Product Reviews

Family Tree Maker (FTM) has been top of the genealogy software charts for some time, but FTM 2008 may significantly reduce its fan base.

Existing users will mourn that several of its previous features, including the paginated 'book' charts, are gone. The book itself has been ditched, too. You can't print it yourself but have to upload it to Ancestry Press to bind and send to you. It will be $30 (about £15) plus shipping costs for a 24-page book. The program still reserves the right to distribute your file as it likes. Books produced in previous versions of FTM cannot be

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edited in Ancestry Press or FTM 2008.

Other charts and reports that have been left out include the fan trees, the hourglass tree, the all-in-one tree and the useful genealogy report. Some of these may be reintroduced in a future patch, which has been promised but not yet delivered.

The new interface is an improvement. The default People view displays lots of useful information, combining a pedigree chart and family group. There's also a personal timeline, optionally including world historical events. The new Places view lists all the places in your database, and there's an option to print the map.

The Platinum Edition of Family Tree Maker 2008 provides six months' access to Ancestry.co.uk and a printed user manual. You can also get a single CD version for £20 that gives 14 days' access to Ancestry.co.uk, and a Deluxe Edition for £40 that gives three months' access.

The new features make research and analysis easier, but rely heavily on the internet. FTM 2008 seems to be designed more to increase income from Ancestry.co.uk and Ancestry Press than increase the program's usability. You'd be better off with Who Do You Think You Are?.