CyberLink MediaShow 5

When you first got your digital camera, you probably never dreamed you'd end up with so many photos that you need a dedicated software application to keep them organised. Most of us now have such huge libraries of snaps that we welcome every tool available to keep them in order.

We've reviewed MediaShow before but this latest version has one major improvement - semi-automatic face tagging. This is something we're now seeing in every commercial image organiser, since Apple introduced it into iPhoto. MediaShow's recognition engine appears to have taken an extra leap forward though, and does a good job of detecting faces even when they're at difficult angles, such as partial profiles.

Enter the names of a few people in your photos and MediaShow will start to pick up on who they are and offer a best guess, so you can tag faces with a single click. If you've ever tried tagging your photos manually, you'll realise what a huge time-saver this is. The tags are compatible with Facebook, so names transfer with the image when you upload them.

As before, you can use the software to convert and catalogue video as well. Indeed, with pocket video cameras like the Flip range becoming increasingly popular, it's only a matter of time before your home movie files start taking over your hard disk too.

Ultimately, it's the interface and the face-tagging element that really make this software worth the asking price. Free software, such as Picasa is a viable organising alternative but it doesn't have the bells and whistles offered here.