Product Reviews

Web design software packages tend to fall into one of two groups: those that make it easy to create simple personal websites, and those that are harder to use but can create elegant commercial websites. NetObjects Fusion 8 sits between the two. It's designed for making corporate websites, but has the simplicity of a program made for home use.

Fusion doesn't require that you have any knowledge of the code that makes up web pages. Instead, you design each page graphically as you would in a DTP package, adding images,

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text boxes and other elements. Fusion then generates the HTML code for each page.

Fusion's wizard allows complete beginners to get started and includes several template designs. These are more business-like than the colourful eyesores often produced by home-oriented software, but they tend to look dull and formulaic. Experienced designers will find the inability to work with the code limiting, and the main design interface isn't as good as that of other programs for creating complex layouts.

The most impressive aspect of Fusion is the ease with which you can create an online shop. Adding a store is as easy as clicking on the E-Commerce icon and selecting an area on your page. You can choose between several store engines, from specialist software offered by hosting firms to a simple PayPal shopping cart.

This easy shopping setup makes Fusion 8 a clear winner if you want to create an online shop without needing to dabble in HTML or hire a professional designer. Anyone who has used software such as Dreamweaver, FrontPage or Namo WebEditor, though, will find the design options limiting.