Flash MX 2004

Macromedia's new $499 (~£317) Flash MX 2004 Flash animation designer requires less programming, boasts a much improved help system and offers new usability features such as an improved video-import wizard with editing capabilities, a spelling checker and a find-and-replace function. Although beginners might not find it as easy to use as Adobe's cheaper <A href="http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/review/40/1/1596.html">LiveMotion</A>, MX 2004 is a uniquely powerful program. It's a must-have upgrade for current users, thanks to its new support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), an improved (and ECMAScript 3.0-compatible) ActionScript 2 programming language, and a new API that allows third-party plug-ins. A professional version that offers more data-handling features and components is also available -- albeit for twice the price.