The humble multimedia creator takes on that vital middle ground between basic PowerPoint, and the ultra-expensive Director (or the mind-bending complexity of full programming languages). After so many years, the feature-sets rarely come as a surprise. Each new release slowly adds to the collection without usually bringing much to drop your jaw in shock. Mediator 8 Pro is no exception. As ever, there are three versions to choose from: Standard, Pro and EXP, all quickly ramping up in power. However, the big new additions are on the lines of a multimedia catalogue, spell-checker, basic drawing tool and support for alpha channels in images you import. Probably the most important of the set appears only in the Pro and EXP versions. This is the ability for multiple users to work on projects simultaneously via a network, each assigned to their own specific section. While not necessarily a feature that you’ll need to use for most personal Mediator projects, it will certainly come in useful if you have to rely on someone else for graphics or text work.

The interface has been redesigned and now features a full docking system to help customise the look. Windows Media Player support is upped to version 9, and you also get the ability to import EMF files for more complicated designs. There’s a wide selection of wizards to base your work on, including a slideshow, an interactive yearbook and a formal quiz that’s capable of checking for correct answers. Most complex of the lot is an ordering catalogue, complete with shopping cart and email integration. Each can be used as-is, or rebadged with your own logos, but only with extensive experimentation with the programming options are you likely to get a feel for what the software can do.

Mediator remains an exceptionally strong multimedia package to work with, with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface for creating your presentation’s logic, and support for plenty of stylish graphical elements like bump-maps and panoramic images. Mediator defaults to full executable presentations where all these features are available, with the option to export in Flash or HTML format for web use. There’s little you can’t do, though it’s still no match at all for Macromedia’s high-end offerings if you want to create fully functional programs rather than just simple presentations.