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Reporting to the MAX Accounting for Windows-Version 4.0 stands out as an affordable high-end modular package that doesn't make great demands on your hardware or operating systems and includes wide array of flexible features for automating various parts of your business.

Accounting for Windows is modular, but the basic program includes six modules-General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Order Entry, Inventory, and Data Exchange-all for $899 for the single-user version. Two-, four-, six-, twelve-, and twenty-four-user version are also available, with an unlimited-user version costing $4,199.

The interface in generally well laid out and intuitive. Better still, it is fully customizable. Let's say your product is software distributed via the internet. That means you pay no freight charges right? So, just remove the freight field from your order entry screen. Removing extra clutter sure makes life easier for your workers.

Flexibility within the modules is also a cornerstone of Accounting for Windows. For example, the order-entry screen supports multiple ship-to-addresses for customers with many locations. The systems can even accommodate a merger between two of you customers. It can automatically merge their records, making sure that your internal systems aren't compromised by events that are out of your control. 

All modules can be similarly customized. As is the case with all the products mentioned here, entering information into one module automatically propagates the relevant data throughout the system.

While basic accounting functionality is included with the standard systems. Accounting for Windows' add-on-modules certainly set it apart. You can buy a number of traditional modules separately, such as payroll, bank reconciliation, and report writer. (The basic package includes reporting functions, but report writer lets you design custom reports of your own).

It was the business-process modules that really caught our eye. The Online Credit Card Authorization module ($349) lets you take orders over the phone, verify card numbers, and integrate the entire procedure into your business-management and accounting systems.

The Bar Code Generator module ($299) lets you generate, print and scan bar codes for more efficient inventory management. Further, the Point of Sale module ($199 single-user $349 multi-user) lets you set up cash registers  in a store environment that are tied into your business-management system in record time. The moment a product is sold, it is removed from the inventory database. Although Accounting for Windows is fairly easy to use, it is still quite extensive. To the end, Cougar Accounting provides training. Three day seminars are available at the companies Boise, Idaho headquarters for $795. Regional and onsite training is also available. The product is backed by a 30-day unconditional guarantee. Reporting to the MAX offers various technical support options via telephone and Internet. Accounting for Windows requires  a 486 or faster processor (Pentium recommended), 8MB or RAM (32MB recommended) and Windows 3.11 or higher.

For the price/performance conscious Reporting to the MAX Accounting for Windows is the best of the bunch here.