TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State + eFile 2008 Review

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State + eFile 2008
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(More customer reviews)
This is an edited review with the new information immediately below. The old portions of the review can be found further down below the dashes. There you can find out how Intuit managed to eliminate their negative reviews on Amazon, or how they almost lost a bunch of customers. Now for the review ...
As promised, this is my TurboTax Deluxe vs. TaxCut Premium review. I used both programs in parallel on my Mac to do two tax returns, one with rental properties, a side business, and investments. I won't keep you in suspense: TurboTax is better. Given the recent Intuit shenanigans with TurboTax limitations and pricing, I really wanted to discover that TaxCut was better. Alas, that was not to be.
So what's better about TurboTax? The most significant for me is TurboTax's display of last-year and this-year amount columns in the wages and income summary (you get there with "select specific topics" and after you visit each topic), the deductions and credits summary, and in the rental common expenses interviews. They are the best way to see what I need to do, and what I might have forgotten. Like those home owner's association dues on one of my properties that I almost forgot. TaxCut does provide a two-year summary, as does TurboTax. However I don't find that very useful in either program since it's at a high level. Also TaxCut shows it as a form, which is an inconvenient way to look at it.
TaxCut also manages to be annoying in how it displays last year's imported data. There is a single column with blue numbers for last year. You might think that they would change color or something when you enter this year's data, but no. TaxCut doesn't even keep track of what I've entered, since it asks me if I replaced the old information, when that's what I just did. The display and questions are confusing and less than helpful.
The two columns in TurboTax, with "not visited" in the this-year column until I do something with it, as well as buttons that say Revisit if I've been there or Start if I haven't, is the right way to do it. (Though I wish TurboTax would display this year in black and last year in gray, instead of the other way around.)
Another nice thing in TurboTax is that I can have two returns open at the same time and work on them both. Not so with TaxCut. TurboTax enables much easier what-ifs between two returns, like who gets which dependents.
Again, TaxCut manages to be annoying even in opening the one return, since it doesn't remember was I was doing. TaxCut always comes up with the same window, making me pick work on an old return and click on it. The first time I came back, TaxCut didn't even know what directory I had saved the return in.
TurboTax comes up with the last return I was working on already open, with a button to continue where I left off. One flaw in TurboTax is that it doesn't remember that I had two returns open -- it only opens that last one I was messing with.
TurboTax always checks for updates when you launch it. TaxCut requires that you do that manually. TaxCut might let you know on an interview page if it happens to know that an update is forthcoming.
There were many times that TaxCut had a very short, arbitrary limit on the number of characters in a field, which prevented me from entering what I needed to identify what it was both for the IRS, and for myself next year. There may be field limits in TurboTax as well, but I never ran into them.
TaxCut also made it very difficult to look at the form relevant to what I am currently working on. In TurboTax I just hit the forms button in the upper right (and the little feetsies to get back), and I'm there. In TaxCut, I had to go find the form, if I even knew which form it was, and once there the display was cumbersome.
TurboTax also makes it easy to move between forms and worksheets by double-clicking on numbers that come from another form or worksheet. You end up at the source for that number. TaxCut instead asks you if you want to override the number from the unspecified different form.
I won't go into the myriad of little things, like TurboTax accepts 08 for 2008, where TaxCut requires you type 2008, or that TaxCut doesn't use the little red button in the corner and doesn't keep track of whether you've made any changes and need to save, but suffice it to say that in many ways TurboTax was much more pleasant to use.
