Topaz Simplify offers photographers a wide range of options for creative expression. The result is of a quality that pros can use, but the interface is easy enough for anyone to master.

Arcsoft Photostudio Darkroom 2 is an uneven program. It offers some great editing tools in the Process module, but the Browser and Print modules are limited, as if they were afterthoughts on the part of the software designers.

Of course, PhotoStudio is no Photoshop. But Arcsoft Photostudio 6 remains a gem of cost-effective photo editing, and it handles the tasks of greatest interest to consumer photographers fairly well.

Provided you don't hand it complex documents with masses of headings, subtitles, you can expect very good results from Readiris Pro 12. The software is quite versatile and should prove a sound addition to the typical office or home. At around US$100 for an upgrade version, it's well worth the money for anyone with an older version of the software. The full package isn't cheap though, and if you're a home user just looking for higher accuracy, you may find the cheaper Home edition more attractive.

Bonzai3d presents a serious challenge to Google Sketchup Pro. Slightly cheaper, it also scores points by offering NURBS modelling and its own sizeable library of content and textures, in addition to supporting Google 3D content. However Bonzai3d only runs on Leopard on an Intel Mac, unlike Sketchup Pro, which also supports Tiger.

If you're still using OmniPage Pro 15, we highly recommend upgrading to Omnipage Pro 17, which offers major improvements in the application's interface and ease of use, and in advanced features. But if you already have OmniPage Pro 16, you may need to take a closer look at whether this latest instalment has enough goodies to justify the upgrade. And while OmniPage Pro 17 is clearly intended for workgroups, network users, and other office environments, Nuance also sells a standard (less advanced) version, which may be a better fit for individuals and small-business users.

If you require special effects and filters, you could do a lot worse than Nik Color Efex Pro.

Our only criticism of Freeform AE is that it’s pricey for a single function plug-in. However, considering its power and the time it can save you on 3D compositions, it’s more than worth it.

Overall, we found Plangarden a very useful tool. The application itself is free, but it requires a subscription to the Plangarden service.

The latest version of E-on’s Vue line of landscape-generation applications doesn’t add any new types of elements to its collection of tools for creating landscapes, skies, trees, plants and volumetric clouds. The new version’s features are largely refinements and enhancements.

Filter Forge is a powerful and logical way of creating effects that’s relatively easy to learn by seeing how other effects are built. Creating filters from scratch is time-consuming, but for a wider user group, it’s a great way to modify already-created effects.

In a crowded market, Pixum EasyBook Photo Book is similar to the software provided by competitors such as Blurb, so we shouldn’t be too effusive. But in terms of ease of use and creative options, it's hard to imagine it being beaten.

FontExplorer X Pro might not be the most exciting application a designer can install Ᾱ but you’ll be guaranteed to make use of it every day. It’s close to being a ‘must-have’ for Mac-based graphics freelancers.

3D Invigorator really is a 3D tool for digital artists and illustrators who’ve never looked beyond Photoshop’s layers for compositing due to 3D’s complexity and painful initial curve, as it’s powerful and accessible and is capable of producing great results.

Autodesk’s venerable 3D suite has received more than just a facelift. The workflow and tool enhancements are welcome, while the focus on audio and collaborative toolsets makes this a far more rounded package than before.