Mediator 8 Professional

PowerPoint is synonymous with creating presentations. But while Microsoft's application is certainly pervasive, it is by no means the only option.

One that is certainly more versatile is Mediator, a once-rival product that's now pitched at a different kind of user. While PowerPoint majors on presentation creation - and in particular, business presentations - the latest edition of Mediator is marketed as a multimedia-authoring tool for those in education.

That means it can generate anything from a simple slideshow to advanced productions incorporating any number of videos, animations and sound schemes, replete with an easy-to-use menu system.

Mediator's show-building process is as slick as it is simple. Regardless of technical ability or presentational skills, anyone can quickly make an impressive show using Mediator's many multimedia-manipulation tools.

The reason for this is that while over the years Mediator has inevitably grown and become more complex, one aspect of its operation remains unchanged: the Events dialogue box. This is the superb drag-and-drop system of placing objects placed on the presentation canvas that can quickly and easily be linked to events (or triggers) using clear icons.

For example, to have an object (like an on-screen button) emit a sound when a mouse button is pressed, first drag the 'Mouse click' icon into the Events dialogue box before placing the 'Sound' symbol alongside.

In this logical and uncomplicated way, the Mediator user can easily build up intricate multimedia shows. There are many parameters that can be tweaked but the application's show-building nuts and bolts can be mastered in minutes.

You can create animations or a show for saving to CD, which can then be viewed by any PC user, Mediator owner or not.

The main problem, though, is its price. At just a few pounds short of £300, developer MatchWare seems to have lost the plot. Negotiated educational discounts are available but that's of little benefit to most PC users.