Some things that are better in TaxCut: the Child EIC and tax credit rules are more clear in the interview process; the Next button mostly stayed in the same place making it easy to review, where in TurboTax the Continue button keeps moving around; TaxCut separates the deductions from the credits, which I like better than TurboTax which munges them together in one page; and of course the biggie, which is that TaxCut never bugs me about upgrading to the next version and sending them another $30 or $40 like TurboTax does *incessantly*.
But the few good things come nowhere near balancing the bad things about TaxCut. Unfortunately, I have to recommend TurboTax Deluxe over TaxCut Premium.
----
Cute trick! You can get rid of all the negative reviews of your product by "updating" the product! The previous Amazon page for this same product had 290 customer reviews (as compared to the 97 reviews on this page today), and out of those 290 reviews, 269 were one star! (You can find a link to the previous page just above the customer reviews here in a box titled "Looking for Customer Reviews for a previous version?".)
To be fair, the negative reviews were largely due to Turbo Tax having a charge for printing returns after the first, and Intuit changed that policy to unlimited printed returns, including my one-star review. But still, allowing a vendor to erase their reviews when they don't like them does not seem like a good precedent for Amazon. Though in this case it didn't completely work out for the vendor, since they continued to accumulate a large percentage of one star reviews (currently 64 out of 97). They did go from an average of one star to an average of two stars.
Getting back to the product, I have copied my review from the previous page here for reference (see below the ----). But first some comments about another prominent review here.
The review that is listed today as the most helpful review actually isn't very helpful, so don't take it too seriously. TurboTax Deluxe most certainly does include Schedule D, Schedule C, and Schedule SE, as well as Schedule E. This has not changed from previous years, so S. Gerber's complaint about an implicit price increase from previous years is simply not correct.
What is true is that TurboTax offers more "help" with those schedules in the more expensive Premier and Home & Business versions. Again, that has been the case in the past as well. However I have rental properties, stock investments, and a side self-employment business and have been using the Deluxe version for years to do my taxes with no problems. In general I find the TurboTax "help" to be less than helpful. All I need is for the software to provide the forms, let me fill them out, do the calculations for me, correctly, and print the forms. I have no need for the "help" in the more expensive versions.
What TurboTax does that really is helpful, at all price levels, is that it allows me to compare my previous year forms and this year's forms at a detailed level. That helps me catch things that I might have forgotten, and to spot unusual deltas that I should look into. [Added note: another review here said that this year's version has eliminated the side-by-side review that was there in previous years! If true, that may be a deal breaker for me.]
Now for my review from the old page (with a few minor changes) ...
----
This review previously noted the fine print for Turbo Tax, not present on the Amazon page, that said: returns after the first, even if printed, would incur a $10 charge. After a great deal of negative customer reaction, including many bad customer reviews here, a CNET article on these reviews, and their competitor changing their product to offer five free e-files, Intuit has decided to mend their ways.
Now Turbo Tax 2008 will work as before, allowing printing additional returns for no charge, and they have matched their competition in providing five free e-filed federal returns with the product. They even got Amazon to alert consumers at the top of the product page: "FREE: 5 federal e-files and unlimited printed returns included with every TurboTax 2008 product." (Funny though that they didn't have a similar alert before at the top of the page about charging $10 for each printed return, but I digress.)
My review previously ended with: "I have been using Turbo Tax for the past eight years. But not this year."
Now I plan to use Turbo Tax for the ninth year. Though I am also giving TaxCut a try in parallel and see how that goes. Based on that experience, I will decide on one or the other for next year. I will update this review once I have done that comparison.

