As the flagship edition in the Family Tree Maker range, this Collector's edition contains seven discs and a detailed 400-page manual.

At £70 it’s not cheap, but it’s designed to meet every genealogy need, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Apart from the main program disc, there are three CDs containing English and Scottish parish records and a sample from the 1851 UK census.

Then there’s a basic training DVD and a CD containing charts and forms for gathering and compiling information. Lastly, a charting companion disc is included to help produce family tree charts and reports in a variety of formats.

From researching and adding information to producing and sharing the family tree, Family Tree Maker 2006 Collector’s Edition maintains the excellent standards of previous versions, but there are also some helpful new features worth a mention.

The software makes suggestions on where to look for information on specific ancestors, and its search tools are excellent, listing results in order of accuracy.

Also included is a six-month subscription to Ancestry.co.uk’s records.

There are many more useful features in this latest package, a couple of them being the image editor and the ability to export charts as PDF files.

Its price puts it right at the high end of the price stakes, but we still feel this Collector’s Edition of Family Tree Maker 2006 is worthy of top marks. As far as genealogy packages go, it’s the best we’ve seen.

Also consider
Rootsmagic 2 UK Platinum Edition 
Verdict: The interface looks dated, but the wealth of information makes it a highly useful resource.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £50