Directory Opus 8

If there's one killer feature, though, it's the fact that everything works the way you think it should. There's no need for a manual, although a comprehensive 211-page PDF should answer any queries you might have. Instead, you can just click round the clearly defined interface, and if you think something should work a particular way the chances are it will. You can even redefine the whole interface if you like, using Opus Raw commands.

These commands are a set of simple yet powerful code lines that can be used to tailor the suite to your own particular needs, whether that means writing new functions from scratch or simply redefining some of the standard buttons on a toolbar. Several users have built themselves customised toolbars for burning CDs using third-party applications such as Nero, and although most users will stick with the defaults it's an effective means of seriously extending the features of the product and takes Opus beyond the realms of a simple file-management plug-in.

Much of the rest of the suite can be customised through the Windows Control Panel, giving you a one-stop location for all the available settings and features. Rather bizarrely, we found its Control Panel applet had to be closed when conducting other system-level tasks, such as uninstalling applications, which goes to show how closely integrated Opus is with the rest of your Windows setup.

If this all sounds a bit too glowing to be true, then try it for yourself. We had a few concerns about the last release we reviewed, and came to the conclusion that its appeal would be 'limited for most users'. With the arrival of version 8, though, it's an entirely different story. This is an essential upgrade, and something from which Microsoft could learn a lot.

Author: Nik Rawlinson