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ER Review

ER
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I have bought most, if not all, of the Legacy Interactive Emergency Room Games. I also bought the first and second Veterinary Emergency Room games. I think that Legacy started out well, but each succeeding game has been dumbed down. The first and second Emergency Room games had different staff in each room, each with different personalities. After that, the succeding games dispensed with this, and had the same type of staff member in each type of room. Too bad--the personality types reminded me of real situations in real emergency rooms.
In ER, the types of medical skills have also been dumbed down. In earlier games, you had to place the right diagnostic instrument on the right part of the patient. If you did too many tests, the chief of service would castigate you for wasting money. Again like real medicine. The nurses and technicians--despite their attitudes--were the most helpful individuals when you were in a tight spot. Well so much for reminising about the previous Emergency Room games.
ER is not like those games. You do not realy use of learn much about real medicine. You do not even really learn much about what is wrong with your patient. It is more about smoozing with other ER staff and making sure that you do not get too low on hygeine or nutrition points. Treatment is completely nonspecific. As far as actual medical practice is concerned, you might as well be playing Pong. It looks as if someone was trying to emulate the Sims on the cheap.
The graphics are not as good as the ones on Emergency Room Disaster Strikes, or Veterinary Emergency Room. If truth be told, I much preferred the earliest truly functional Emergency Game, Emergency Room II. Even though there was not as much animation, the experience was more realistic.
If you want to play the Sims II, buy it. This is a poor imitation of the Sims and an even poorer imitation of previous Legacy Emergency Room Games. I would suggest that Legacy get a REAL emergency room physician to help them with this series of games.

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For an unprecedented nine years in a row, ER was TV's highest rated drama among 18-49 year olds.Currently, in its tenth season, ER is ranked #2 in overall households by Nielsen Media Research.Created by Michael Crichton and produced by John Wells, the series has earned 21 Emmy awards and 108 nominations, an all-time industry record.Approximately 20,000,000 people each week watch the show on NBC and TNT.

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SAS Secure Tomorrow Review

SAS Secure Tomorrow
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SAS Secure Tomorrow is one of the best budget shooters I've played in a long while.
The game uses F.E.A.R.'s Jupiter EX engine, so for a budget game, it is pretty to look at.
The levels are well designed with lots of destructible objects and side rooms to explore (which may or may not contain more bad guys) and enough scripted events to make you feel like you are part of a larger assault.
You are given two invulnerable computer controlled team mates who are actually able to pull their own weight. You are the junior member of the team, so you can't order these guys around (though I wish you could).
The weapons are all real world ones. You can pick up the weapons of fallen enemies, though you are restricted to four weapons at any one time (luckily, your primary weapon can be modified into a sniper weapon, so in a way you can carry five weapons).
Those well designed levels and realistic weapons (along with smart friendly and enemy A.I.) make combat a blast in this game. Everything I wrote above was just sort of a lead-in to say how much fun the protracted gun battles are in this game. Enemies (and friends) will dodge and use cover and toss grenades at you (well, your friends won't grenade you).
Occasionally your squad will 'stack up' outside a door to be breached. When the door is forced, a soldier will toss in a flash bang grenade and it is up to you to charge in and clear the room. (While the flash bang has stunned the bad guys everything moves in slow motion.)
I also want to give kudos to the game designers for willing to be so over the top. The battles are extremely violent and your soldiers will drop the F-bomb at any chance they have. For once, it was nice to see a game designer say 'Screw the T rating!'
Also, the dialog in the game is surprisingly well written. Though the story is sort of your standard 'Take down these terrorists' FPS fare, the dialog is pretty good.
The biggest hurdle I had with the game was your health. There isn't any. Rather, your character has the Wolverine like ability to auto heal if he stays out of the action for thirty seconds or so. I didn't like this at all. It felt like it made the game less of a challenge (though some firefights are so intense, you will still die regardless).
I mentioned above that you could often explore extra rooms. I wish they would have put health packs in some of those rooms and given me a health bar. That way I wouldn't go into every battle in tip-top shape.
Aside from that complaint, everything else is minor.
Your squad mates could get in your way during firefights.
Throwing grenades through an open door was kind of clunky and difficult.
The ending was sort of a let down. You track down one terrorist and take him down and then a couple of cutscenes play taking care of the rest of the story. Those cutscenes could easily have been turned into another location and a couple more levels.
The game is pretty short. You should be able to finish it within two or three hours. But then it is a budget game. You can now buy it for less than the cost of a movie ticket and man, what a couple of hours you will have.
These guys have put out a game that looks very similar called Armed Forces Corp that I will be picking up based on my experience with this one.

