My first brush with Macromedia's Authorware was way back in 1998 in my first semester at University where I was studying Interactive Multimedia. I had to learn an authoring tool and the Uni picked Authorware. The following semester Authorware was replaced by another Macromedia authoring tool, Director. But for those of us that had the pleasure to learn Authorware, before it was unceremoniously axed by the Uni, we discovered what a powerful, versatile and easy to use tool it was. As you can imagine I was quite pleased when Steve placed a copy of Authorware 7 on my desk a month or so ago for review.

What I discovered as I worked my way through the Authorware literature was that Macromedia have reinvented the product. Authorware has risen above the mere authoring tool level and is now widely acclaimed as one of the best e-learning development tools on the market and complies with learning management system (LMS) standards. Authorware comes with its own player for Internet use, much like the Flash Player and the Shockwave player.

So just how did Macromedia make this transformation happen? Well for a start they revamped the interface so that the product fitted in with the rest of their product range, incorporating a behaviour manager and a scripting language to appeal to expert users. In Authorware 7 expert users can choose between JavaScript or the dedicated Authorware script language, making the product extremely versatile. The ability to import PowerPoint presentations was also incorporated and, once imported, the PowerPoint presentations can be enhanced and expanded to include audio, video, animation or text for a media-rich e-learning experience for your users. With Authorware 7 DVD videos can now be imported and included in presentations, a fairly unique feature as yet amongst its peers.

Personally, the best thing I found about Authorware was the ease of use. Anyone who knows me knows that Director will always be my top favourite authoring tool but I definitely have a soft spot for this great product. In just a few minutes you can put together a presentation which incorporates all types of media but yet is more sophisticated than your average PowerPoint presentation. Better still, now you can enhance your PowerPoint presentations and make them stand out amongst the crowd in the Boardroom. And you can do this as either a novice or an expert user.

If you would like the lowdown on all the new features incorporated in Authorware 7 then take a look at their presentation (produced using Authorware 7 of course) - "Whats new in Authorware 7" - direct from the Macromedia Website.

If you or your Company are in the market for an authoring tool then take Authorware 7 out for a spin and see what it can do. If you're looking for a powerful, yet easy to use, e-learning application/presentation builder, then you don't need to look further than Macromedia's Authorware 7. This product gets two thumbs up from me.