While Office 2008 for Mac is a wonderful upgrade from the previous version, it leaves much to be desired when compared to its Windows counterpart. Particularly the lack of the ribbon interface makes it feel like it’s a step behind. But don’t get me wrong; there are a lot of bright points.

The first big plus is the Mircrosoft Project Gallery. While aspects of this program were part of the previous Office for Mac, the new version offers a more complete user experience. The first thing you will notice is that you can launch any blank or recently used document from the Project Gallery. Additionally, you can create projects by linking documents. For example is you had could combine a PowerPoint presentation with an Excel spreadsheet. Without a doubt, many users have come up with their own solutions to these tasks, but I like this program as an alternative.

The bottom line is that since most Mac users don’t have the option, Office 2008 is going to be an obligatory but enjoyable upgrade. Those users who, through Bootcamp or other virtualization software are able to run XP or Vista, will probably be better served by Office 2007.