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Keepsake Review

Keepsake
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Best friends, Lydia and Celeste were separated eight years ago when, after the death of her mother, Celeste's father became a director of the far-off Dragonvale Academy. Now Lydia is about to start her first day as a student of magic at Dragonvale and looks forward to being reunited with her friend. But when she arrives, she finds the academy deserted except for one odd character: a wolf who claims to be a dragon. Where is everybody? What's going on here? Can this wolf really be trusted? These are just some of the questions you must answer as you explore the school.
Keepsake, the first game from the Canadian Wicked Studios, is a lovely 3D point and click adventure in the tradition of Syberia. And I mean "lovely" literally: the first thing to strike you is the beauty of the environments. The castle is ornate with knotwork motifs and colour themes, making exploration a pleasure. There isn't a lot of animation, but what there is is well done; the water effect was especially nice. Characters are slightly less well-realised, but still quite good.
The sound is also quite good. The music is beautiful, with a different haunting motif for each character and section of the castle. The f/x are somewhat limited and a bit repetetive: lots of footsteps and bird calls, fire and water sounds, etc. However, they fit well with the design of the rest of the game, so I can't complain. I'm very surprised to see so many complaints here about the dialog. I really saw nothing wrong with it or the voice acting. Rather, conversation is used to explain points that are not necessarily elucidated by the action (the philosophy of the magical system, for example) as well as to develop the characters and their relationships. I considered that good writing, not the opposite.
The game starts with a cute little tutorial, in which one of the other game characters leads you through the controls. I kind of liked that, as I dislike reading manuals and it obviated the need for the kind of introductory sequence you find in a lot of games of this type; you coul just jump right in. The puzzles are quite a mix: several straight "games," a couple mechanical, including one that's quite involved, some riddle-type, some inventory, a kind of slider, and a huge maze (not counting the castle itself, that is). There are no timed puzzles and you can't die. I liked the way the inventory worked: once you had acquired the requisite item, it was automatically used in the relevant spot. So you didn't have to keep opening your inventory, picking up the item, clicking it on the hotspot, etc. As for the rest, they were fairly straightforward...EXCEPT for the riddle-type. The clues provided were so obscure that I can't believe anyone but the designers could possibly make sense of them. Fortunately, the game includes a hint feature, which give three hints for each puzzle, after which it offers to solve the puzzle for you. I had to use the "solve" feature once, when even having the clues explained didn't do much to enlighten me. But when you use the "solve" feature, you don't actually get to see the solution, just the result of it. So I still don't know what that puzzle was about!
The hint feature also will tell you if you don't have the prerequisistes necessary to continue a puzzle. If you use it when you're not in puzzle-view, it will clarify your next objective. I found both these aspects very helpful.
I did experience one bizarre glitch with the game: at intervals, without reason or warning, the sound would suddenly start to stutter and echo in a most annoying way. Adjusting game settings had no effect. I eventually discovered that I could correct the problem by exiting the game and rebooting my computer. This seemed to be necessary once every couple hours.
I completed Keepsake in about 25 hours--possibly a little more. I was deligthed that it kept me busy so long as most adventure games these days barely provide 10 hours of play. Some of the second part of the game did get a little draggy, with a lot of toiling back and forth through the castle. However, Keepsake is a good choice for gamers who like straight adventure in a fantasy context. But for the glitch and a couple illogical puzzles, I would have given it five stars. I eagerly look forward to Wicked Studios' next effort!

