I did have some problems initially, but since doing a Clean Install of OS X I've had no problems with Office 2008, and each update has been smooth.

Regarding a previous review, Office is more than just Word. My version included Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage, and Microsoft Expression Media. I also received a free upgrade to Microsoft Expression Media 2.

For many people Pages is NOT a substitute for Word. Both programs have their advantages and disadvantages. In my case, although I have Pages, I use Word and Mellel most of the time. I also use Word 2004 given the lack of VBA with Office 2008. This issue affects mostly my use of Excel, but I also have some add-ons for Word that won't run under Word 2008.

Regarding launch time, as far as I can tell there's no mention of any changes with this upgrade that would have an effect on launch time. Entourage takes a while to launch, so while it is launching I work on other things. Once it's running, it has not given me any problems.

My rating for the price is high since I took advantage of a Microsoft rebate. I'm unfamiliar with current prices.