Macquarie WordGenius Reference Library

The Macquarie WordGenius Reference Library is a very handy tool when using an application that supports drag and drop, such as Microsoft Office. WordGenius is a dictionary, thesaurus and spell checker on one disc that makes it quick and easy to correct your documents without ever having to pick up a dictionary.

Words can be dragged from any Microsoft application onto the Macquarie drag-on that will either define or give you the synonym/antonym of the word depending on whether you are using the dictionary or thesaurus. The added bonus of a spell checker removes all Americanisms from documents that Microsoft applications normally don't pick up. It's a thorough program that is perfect for all Australians.

Installation is quick and easy, taking no more than a few seconds each. Simply follow the instructions by entering a name and authorisation key. Once installed, the Macquarie dictionary and thesaurus image, called a drag-on, appears at the corner of the desktop. It's quite annoying to have to install each section (dictionary, thesaurus and spellchecker) separately though; it would have been much easier to have a button that does all three at once.

Once installed, the spellchecker corrects all the Americanisms that Microsoft Word would normally accept. Once you've selected the default, all future documents will be corrected with the Macquarie spellchecker, except for documents that were created before the spellchecker was installed.

There are various ways of using the dictionary and thesaurus. The standard way is by entering the word you want defined, but with added bonuses including a pronunciation assistant that pronounces the word for you, a reverse dictionary and Australian slang definitions.

The drag-on boxes do become frustrating after a while as they sit above every program that has drag and drop ability. Thankfully, it can easily be removed by right-clicking and selecting Exit. You can also customise the drag-on to be small, medium or large. The smallest size is a measly 6x8mm and the large 18x25mm. Users can even customise their own drag-on image in bitmap format.