Installing Act! 2000 is very easy. It requires around 50 MB of hard disk space, which can grow considerably depending on the number of contacts you enter. While we were examining the software, though, an odd printing problem occurred. Act! comes with a toll-call support line for installation and configuration--90 days free from first call--with an automated call attendant waiting on the other end. (Reaching a real person, however, did not take long.) Although this particular printing problem was not reproducible, the technical support person was friendly and helpful. Given the complex nature of Act! 2000, you may easily encounter a problem over a year of use. The online fax-back service, and pay-per-use technical support options, should meet the needs of most users.

This feature-rich (sales forecast, groups, sales reports, sales opportunity tracking) contact-management software has added elements in this version. There is tighter integration with Microsoft's Outlook, allowing you to import contact information, use Outlook Mail from within Act! 2000, and view your calendar activity in Outlook. Better group management, easier e-mail access, graphical reports, and an improved database lookup are just a few of the improvements. Act! 2000 remains a top choice for contact management software