VERDICT: New multiple page support and improved text handling and workflow integration but the program’s main strength remains its underlying speed.

Xara has always stood out for the astonishing speed of its vector handling and for the hands-on creativity that this enables...

On top of this, in its last release, the program’s price was slashed to ensure that it also provided astonishing value. However it looks as if Xara might have thought better of this marketing strategy as the new Xtreme Pro sees a move into high end territory and the original price restored. So what new power do you get for your money?
Well to begin with, Xtreme Pro now supports multi-page documents. Hidden away at the bottom of the Edit menu is a new New Page command and, once added, you can navigate between pages using the up and down arrows in the status bar. There are no advanced options, such as the ability to set up master pages, but you can create double page spreads and reorder pages. You can also quickly duplicate the existing page or spread which is particularly useful when you want to explore different design ideas which of course is one of the program’s main functions.

New multiple page support and improved text handling open up new design avenues

Multiple pages aren’t just useful for experimenting, they are also essential if you want to produce print-based publications - but to do this successfully you need some serious text handling power. That’s why Xtreme Pro’s Text tool has been enhanced with new ruler-based control over margins, tabs and indents and the ability to link text boxes to create column-based layouts. Xara claims that this “brings Xtreme Pro into the DTP arena” which is true to an extent. However, without key features such as master pages, text runaround and style-based formatting, it can’t compete with dedicated DTP apps. On the other hand the ability to apply a drop shadow, graduated transparency, or even both, to your text in real time is certainly impressive.