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This epic quest will take you on a journey of enlightenment leading you to the gates of Dragonvale Academy where you will become an apprentice. Your best friend Celeste is a scholar there at the Academy; however upon your arrival you discover something is terribly amiss… The campus is deserted and Celeste is no where to be found! After stumbling upon one of Celeste's most treasured keepsakes, you suddenly realize that treachery and sorrow lurks in the halls of the Academy. You must uncover the mystery behind Celeste's disappearance, Dragonvale Academy and the beloved keepsake… Accompanied by a charmed dragon named Zak, Lydia must quickly overcome trials in The Chamber of Passage, understand the secrets of the runes and glyphs, and master the forces of magic to uncover the mystery behind Celeste's disappearance, Dragonvale Academy and the beloved keepsake…

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Instant Play Piano Review

Instant Play Piano
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If you want to learn to play the piano, this product is a great way to start. You can go at your own pace, and review as often as you need. The instruction is easy to understand, and within the first few lessons, you'll already be making noticable music.

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Tonka on the Job (Jewel Case) Review

Tonka on the Job (Jewel Case)
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I bought this for my almost 3 year old that plays may different computer games and is pretty good with a mouse. He had and has a hard time with running the equipment and a hard time with the jobs. It is a cool game - has good graphics and nice sound. I would not recommend it for younger kids however.

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Civilization 3 Review

Civilization 3
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I read the comments of another reviewer whose thought process was along these lines: "I'll keep playing until I get X, then I'll go to bed/dinner". I had to laugh, because that same thought process has kept me up many a night playing "Civilization 3". There is no way to describe the addictiveness (not a word, but you get the idea) of this game.
Having played the original "Civilization" back in college in the mid-90s, I should have known what I was in for when I got Civ 3. I had no idea how much more addictive it would become in this new and improved version. And what an improvement it is. The graphics are amazing, with highly detailed units (fully animated now) and terrain squares. The user interface is much simpler - no more menu bars at the top of the screen. Visuals of other world leaders are now animated, with facial clues to their moods and attitudes towards you.
Gameplay is also different. There are now multiple ways to win the game including (for the pacifists out there) cultural and diplomatic victories. The ability to build and support various units has also changed with the idea of strategic resources - they appear only when technology that uses them has been discovered (which makes sense - if you did not know what to do with oil, why would it be a resource to you until you could use it), and your access to any given resource at the time you need it may not be easy. So even if you discover Flight, you cannot build jet fighters unless you have access to aluminum (either through trade or by having deposits of it in your territory).
Empire management is done through advisors for domestic activities, trade, diplomacy, military and science (the science advisor is never satisfied with his budget, and always complains that he needs more funding - how typical), and by directing the activities of your workers, military units, civilians and so on.
Having read some of the other reviews here, I have to agree that there are a few quibbles to nitpick over. Like the inequities in battle units - I have had elephants and barbarians invade and take out cities fortified with jets and tanks. Like the slow progress of science even at unsustainably high budget levels. But my complaints are few, and my hours of sleep are growing fewer. Once you become immersed in this game you'll know what I mean.
To answer another reviewer's question, the game runs just fine on Windows XP. I have not noticed any problems with graphics, animations or gameplay (my system is an Athlon XP 1.33 gHz with 128 MB system RAM and 64MB video RAM). "Civilization 3" is a great game for novice gameplayers (it's fairly intuitive and easy to learn) and for fans of the older versions of the game and fans of strategy games in general. Just be prepared to say bye to your friends and family and any outdoor activities. You won't be seeing them for a while.

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From Sid Meier, the creative genius behind some of the most critically acclaimed computer games ever produced, comes Civilization III. Experience a game of epic proportions, where players can match wits against the greatest leaders of the world in an all-out quest to build the ultimate empire. This journey of discovery includes new features that build on and enrich the0 Civilization experience. There are new pathways to explore, strategies to employ, and more powerful tools with which to build and manage your empire. Build, explore, conquer, and rule with Civilization III.
This newest installment promises to keep the components that made the first two games incredibly addictive and fun, while adding new elements and features that complement and enhance the existing system. In addition, a completely new graphics engine will provide stunning maps, animations, and graphics unlike those seen before. The new gameplay features better decision-making abilities, new paths to victory, and greatly enhanced combat and diplomacy for new ways to win. With a new interface and reporting screens, Civilization III will accommodate seasoned and first-time players.

