Adaptec has recently spun off some of its titles under the Roxio banner, among them Easy CD Creator. For years now this has been one of the two leading CD creation packages (the other being Nero Burning ROM) thanks to its inclusion in various forms with a great many new CD-R and CD-RW drives.

You can use the package to produce data CDs, music CDs, and - rather unusually now - VideoCDs. It's possible to edit files before you burn them too; on the audio side of things, for instance, you can edit tracks so that they fade in or out, or crossfade into one another.

Most of the key improvements for version 5, though, relate to MP3 file handling. You can now create your own MP3s and cram more than 100 MP3 files onto a disc for playing on your PC or an MP3 CD player. Alternatively, you can burn your favourite MP3s directly onto a disc for listening to on any normal CD player (they'll be automatically converted into CD audio files). There's a Realizer feature designed to improve the sound quality of MP3s by replacing some of the data lost during the file compression process, and it does a reasonably good job.

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In fact, Easy CD Creator itself is backed up by a collection of useful applications. Chief among these is SoundStream 2, which is designed to help you create compilations of music from your CD, cassette and LP collection. This is complemented well by the Spin Doctor tool, an audio filtering system designed to remove hiss and crackle from old or damaged vinyl or tapes.

Video Impression enables you to compile VideoCDs, complete with titles and stylish transitions of your own, while Take Two lets you back up your hard drive onto CDs. There's also a host of programs with self-explanatory titles including CD Copier, VideoCD Creator, Sound Editor and CD Label Creator. In short, the package comprises every program you're ever likely to need in order to produce your own top quality discs.

With a straightforward, wizard-heavy interface, this latest version of Easy CD Creator certainly lives up to its name, making it an absolute doddle to put together any type of CD. If you already own version 4, though, be aware that most of the improvements relate to MP3 file handling - so if you can live without these, save your money.