REVIEW BY MARK EUSTACE: When it comes to creating websites, you can be faced with a minefield of problems – from coding to manipulating images.

For a while now, I’ve been looking for a program that makes website design as easy as drag and drop and I think I’ve found one.

WebPlus X2 from Serif is web design software for the first-time user – someone wanting to put together their own site, whether it is for business or pleasure.

But, despite it being easy to use, it is still packed with immense features that make this one of the best web design programs I have ever used.

Sure – it’s not a comprehensive as say Dreamweaver, but it hasn’t got a really steep learning curve either, and by selecting one of the many excellent templates, you will soon be producing a site that wouldn’t look out of place on the professional table.

You can, of course, create a site completely from scratch using all of the excellent tools and facilities WebPlus X2 has to offer.

Serif has produced excellent software for years, but despite it being very reasonably priced; somehow it has never quite made it into the professional arena – until now!

The latest version of its web design software has been completely redesigned to allow an individual or organisation the ability to create top-quality sites with no design experience necessary.

Not only can you produce a fantastic-looking site, you can also incorporate interactive forums and blogs, animated photo galleries, podcasts and even YouTube videos.

The software even caters for e-commerce, PayPal and secure password-protected pages, so you have full control of who can see and do what on your site.

Once you have fired up the software you are presented with a screen that could be a little daunting to look at first off – but it contains everything you need to your site together.

And because it’s been designed by Serif, you can create graphics directly in the program using its built-in tools – resizing pictures, applying transparency or changing the colour-scheme of the entire site in one click.

I must admit, the first time I played with WebPlus X2 I was amazed at how quickly I was able to put together a fully-functional website that was easy to manipulate and preview in a multitude of web browsers.

Recently I have put together a website for a friend of mine and he was absolutely blown away with it - at how quickly I put it together and how professional it looked, and it was all thanks to WebPlus X2.

One of the things that makes this software a joy to use is the convenience of everything you need being at your fingertips – whether it be a design element from one of the many fantastic templates provided, or a picture you want to use and manipulate – it’s all there.

You can put together a home page for a small business or personal use it minutes – all without having to write a single line of code.

One particular feature which made the whole process feel snappy was the on-screen help guides – a tab which can be auto-hidden, docked or floated and provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to do something without it interrupting your creative workflow.

I love the new and improved Navigation bars which automatically update as soon as you add a new page to your site – and there is a huge gallery or designs to choose from – all fully customisable.

WebPlus X2 also has an excellent Site Manager built-in directly so once you’ve designed your site, you can upload it via FTP to your domain very quickly and very easily without having to use a separate piece of software. This means that updates and changes to your site are very quick as well.

In all, WebPlus X2 is an excellent piece of software for anyone – whether it’s someone wanting to dip their toes into the waters of web design or a professional wanting a quick and easy way to put together a site.

Check out http://www.serif.com/webplus/ for more information.