Review: Incomedia Website X5 Compact design software

Anyone who has used web design software that uses templates to speed things along will know that they can restrict creativity.

Although the look and feel of the page can usually be customised, templates have a preset layouts that can be difficult to work with if things don't appear in the order you'd like.

Website X5 largely overcomes this by combining the convenience of a wizard with the flexibility of more advanced software.

Instead of ready-made templates, the program offers several page designs, then allows the user to control the type and arrangement of pages. Icons representing elements such as text and images appear in a palette. These are dragged onto a grid that is superimposed over the blank page and can then be edited.

Cleverly, this grid helps to maintain a uniform layout throughout the site but it isn't restrictive because columns and rows can be added. Images are automatically reduced to a web-friendly size, text-wrapping occurs appropriately and even complex layouts tie together seamlessly.

Page must be 'mapped' before being edited, a process similar to adding slides to a Powerpoint presentation. This provides an overview of the structure of the site and a quick way to jump to each part.

The user can choose a vertical or horizontal menu bar to provide a logical way for visitors to navigate, and sub-menus can be added to sort links under a particular heading. This is useful in ensuring all pages are accessible in a few clicks, and links are made automatically. The colour, font and roll-over effects of the menu can all be extensively customised.

The final step in the wizard is to export the site, either directly to your web hosting space or to a folder on a hard disk. For a professional-looking website with an excellent learning curve, look at Incomedia Website X5.

Vista compatible: Yes