Rating: 
Summary: High quality and easy to use
Review: The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary & Thesaurus computer program (on CD) is an excellent value. This program is very useful for anyone who types a lot on his/her computer or is a writer. This software is very easy to use. Once you install the dictionary you can get started right away with searching for words. The interface is intuitive and simple, and there are a huge number of words to search from.There are also many valuable options that come with this program. You can look up homophones and synonyms. If you have a jumbled word like "DOIMSW" you can quickly use the option for "Jumble" option and find out that the word is "WISDOM" (or if you have letters like "RETINAS" you'll find numerous words). You can search for words that rhyme with each other. You can even search for words from specific dates (like 1777). If you don't know the exact spelling of the word there's a few neat options that you can learn to find words (involving special characters like *,&,^,!). This dictionary also is very convenient because you don't need the CD to run the dictionary. You can just install it and then quickly use the program anytime. If you want to hear pronunciations, however, you need to use the CD unless you install all the sound. The pronunciation guide is very useful and the sound is realistic. The dictionary provides both entertainment and education for me. I find myself just playing around with the program, typing in random letters to see if there's a jumble, looking up synonyms, listening to the pronunciations for vulgar words, and just browsing the vast number of entries. I'm confident that buying this dictionary is a wise investment.
Rating: 
Summary: THE WORD
Review: This is one of the most usefull pieces of software I've purchased in recent memory. I find myself opening this program constantly.
Rating: 
Summary: Great software, dictionary, pronuciation, lousy thesaurus
Review: This loaded easily and quickly into my i book. The collegiate dictionary is excellent and the pronunciations are helpful and standard pronunciations. The search functions are great. My complaint: What is with the thesaurus? This has to be one of the thinnest, most incomplete thesauri on the market! Many, many words that are unusual but have that special zing and pop you want from a thesaurus are missing. This thesaurus will not improve your writing a great deal. It seems as if words are only included if they are in very common usage today. Who needs a thesaurus if it will only mirror the blandness that surrounds us? MW also sticks to words that are exact synonyms as if thesaurus users do not like to wander into subtle shades of meaning. I consider the MW thesaurus a waste of money. Go with Rodale's synonym finder or an old edition of Roget (the new one is a mess). You will find plenty of off beat words there.
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