This program is a suite that contains three applications: Corel Print House Magic V4 (PHM) , Corel Photo House V3 (PH) and Corel Family and Friends (F&F). It comes on four(4) CDs. The program is very easy to install and use.

A manual comes with the program. It contains information on all three applications. The online help is very detailed and helpful. Clicking on help within any of the three programs does not get help. It must be opened separately from where it is installed on your hard drive.

PHM is a fun program. The manual contains clear instructions on using the various and many components of the program. It also has illustrations of all the clipart, photos, borders, backgrounds, fonts and phrases that are available to you. One can spend hours mixing and matching banners, signs, cards, brochures, invitations, finger puppets, masks and many more projects with thousands of clipart images, photos, scanned images and drawings you create yourself. There are also prepared phrases to select for your greeting cards. Images from digital cameras can be inserted into your projects. If you can not find an image to suit a special project you can import graphics from other collections.

If you want to quickly create a card, sign, etc. you can use the many samples that are included. You can use these templates as is or modify them to suit your requirements. When you have finished creating your project you can e-mail it, create a web page using it and/or convert it to a different format; eg. a greeting card or a sign. Help is very intensive. It even includes instructional pictures of various projects. For instance, say you want to create a newsletter containing a chart. In help click on the picture of a newsletter containing a chart You then click on the chart and a window appears giving you complete help on how to construct the chart. Click on the reverse print in the newsletter and instructions for creating reverse print are given.

The program I reviewed is a special edition of PHM that contains Wizard of Oz images that have been licensed by Corel from Warner Bros. There are many photos taken from the movie. Most include Dorothy but most of the other characters that were in the movie are represented. There are also drawings. All these images can be used to create your projects.

PH is a bitmap-based editing and painting program. You can take ordinary images and change them in extraordinary ways. You can change your image with different techniques: touch up, repair, enhance, sharpen, change colors, restore damaged areas, distort, blur, apply artistic effects, and add/remove selected images . You need to experiment with all the different effects to appreciate the extent of this application.

F&F is a useful program. Since I was reviewing it I tried it by setting up important dates in the calendar. I was pleasantly surprised when I first turned on my computer in the morning and a reminder popped up telling me not to forget an appointment I had. I might forget to look at my hardcopy calendar but I always turn on my computer first thing. Also special days automatically appear. Repeat appointments do not have to be typed in every month. They are automatically inserted.

An address book is also included. Detailed information about family/friends can be listed. This information can be merged with PHM to print the same document for different persons from your address book. This is a good way to make labels. This application also makes lists to help you organize information and have it readily available. The manual only has a few pages on F&F. Help is available on your hard drive.

The address is: Corel Corporation, Corporate Headquarters, 1600 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K12 BR7. Phone number is: 1-800-772-6735. Customer service’s e-mail address is custerv2@core.ca.,

I enjoyed using Corel Print House applications and recommend it.