Mediator 5 Pro

For advanced users Mediator 5 features a more sophisticated implementation of variables. You can replace the filename of most objects with a variable, opening up the possibility of creating a single page that can be reused by changing the variables.

Tools and actions have also been revised, with a new Loop action that allows if-then-else structures to be repeated until a value becomes true, similar to a do-while structure. The Report action allows you to insert values into an existing RTF file, which can then be printed from any word processor. As for the objects, the text object has been improved so that it's easier to edit and format. A new tool, the Polygon, allows shapes of any sort to be drawn, including BÚzier curves.

Internet support has improved. Like Director, Mediator uses a plug-in to ensure that the on-line version is the same as the local version. An HTML Wizard walks you through the process of defining where the plug-ins can be installed from and where the program can be found. The process is simple, although you're left alone to upload the files themselves to your server. The result is excellent, although Mediator doesn't support streaming, so the delay between pages is greater than it would be with the equivalent ShockWave projector. As a bonus, Mediator also comes with Screencorder, a small program that captures your on-screen activity, much like Lotus ScreenCam.

Overall, the substantial changes reach almost every part of the program. In most situations Mediator 5 Pro is a better choice than its competitor Illuminatus 4.5 for features, productivity and, especially, visual appeal. The only areas in which Illuminatus wins are in its support for 16-bit programs and its superior packager. Surprisingly, Mediator 5 Pro competes, feature for feature, with higher cost packages such as Director and Dazzler. Its only disadvantage is the lack of a scripting language. Still, at this price it's worth buying for the 80 per cent of jobs that don't require scripting, as it's far more productive in use than Director.

I really can't find much to gripe about, except for the occasional unexplained crash, which seems to be obligatory among authoring tools. The presentation packager could be built into the program and I'd have liked support for 16-bit platforms.

Overall though, this is a must for existing Mediator users and offers enough to entice users from other authoring packages. There's no such thing as the perfect authoring tool but Mediator 5 Pro comes pretty close.

Author: Kevin Partner