With such a profusion of tools on the market, it's no small feat to pick your way through the maze. We'll try to make your task a little easier by introducing a few of the mainstream tools, and pointing you in the right direction to pursue the trails that look promising. We'll talk about tools in general, and not the ones designed specifically for Internet development. That is a whole new area, that will embraced at a later point.

Each of the authoring tools offers a distinctly different programming model. Some tools are easier for people with traditional programming backgrounds to master (Toolbook, for instance, is largely a procedural scripting language despite its object-oriented structure). Authorware and IconAuthor are geared toward users who are visually oriented. Director will appeal to people with a film or animation background, although a scripting system similar to SuperCard's is used as well.

With this diversity in scope, your best bet is to select which tool works best for the project you have in mind. For example, if your goal is to develop training courses that evaluate a student's mastery of the material, consider either Authorware or IconAuthor because of their powerful tracking features. If you have a more animation or sound-intensive application, for a kiosk let's say, Director may be a better choice.

Other considerations are cost and cross-platform capabilities. Not all products are multi-platform, though more and more are becoming so. Costs vary considerably, so if that is an issue, you can check the Web sites of the manufacturers for the latest prices.

Other tools we'll be introducing in the coming months include Quest from Allen Communication and Apple Media Kit from Apple.