Ahead Nero 6

Almost since the arrival of first CD recorders, Nero and Roxio's Easy CD Creator have been battling it out for supremacy. In truth there's little to separate them in terms of performance and features, though Easy CD Creator is seen as the more user friendly.

That's all changed with the arrival of Nero 6, thanks in part to the addition of the Startsmart project launcher. This is a small applet giving you access to all relevant tasks, such as making an audio CD or creating a video DVD. The tasks are split into data, audio, video and backup, with menus for CD burning and DVD authoring. It's a simple change, but it makes a big difference, as it's a lot quicker and easier to get at the specific functions you need.

The core elements haven't changed much. The program is still built around Nero Burning Rom, the actual CD and DVD writing software, and this remains unchanged except for a slight interface update, with larger icons and better context-sensitive help. In fact, apart from Startsmart, the biggest changes are in the periphery software. There's an easy-to-use backup tool, video-editing software in the form of Nero Vision Express 2 and you get the Showtime movie player for playing DVDs.

This additional software is of a high standard and the package is excellent for new users but, as Burning Rom has only been tweaked rather than updated, there isn't anything here for those who own version 5.5 and just want CD and DVD burning.

Contact: Koch Media 01962 884 266
www.nero.com

System Requirements:

• Pentium III 300MHz or higher
• Windows 95B/NT4/98/98SE/ME/2000/XP
• 64MB of Ram (129MB for video editing)
• 500MB of free hard disk space (4.8GB for DVD images)