Light and capable word processor

SSuite Office WordGraph is a free word processor that offers most of the features most users need in a lightweight, fast-loading package, including a spell-checker, word counts, and the ability to track changes. It can create and edit PDFs without additional tools, export documents in a wide range of formats, insert mathematical text, and create presentations that can be viewed in any Web browser.

WordGraph is clearly a word processor, to judge by its interface, but it strikes a fine balance between simplicity and complexity, with essential tools but few distractions. For instance, we set the page width by dragging the active right edge of the main window. WordGraph also opens with a blank page that is ready for work, and we started typing in text right away. Font style and size selectors, spellchecker, paragraph selections, and boldface, italics, and other formatting controls are essentially identical in function to most other word processors, as were the tools for editing text and inserting images, links, and objects. A wizard let us set up our scanner with WordGraph, too. We were impressed with the Documents Template Library, which included forms for everything from postcards to legal pleadings. WordGraph created DOC files that opened fine in Word, but Word 2010 documents failed to display in WordGraph. However, WordGraph offers numerous options for saving and exporting files. Toolbar icons accessed some of SSuite's other tools, including a Web browser and an e-mail client. The Help file offered English and Afrikaans options and plenty of help, too, at least in the English version.

SSuite also offers another free word processor, WordFormat2, in its Office suite. It offers more features than WordGraph, and more complexity, too, though both produce quality results. WordGraph has everything that most users need, though, with the added benefit of being easier to use.