Still, Xtreme's web export facilities are welcome for occasional use, as you're free to design your pages as you wish, leaving the software to worry about web formatting standards. Pages are essentially static, with no support for streaming media or interaction with visitors. These are welcome improvements, but Xtreme is still far from suitable for regular use as a web-design package.

Its web-page-creation capabilities have seen a host of improvements, including rollover graphics that change as the mouse hovers over them and automatic optimisation of photos to keep quality up and file sizes down. Despite this, it has all the functions you'll need, such as textured fills, variable transparency, drop shadows, bevels, 3D extrusion and lots more besides. It's easier to use than Illustrator, which relies heavily on keyboard short cuts to speed up your workflow. These are far superior to the usual endless array of buttons and drop-down menus. Better still, most tools are controlled by a set of handles and sliders that float above your artwork. The interface remains responsive even when you're manipulating complex designs. Xtreme 5 is much easier to get to grips with than pricier software such as Adobe Illustrator. Version 4 introduced features that made it an excellent choice for desktop publishing (DTP) projects too, and you can even use it to produce basic web pages without having to worry about the intricacies of web programming languages. Xara Xtreme is an illustration package for creating logos, diagrams, website buttons and other graphics.

Xara xtreme for windows