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Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade Mis-cheese-ious Dreamship Adventures Review

Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade Mis-cheese-ious Dreamship Adventures
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We bought this title for our 6-year old daughter. She was definately captivated by the animation and storyline. There are a multitude of goal-oriented activities which help reinforce math, spelling, language, and science skills. The game becomes more challenging as questions are answered correctly. Kids will be guided through activities without any help from adults.The only drawback was the amount of repitition necessary for achieving final goals. Some children may lose interest in a particular activity before the goal is met. All in all, Reader Rabbit 2nd grade is a great learning tool that kids will enjoy.

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With seven cheese-ilicious activities you're infor a giant slice of adventureProduct InformationWhen the fabulous Dreamship crash lands into gooey Mt. Cheesemore Reader Rabbitand Sam must find it before the bungling Pirates get there first. Our heroesneed your help using skills in grammar reading science fractions and tellingtime. With seven cheese-ilicious activities you're in for a giant slice ofadventure!Skills LearnedCreating equationsIdentifying number patternsCounting by multiplesComparing number valuesIdentifying fractionsTelling timeBuilding vocabularySynonyms & antonymsBuilding compound wordsReading comprehensionConstructing sentencesUsing punctuation & capitalsIdentifying insect anatomyProblem solvingDrawing & paintingProduct FeaturesCheese Brick SpellingUse your spelling and phonics skills to help Larry Laidback fix the cheesebricks transporter!Pirate Maze ReadingConstruct sentences tell the time and identify shapes to complete the Piratemaze!Cheddar Cheese EquationsSave Mrs. Mac's macaroni crop from a cheese avalanche using your math skills!FeaturesAuto-adjusting skill levelsProgress tracing reportsPrintable activitiesWindows RequirementsWindows 98 Me 2000 XP Vista166 MHz Pentium or faster32 MB RAM100 MB free hard disk space640x480 monitor 16-bit colorSoundBlaster compatible sound card & speakers (stereo recommended)8X CD-ROM driveInternet access recommendedColor printer recommendedMacintosh RequirementsMac OS 8.6–9.2 OS XPowerPC 180 MHz or faster32 MB RAM100 MB free hard disk space640x480 monitor thousands of colors16-bit stereo sound8X CD-ROM driveInternet access recommendedColor printer recommended

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Traitor's Gate (Mac) Review

Traitor's Gate (Mac)
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I was sent a copy of Traitors Gate not knowing anything about it... And I think that having come to me with no preconcieved ideas, I wasn't expecting anything; frankly, there are a lot of half-thought games out there. So I don't want to blow this game out of proportions and raise any expectations, but you will not be disappointed. The graphics, soundtrack and thought behind the game excel most on the shelves. You aren't required to shoot everything (or anything, for that matter) to complete your task - because everything can be done two, three, four different ways, like normal life... Normal life of a Mission Impossible Spy, I should say. Even the details that don't matter are excellent! Sure, at times I was tripped up because I was caught up in the awe of looking around - forgetting I had a mission - and sometimes the logical solutions only made the most sense AFTER you solved them - but I play these games to unleash sides of my mind I don't use 9 to 5. This one sure did it for me. A player should not feel disappointed at any point during this game, because Dreamcatcher tended to every detail. More thrilling than Safecracker and MUCH longer than the Forgotten - this one is the best game I have played in years.

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Dora the Explorer: Candyland Review

Dora the Explorer: Candyland
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My almost 4 yr old daughter really loves this game. She already enjoys the board game so she basically knew how to play "Dora". She was able to sample the software on the Nick Jr. website and got hooked so I had to buy it when the free play time ran out. She's able to maneuver through the game by herself so that's nice. She also likes the mini games that she's able to play during the game. Too bad there aren't more mini games to play. Quite educational with matching colors, sorting shapes, following directions, etc. Just wished I could find it on sale and not pay $20! Overall, a good investment if your child likes playing Candyland and enjoys playing on the computer.

