced not only by the packageUs performance, but also by CorelUs long-term plans and how they will fit in with industry standards, which are being set increasingly by Microsoft. By calling this new release Suite 7, Corel is signalling to customers that it has continued the productUs technological support and development. The company has invested in setting up support services, which will deal with the new series of WordPerfect products. It has also established a policy which allows users of previous WordPerfect packages to upgrade for #139.

The contents of the package are impressive: WordPerfect 7.0, Quattro Pro 7.0, Corel Presentations 7.0, Envoy, AT&T World Net, CorelFlow 3.0, Sidekick 95, Dashboard 95 and QuickView, plus IBM VoiceType Control, 150 fonts and 10,000 clip art images.

There is also the usual assortment of tools and utilities and Desktop App- lication Director, which like Microsoft Office Manager, glues the package together. The core elements are a strong, versatile word processor, spreadsheet and presentation packages.

The package certainly offers value for money. It has a significantly enhanced word processor and a host of other functions, features and programs. The macros and help routines are faultless and should reduce the softwareUs learning curve.

But it is the packageUs strong Web flavour with an automatic HTML conversion which is most likely to grab the marketUs attention. Coupled with a low price tag, it could win converts. It is also Windows 95 compatible and has full OLE 2 support.

Corel has done a thorough job of supporting a huge list of file formats, from those historically linked to WordPerfect to those representing other important products on the software market. This first offering from Corel provides an insight into the companyUs plans to take control of the office suite market, mainly by bundling volumes of high-quality products with extensive support services and a keen price. Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 for 95 should provide the company with a good chance of attracting the individual or small business user. However, the major corporates should look to the professional version.

Contact: Corel
0800 973189
Price: #199 (CD version)

Verdict: an excellent package crammed with useful features. The low price tag will help it find a foothold in the market but competition from MS Office is sure to make the going tough.