Nero Burning ROM Editor's Review

Nero fiddled while Rome burned -- but you won't have to fiddle with Nero for long before your disc burns. But while this is a true classic in the disc burning genre, Nero Burning ROM also has some useful add-on features.

The heart of the software is its ability to create all sorts of discs: CDs, DVDs and even Blu-ray discs. Depending on the format, you can easily create audio, video or data discs, or even a combination. 

As for the added features, you can do everything from password protecting a disc to automatically splitting a collection of files across multiple discs. There's even a special writing feature that makes it much more likely you'll be able to read or recover data even if the discgets damaged. And for added security, there's a built-in virus checker to make sure nothing unwanted gets on the disc.

But for all the features, usability matters. To be fair, Nero does lack some of the "quick start" features of its rivals that allow you to simply choose a common disc format and get straight to work. That's not to say it's an overly complicated program to use: if you can find your way round Windows Explorer without problems you should be fine with Nero.

Performance is also fine: with most modern computers you shouldn't get any freezes or glitches while burning.

Pros: Reliable burning; excellent range of bonus features;

Cons: User interface could be simpler;

Conclusion: Ideal choice for anyone needing plenty of burning options;