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Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 16 Review

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 16
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This is an excellent program. My daughter uses it at school and loves it. However, when I installed it on her laptop (she has a limited user account under Windows XP Service Pack 2.), I received an error message "Could not create file for system settings." I went to the Broderbund website and found a technical note (ID: 39783)for this problem. The instructions work for XP prior to SP2, but they are completely useless under SP2. As a result, my daughter completes a set of lessons and, instead of moving on to the next lesson, the programs throws her back anywhere from 5 to 15 lessons. This has been sufficiently discouraging that she has given up on the program. The Broderbund site has no facility to send a question or inform them of a problem. I'm hoping someone from Borderbund will see this review and post a fix to their website. Without a fix for this problem, I'm stuck and this program unfortunately becomes a waste of time and money.


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McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009 1-User Review

McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009 1-User
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Unethical billing for online purchases -- BEWARE!
Let me say right up front if you DO NOT USE the online download and payment process which McAfee offers, then you should not be subjected to their unethical practices (unless/until you renew online.)
I've used McAfee for several years now, and the product, once paid for and installed, in my experience, has been fine. Yes, it gets annoying at times, with its checks and confirmations, but that's what we want: software to protect us, and that comes with some caveats.
But McAfee has finally LOST me as a customer, with their insidious and unethical billing practices. These practices are so awful that the product absolutely deserves zero stars, regardless of its functionality.
My 1-year subscription to VirusScan ended a few days ago. This was a 3-user subscription, which I had obtained for free from a financial services company with whom I do business. It was a one-time deal, so now I need to pay to renew. This was my experience:
First, the renewal price was discounted through the financial services company, to around forty bucks, which was less than I saw online elsewhere. I proceeded to pay with PayPal. Just BEFORE I pressed the "return to McAfee" button, Paypal told me that I could review the "billing agreement" (what billing agreement?) by logging back into Paypal, going to "Profile," and kicking "Pay List" (what Pay List?) I did so, and found that McAfee, WITHOUT ANY NOTICE, AND WITHOUT MY PERMISSION had set up an automatic billing allowance on my PayPal account for one hundred twenty dollars per month! Here is the exact text: "Billing Limit: $119.97 USD (per month)" Needless to say, I immediately canceled that authorization, before "returning to McAfee." McAfee of course complained that there was an "error," but I simply proceeded to pay with credit card.
That's when I saw the very small type, in GRAY (hard-to-read) coloring, saying that my credit card would be billed automatically, upon expiration of the license, at the full renewal rate at that time.
That's enough, McAfee! You stop these unethical billing practices right now! You've lost another customer, and hopefully many more with this review.

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Essential Easy-to-Use PC Protection with PowerfulWeb Site Safety AdvisorProduct InformationWith the daily emergence of new and more sophisticated Internet threats that could disrupt your digital life you need more than a simple anti-virus program toprotect yourself your computer and your identity. You need McAfee VirusScan Plus2009 - the essential feature-rich and simple-to-use security software.The McAfee Advantage - McAfee's security products useaward-winning technology are easy to install and come with unlimited email andchat assistance. With continuous and automatic updates McAfee helps ensure thatyou are running the most current security to combat the ever-evolving Internetthreats for the duration of your subscription.New FeaturesQuickScan: Checks for threats in the areas ofyour computer that are most often attackedSimplified Set-up: Installation is now easierand faster with improved detection and with removal of malware that tries tohalt the set-upFriendly Alerts: Provides you with easy tounderstand alerts regarding your protectionProduct FeaturesTwo-way Firewall Protection: Confidently use the Internet 24/7 knowing hackers can'tget access to your PCsAnti-virus/Anti-spyware: Detects blocks and removes viruses spyware and adwareAnti-phishing: Alerts you to Web sites that may try to steal your identityMcAfee SiteAdvisor: Warns with color-coded ratings about unsafeWeb sitesMcAfee SecurityCenter: Provides an easy-to-readsecurity status screen and puts you in control with fully customizableoptionsMcAfee SystemGuards: Warns you when yourcomputer shows specific behaviors that may signal virus spyware or hackeractivityStealth Mode: Makes your computer invisible tointruders from the InternetShredder: Allows you to effectively remove anyand all traces of conf

