MatchWare Mediator 9 review

Mediator 9 costs £299 (£344 inc VAT) to UK buyers with the upgrade offered at a 40% discount to existing users of both Mediator 8 Pro and EXP. MatchWare is fixing this price despite the plummeting pound but, in order to benefit from it, you need to ring them direct on 020 8940 9700. At this price, for existing users of Mediator 8 Pro upgrading is a no-brainer as you're getting all the EXP features of version 8 along with this version's new features. Mediator 8 EXP users have a more difficult choice. It depends how important they regard the new, and admittedly excellent, user interface and enhanced text handling.

Overall, Mediator remains the best choice for the development of corporate or educational interactive presentations. Its simple methodology means it's genuinely possible for complete novices to create effective multimedia productions whilst also providing the power demanded by professionals. Whilst its scripting capabilities can't match those of Adobe Director, in practice Mediator offers more than enough power for all forms of e-learning. Its Flash capabilities should be seen as a bonus, but if you're targeting CD-ROM or wish to produce downloadable presentations then Mediator is the cream of the crop.

Author: Kevin Partner