Just as word-processing programs took the tedium out of typing, genealogy software programs have revolutionized how you keep track of your family tree. They turn your scrawled notecards into a powerful database and let you display and print your family tree with an ease and sophistication unthinkable only a few years ago. Beyond input and output, moreover, many programs actually help you jump-start your research, and come bundled with disks packed with data.

But how do you pick the program that's right for you? Here are the most important factors you should consider:

Price: The genealogy programs reviewed in our June issue range in price from free (Personal Ancestral File) to $99 (The Master Genealogist, Gold Edition). Most are priced between $30 and $50. Expect to pay more for software packages with extra features, such as advanced photo-editing capabilities, or bundled with data CDs. Some programs, such as Family Ties, Family Tree Maker and Generations Grande Suite, are widely available through electronics warehouses and discount department stores; keep your eyes open for rebate offers. You can buy others through dealers specializing in genealogy products (see www.cyndislist.com/software.htm#Vendors for a list to get started) or directly from the manufacturers. Be sure to visit the program's Web site for more details and to download a demonstration version, if available.

Computer requirements: We reviewed nine of the top genealogy programs for Windows PCs and highlighted three popular titles for the Apple Macintosh. The comparison chart in the June 2000 issue of Family Tree Magazine shows the minimum Windows version and how much memory (RAM) and hard disk space you need to run each program. All have modest hardware requirements, so you don't need a powerful computer to run them. The most demanding program, Family Tree Maker, runs best with 32 MB of RAM and needs 95 MB of hard disk space for a full installation.

Ease of use: Most programs come with a printed manual and feature extensive online instructions. If you can't find the answer to your question in the manual or in the program's help screens, you can usually get more assistance by phone, fax or e-mail. Family Ties is the only program we reviewed that has a toll-free number for technical support.

The nine programs we reviewed vary a lot, however, in terms of how easy it is to enter information, navigate through the generations displayed on screen and search for individuals based on criteria such as dates and places of birth and death. From just about anywhere in Personal Ancestral File (PAF), by far the easiest program to use, you can get clear, concise online help specifically geared toward the task at hand. The Master Genealogist and Ultimate Family Tree are the hardest to use and you can expect to spend more time reading their manuals. But both programs also let you document your research more precisely and produce the most professional-looking books.

Documenting sources: It's crucial to record where you found each piece of family information so that you and others can assess its reliability. If you write that your great-grandfather traded horses with Jesse James (as mine is said to have done), you should also note whether this is just a piece of family folklore or that you found a written record of the transaction. In either case, you ought to describe the source by telling who told you the story or where you found the bill of sale.

All the programs we reviewed let you document your information, but some make the process easier. The comparison chart in the June 2000 issue of Family Tree Magazine rates each program's documentation help (how well it guides you in the proper format for citing various kinds of sources) plus its capacity for recording sources (the mechanics of creating and reusing source citations).

Reports: Once you've compiled your family information, you can share your family history in print or electronically. Some programs do an especially good job with standard reports or produce unique charts with photos and graphics. A family group sheet, for example, summarizes your information on a couple and their children, while a pedigree chart shows an individual's ancestors, usually for four or five generations. Both help you see at a glance what you know about your family and where you need to do more research. Most programs produce a variety of other charts and reports, including wall charts, calendars, timelines and maps.

Book-form reports present your family history in narrative form. They use a standard numbering system to outline an individual's ancestors (an "Ahnentafel" report) or descendants (a "Register" or "Modified Register/NGS Quarterly" report).

Some programs have multimedia capabilities to edit photos, create a slide show or even put together an interactive scrapbook with photos, sound and video. Others, such as Family Origins, excel at Web publishing.

File management: Genealogy software makes it easy to share family files and avoid re-entering the same research others have done. GEDCOM (an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication) is the standard file format used to exchange files between different programs. You can use your genealogy software to create a GEDCOM file with information on your family and then e-mail the file for another researcher to use, even with different software. While names, relationships and dates and places of birth, marriage and death usually transfer well, other information such as notes and sources may not. So if you are collaborating closely with another researcher and regularly exchange computer files, it may be easier if you both use the same program.

Some programs let you have more than one family file open at the same time so that you can easily compare their contents. If you decide to combine two files, you'll want to merge duplicate individuals. Almost every program reviewed here automates the merge process.

Research help: In addition to helping you organize your family history, most genealogy software packages include how-to guides, indexes or even actual family trees. Some give you free access to online databases. Family Tree Maker comes with the most extensive set of CD-ROM and online reference resources and the most useful guide to genealogy research. The Generations Grande Suite package also includes a large collection of data CDs. Some software includes forms you can print out to keep research and correspondence logs. Family Origins and The Master Genealogist let you keep a detailed research log on disk.

Family Tree Maker and Generations, the most widely sold genealogy software on store shelves, focus on eye-catching features such as zillions of names and multiple charting options. The other programs reviewed here concentrate on more mundane, but nonetheless practical areas, like good basic charts, easy file navigation and proper source documentation.

When choosing genealogy software, keep your goals in mind. Which is more important to you, ease of use or many features? Publishing a book or publishing on the Web? Fancy charts or tools for meticulous research? All of the programs below do a good job overall, but some stand out in certain areas.

Most genealogy software is inexpensive enough that you might reasonably buy a second program to take advantage of special features not found in your main program.

The chart in the June issue of Family Tree Magazine compares nine of the best Windows genealogy programs in each of the areas discussed above. Our list of programs links you to the Web sites for each software package.