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Slingo Quest Hawaii Review

Slingo Quest Hawaii
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This is great game. This is the next set of challenges and each game provides different settings.

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Star Wars Jedi Knight Dark Forces II with Mysteries of the Sith Review

Star Wars Jedi Knight Dark Forces II with Mysteries of the Sith
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It is an early p.c. game. The graphics are dated. So what is to like about Dark Forces 2? Gameplay. You play Kyle Katarn, a budding jedi. Long before Luke, Obi Wan, Vader, etc. No events seen in the movies. But the Force is real in the game. Use conventional weapons. Use the light saber. Use Force powers. The game is a first person shooter, but it plays a lot like a roleplaying game.

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Real Arcade Shape Shifter Review

Real Arcade Shape Shifter
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I haven't even begun to get into the higher levels of this game due to its challenging speed in which you need to gain levels.

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Wheel Of Fortune Review

Wheel Of Fortune
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I purchased this for my son and I to play, but you can only play a one-player game. There is no option for a 2nd or 3rd player. If I had known this, I would not have purchased this version.
Other than that, it's fine.

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Clifford the Big Red Dog Learning Activities Review

Clifford the Big Red Dog Learning Activities
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This was my sons first computer game. Its easy to use and understand also flexible work with the mouse. Very quickly he was able to play on his own. The game is on one hand challenging for my son yet he succeeds enough not to get frustrated. There's a wide variety of things to do and the different levels add new interest to any given game. I think you really get allot here for your investment. Educationally there's a little bit of everything. This CD isn't a "learn math" or "learn how to read" application but it reinforces basic skills of counting, adding, rhymes, shape recognition, planning and fun perfect for 4-5 year old.

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Clifford and Pals Make Learning Big Fun!Product InformationA popular magazine is looking for a special community of dogs to feature intheir next issue and Clifford T-Bone and Cleo want to make a big impression!Children develop important skills with Clifford and friends as they travelaround Birdwell Island helping their neighbors and playing fun learningactivities.Once kids complete a scrapbook for the magazine containing snapshots of theirskill-building adventures they enjoy musical celebration at the pier!Skills LearnedWord RecognitionSentence StructureRhymingCountingAddition & SubtractionCritical ThinkingPattern RecognitionLogic & ReasoningClassifying & SortingCause & EffectMemory & MatchingSound Patterns & RhythmCreativityFine Motor SkillsProduct HighlightsClassifying & SortingClifford made a big mess when he accidentally knocked over piles of junk! Helpfix up the alley by sorting the items into the correct bins.Matching & Spatial ReasoningCleo's playground is not complete without a jungle gym. Test your matchingskills as you build fun shapes like a doghouse rocket ship pyramid and more!Word Recognition Sentence Structure & CreativityEmily Elizabeth needs your help making posters. After creating sentence andpicture - make your poster come to life by coloring it adding fun objects andprinting it!Addition & SubtractionBouncing on a trampoline is a fun way to pick fruit! Use your math skills tocollect the correct ingredients for Ms. Carrington's pies.Sound Patterns & RhythmMake your own music with objects you find at the pier. After you complete asong hold tight while Clifford dances to the beat!Counting & Critical ThinkingBuild math skills while you complete the sail on Cleo's new toy boat. Fill ineach column with the correct squares and your favorite dogs will climb on board!Pattern RecognitionClifford Cleo and T-Bone can't wait to try out Cleo's new slide. Solve andcomplete the patte

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