The first, and most comprehensive (and expensive) option is Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003, which includes the following programs: 

• Access 2003
• Excel 2003
• Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager
• PowerPoint 2003
• Publisher 2003
• Word 2003

Retail Price - $499 for the full version, $329 for the upgrade version

Business Contact Manager is, as you may have guessed, a contact management program. It is extremely useful to track business-related contacts and manage customer relations.

You may have noticed that Publisher 2003 is included; however, FrontPage 2003 is not. If you’re interested in FrontPage, you have to purchase it separately for about $199 for the full version or $109 for the upgrade version. In addition, the new note-taking program InfoPath 2003 will cost an additional $100 or so.

The next option is Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003, a scaled-down and slightly more affordable package, consisting of:

• Excel 2003
• Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager
• PowerPoint 2003
• Publisher 2003
• Word 2003

Retail Price - $449 for the full version, $279 for the upgrade version

As you can see, it’s practically identical to the Professional edition, minus Access 2003. If you never need to use a database for any reason, this is the way to go.

Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003 is the next choice, which offers fewer programs at a discounted cost:

• Excel 2003
• Outlook 2003
• PowerPoint 2003
• Word 2003

Retail Price - $399 for the full version, $239 for the upgrade version

It is missing both the Business Contact Manager with Outlook 2003 and Publisher 2003 from the Small Business Edition (along with Access 2003 from the Professional Edition). This is the best bang for your buck if you want to simply write letters, send and receive email, and create an occasional spreadsheet or presentation.

Finally, the last edition is Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition 2003, which, as the name suggests, is intended for students and teachers exclusively. It is NOT for commercial use. It consists of the same four programs in the Office Standard Edition (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word), and it retails for $149. However, this edition is only available for current students or teachers. If you fall into either of these categories, you can’t beat that price!

Now, that you’ve got the lowdown, you may be thinking, ‘Hey, that upgrade price is nicer than the full price! Does my current version work with the upgrade pricing?’ If you have any of the following versions/editions, you qualify for upgrade pricing:

Microsoft Office XP
Office XP Developer, Office XP Professional with FrontPage®, Office XP Professional Special Edition, Office XP Professional with Publisher, Office XP Professional, Office XP Small Business Edition, Office XP Standard

Microsoft Office 2000
Office 2000 Developer, Office 2000 Premium, Office 2000 Professional, Office 2000 Small Business Edition, Office 2000 Standard

Microsoft Office 97
Office 97 Professional, Office 97 Small Business Edition (version 2), Office 97 Small Business Edition (version 1), Office 97 Standard

Microsoft Works
Works Suite 20061, Works Suite 2004, Works Suite 2003, Works Suite 2002, Works Suite 2001, Works 2000, Works 8.0, Works 7.0, Works 6.0

Another interesting Microsoft Office 2003 tidbit: If you purchased a version of Office XP between August 15, 2003 and November 30, 2003, you may be eligible for a free upgrade to Office 2003 Editions.

I hope this clears up the Office 2003 edition mystery. Enjoy your new purchase!

The information provided in this article was obtained directly from the Microsoft Office website, . The retail prices quoted are as of December 2003 and are taken from the Microsoft website. You may find better deals at your local retail stores, or at other online software resellers.