Adobe Captivate 2

Inevitably, though, it's the hands-on, Flash-based training that's Captivate's true publishing focus. Here, the biggest improvement is the ability to edit your playback skins. Alongside managing colour and appearance, you can set what controls should appear, including a Closed Captioning panel, which overlays a text version of audio, and a customisable drop-down menu that lets users jump between sections of the training. Editable skins are a big step forward, but could still be improved. However, if you really want to customise your output and are a Flash expert, you can export your project and playback controls to Flash 8 Professional.

Other packages, such as Wildform WildPresenter, offer simpler and cheaper routes to Flash-based computer-based training, but for maximum professional control Captivate is in a league of its own.

Author: Tom Arah