Editorial Review
Microsoft Works Suite 2005 gives customers the home products they need for easier, more efficient home computing. Six complete, award-winning products help you get the most out of your PC. Works Suite 2005 features Works 8 and Word 2002, plus new versions of Encarta, Money, Picture It! and Streets & Trips.
Microsoft Word is the same premier word processor featured in Microsoft Office XP, with helpful features like smart tags, task panes, and improved formatting assistance that make it easy to create professional-looking documents in a snap.
Works helps you get your household shipshape with easy-to-use spreadsheets, databases, and much more. You can read and edit documents created with Microsoft Excel, and keep tabs on all the important events in your life with the Works calendar and address book.
Works helps you get your household shipshape with easy-to-use spreadsheets, databases, and much more. You can read and edit documents created with Microsoft Excel, and keep tabs on all the important events in your life with the Works calendar and address book.
Picture It! Premium 10 gives you all the tools you need to manage your digital photos. You can make every picture perfect, create cool photo projects, and share your photos online. It's the easiest way to preserve and share your photo memories.
Encarta Standard gives you access to thousands of fascinating articles and photos, as well as hundreds of videos, animations, and audio files. It's the ultimate multimedia encyclopedia, a safe and trusted resource that will keep your kids excited about learning for years to come.
Say goodbye to tedious chores like balancing the checkbook. Money Standard helps you organize and manage all of your personal finances quickly and easily. You can automatically track account balances, spending, and budgets with the click of a button.
Streets & Trips gives you quick access to over 1.3 million points of inter
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Customer Reviews
It Really Depends. 
2004-09-23
This version of Works Suite offers almost the same exact features of version 2004. The only difference is Money, Streets and Trips, Picture It! 10.0, Encarta, they included version 2005 instead. For users who might have stuck with version 2000, 2001 or 2002 of Works Suite, this will suit you more. The collection of software included is amazing for the value at which it is being offered. From powerful and easy to use Word Processing solutions such as Microsoft Word and quality photo-editing with Picture It! My only problem with Word is that they did not include version 2003 instead. Word 2002 is included instead and has been out since May 2001, kind of lame by Microsoft's standards. This is a recommend set of programs for the home user and some businesses who need only the essentials. The package includes Works 8.0, with basic spreadsheet and database applications. You also get great money management solution; Money 2005 makes it a synch to keep your budget on track and in tact. With its online integration you can pay bills online or get further information to better manage your financial data. These applications I still consider not to be as strong enough as Microsoft Excel and Access. The database in Works approach to creating queries is limited and unreliable. The Spreadsheet does not offer the powerful calculation tools found in Excel and integration between both applications is very limited. But if you need only the essential tools for managing the essential aspects of your life whether at home or school Works Suite 2005 is truly a bargain. Getting the latest versions of Encarta is always great and it includes version 2005, so information is once again updated and accurate and you get the benefits of updating it weekly, so your information is never outdated.
Remember if you are a user of Works Suite 2003 or 2004, this update might be unnecessary to you because the majority of the products in version 2003 have not had a drastic overhaul in version 2005. I would probably recommend this to existing users running 2000, 2001, 2002 and persons running versions 99 and really older, I think its time you upgrade!
Great 
2005-10-04
This was great and It worked marvelous, praise GOD for his great provision. Thankyou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did not feal like spending $200 on word 2005!
God Is Good All The Time!
Decent software, but not worth the cash 2005-08-25
Microsoft has, as always, produced decent software. It is nothing to get excited over, but it does its job.
The problem with this software, as with all other Microsoft software, is that it is so overpriced. If it is your company buying or something, then go ahead and get it, the software works well, and it does its job as well as anything else you're going to find, not to mention that since most other people use Microsoft products, your documents will be compatible.
But if you are buying for yourself, I strongly suggest you look into something else. There are numerous open source programs available on the internet, as well as other commercial programs that can be bought for less money that will work just as well.
As for the other programs (money, encarta, picture it, streets & trips), they are also not that great. Why buy an expensive Microsoft encarta when you have Wikipedia? Why buy streets and trips when you have MapQuest and Google Earth? Why buy Money when you can get other programs that are just as good if not better either cheap or free?
The choice is up to you
Dont think I'll like it as much.......... 2005-04-03
as my old Works Suite 2002. I tried installing the 2002 suite on my new computer. Kept getting an error message about not being able to display the EULA agreement for me to accept, and thus wont install the Works Task launcher. I tried all the "fixes" but it just wouldnt install, so, I bought the Works Suite 2005 from Amazon. Well, I got an error message after I installed it. This time about not being able to run it on Windows 95, 98 and 2000. Well, I'm using XP Pro. Long story short, I just right clicked on TASK LAUNCHER, THEN COMPATIBILITY, THEN UNCHECKED THE COMPATIBILITY MODE BOX, and the program started up. I also had to uninstall Office 2003, which uses Word 2003 because Works Suite 2005 uses Word 2002. This was on the advice of Microsoft Tech support.
I was shocked to find vast changes. They just dont give you as many templates or programs like they did in WS 2002 in my opinion. I was very, very disappointed. Picture It is TOTALLY revamped and looks so much more complicated. Money stayed about the same. Gone from Word ( via task launcher) is the Wizard that would you pre-select styles, fonts, colors, letterheads etc. Calendar is the same....just a different color depending on what desktop motif you use. Anyway, what I did, was transfer to floppy, my favorite WORKS 2002 templates/programs that worked in Word 2002, from my old computer to the new one, and so far it's worked just fine.
I still like the old version of Works Suite...I think it's more user friendly, and I know it gave you more templates and programs to choose from. Lots of Glitz, Picture It is REALLY different, but I think I've lost more than I gained.
Can't email from MS Word 2002 document 
2004-11-07
I recently upgraded by computer from Windows 98 to Windows XP. When the computer came from Gateway I assumed it would include MS Word 2000. It included Microsoft Works Suite 2005 that included MS Word 2002, which I assumed would be an enhancement of MS Word 2000.
On my Windows 98 computer with MS Word 2000, on the toolbar there was an icon that permitted me to email a document (and add one or two attachments). I expected that the updated version of MS Word 2002 would include that feature as well. To my amazement, it did not.
Secondly, in MS Word 2000 when I click on "Open" it permits me to view files alphabetically, or in the order of when last modified or created. The MS Word 2002 doesn't permit me to do that.
I write letters and reports and send them through email. Without those features, the entire Windows XP computer with Microsoft Works Suite 2005 that I bought is useless. I don't know what to do to salvage this. Now, my Windows XP computer is sitting on the floor, and I don't know what to do with it.
Why aren't those features included in MS Word 2002 as they were with MS Word 2000 with the ability to email documents from within MS Word, and add one or two attachments?
What Microsoft product must I purchase that includes those features within MS Word?
What is so frustrating about this is that as a customer I have no way of knowing what I am getting when I buy Microsoft products. I couldn't have anticipated that MS Word 2000 was more useful for my purposes than MS Word 2002. This is so unfair on the part of Microsoft and I think is strong evidence of the disadvantages of monopoly control for consumers.
Word 2002 Vastly Improved Compared with Word 97 2004-09-25
I purchased Works Suite 2005 because I could no longer receive paid support from Microsoft with a problem I had with Word 97 (it would no longer open or function). I uninstalled the old program and installed Works Suite 2005 and the word processing program is excellent -- it even incorporates the "view codes" feature of WordPerfect! All of my documents were converted to the new verson of Word flawlessly. I haven't installed all of the other components of the suite because I really don't need most of them at this time. (...)
