Product Reviews

Like Microsoft Works, ClarisWorks has a range of install options, but again even the full install is small by today's standards. After installation you see your first Claris document in the form of the Readme file. This is a rather rapid immersion, but there is a Tutorial available from the Help menu (or from the Start menu) which does a reasonable job.

If you start ClarisWorks from the Start menu or from the desktop shortcut, you will be given the option to create a new document. There are several ClarisWorks assistants to guide you through common tasks, helping you create complex documents such as calendars or envelopes. There are also assistants to add features such as footnotes and tables to existing documents.

Alternatively, you can select one of the many items of stationery provided. These are template documents set up with text, pictures, and formatting, which can be customised. Many have notes pinned on to give you guidance on using the template.

You can create five different types of document with ClarisWorks: word processing, drawing, painting, spreadsheet, and database. But you can just as easily create hybrid documents, using frames to incorporate all the different types of data on a single page. Regardless of the type of data within, all ClarisWorks documents have a common file type, with the file extension

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cwk (though stationery templates are denoted cws). You'd be pushed to find other applications that understand ClarisWorks' files, but it can read and write files in popular formats including Microsoft Office. Word 97 is supported, but some characteristics such as embedded graphics will be dropped during conversions.

ClarisWorks makes full use of button bars, its version of toolbars. You can add your own custom buttons or whole bars, to run macros and commands. You can move a button bar to any edge of the screen, resize it, or turn it into a floating tool palette.

Although based on an Apple Macintosh product, ClarisWorks Office has adapted well to Windows 95. It uses the standard Windows 95 Help structure, unlike Microsoft Works with its own unique help style. The ClarisWorks documents are registered, so you can launch the application by double-clicking a document icon, or by selecting from the Start, Documents list. There are some inconsistencies, though. The ? icon can't be used to explain individual on-screen items. Drag and drop doesn't work for text, so you have to use cut and paste. Plus Windows users will find the menus unfamiliar.

There is also no Print Preview, so you have to make do with page view and the zoom option (25%-800%). The Slide Show option in the help menu provides an alternative, though, letting you view the document page by page.

There is no Autosave feature in ClarisWorks, so you are advised to save regularly. You can revert to the last saved version of a document.

You can also usually cancel the last action, if you immediately choose Undo from the Edit menu, and you can reverse the undo with Redo. Overall, ClarisWorks has a good set of features, but though it once showed the world how interactive computing should work, it now appears quirky and idiosyncratic. While Windows users are left searching, those fresh from the Apple Mac might be better pleased.