Multimedia Fusion review

Significantly, Multimedia Fusion supports Vitalize, a plug-in that allows browsers to play Fusion applications in the same way that ShockWave plays Director Movies. IMSI is touting this as a new feature, but Vitalize has been around for some time and the bug-fix updates to Click & Create added the ability to export in the appropriate format. Indeed, the only change I can find is that it actually works with Click & Create. Trying to run a Fusion application through a browser results in a message telling me that the Vitalize plug-in is out of date. Unfortunately, the Web page to which the Fusion manual directs me didn't exist and the official Vitalize Web site still contains the old version. This is a pity, because Vitalize can deliver quite stunning results and the old version is only 511Kb in size. I suspect that, by the time you read this, you'll be able to find the new version on IMSI's Web site.

So, how does it stack up against its competitors? The answer depends very much on the sort of multimedia you're looking to produce. Multimedia Fusion simply can't touch Mediator or Illuminatus for ease of use, productivity or all-round flexibility. However, for games-based educational software, high-impact presentations, multimedia portfolios or eye-catching demos, it makes a tempting Director substitute at a fraction of the price.

Author: Kevin Partner