Product Reviews

As Roxio's media-organising and editing suite hits double figures, it's barely recognisable from its early incarnation as a CD-burning application. It doesn't feel like a mature program, though. More than ever, this latest version has undergone an ungainly growth spurt, sprouting new features that follow the latest computing trends but not quite coming out the other side as a well-rounded product.

Version 10 works better with Windows Vista, integrating with its search facilities and coming with desktop gadgets for converting audio and video files and recording streaming web audio. The launcher, Roxio Central, looks smart but is otherwise largely unchanged, handling simpler tasks internally and launching the relevant module for more complex ones. However, certain advertised tasks are absent from the launcher, such as ringtone creation and the utility for fitting a photo to the phone screen's aspect ratio.

The disc-cataloguing tool introduced in Creator Deluxe (Labs, Shopper May 2007) is included, and is invaluable for keeping track of files archived to optical disc. An AutoMix function is designed to generate automatic playlists to match your mood based on a selected song, but after over an hour's pondering time it decided there was nothing in our collection

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that matched the song we chose. A second attempt concluded that Nirvana and R'n'B artist Pharrell Williams are veritable peas in a pod; this is no match for Pandora.

The only brand-new application is BackOnTrack, a backup program that looks simple and inviting. But like Backup MyPC, which it replaces, it's confusing. A welcome screen claims the ability to recover files after virus attacks and hardware failure. However, the Disaster Recovery and Instant Restore buttons merely lead to upgrade offers. The only active component just backs up the My Documents folder by default, and sends schedules to Windows' Scheduled Tasks without informing the user of any way to amend existing schedules. It's liable to frustrate if you just want a simple, foolproof backup solution.

The new features are hit and miss. It's disappointing that the Media Manager tool hasn't had an overhaul. We like its handling of photo, audio and video files, but it feels dated compared to free applications such as Picasa (Labs, Shopper December 2007) or iTunes (Labs, Shopper October 2007). The lack of integration with online photo gallery space is particularly disappointing.

There isn't enough to convince existing users to spend £45 on an upgrade, but for new users Creator offers a lot for its price. Video format conversion is well implemented, with straightforward export templates for everything from DVD and DivX to iPods and mobile phones. The video- and photo-editing tools meet the needs of casual users reasonably well and their integration with friendly import, management and export tools is a benefit for those who don't want to grapple with lots of different applications. Main rival Nero has more features, including TV viewing and recording functions, but Creator's more polished, tightly integrated interface means it's still our favourite of the two.