I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of CodeWeavers flagship   product ‘
Crossover   Mac’ this week. The software is designed to allow   applications from other platforms, primarily Windows, to run seamlessly   on Mac OS X without the need for emulators or dual booting the computer   which requires a restart and wasted hard disk space.
To say that  the software achieves this is an understatement to say  the least. During  the testing of the program, I found all aspects of it  to be pretty much  flawless.
The first element of the program that needed testing,  was naturally  the installation and setup. As with the majority of OS X  software,  installation was simply a process of drag and drop into the   applications folder. Registering the software was a breeze too. I simply   had to register on the CodeWeavers website and then register the   software using the same details.
   So once your all set up and registered, you may wonder where the   application has gone. All that is immediately visible is the icon placed   in the selected folder, or on the dock whilst open. This is due to the   discreet nature of the software. It pretty much stays out of your way,   not even running until called upon. However, when you enter any  optical  medium such as a CD or DVD containing installation files meant  for  Windows, the application springs into life and loads the files in  an  extremely similar manner to the auto-boot process on Windows.
There  is an almost endless list of software that is compatible with  this  software. The majority of regularly used programs will most likely  be  compatible with 
Crossover Mac.  This includes anything from Microsoft  Office to Call  of Duty. For my  initial tests of the software I decided to install  Microsoft Office as I  decided it would be a useful addition to my Mac as  I haven’t developed  a great taste for Open Office and haven’t yet  bought a copy of iWork  since recently purchasing an Apple Mac Mini.
The  first stage of installation was fairly lengthy. This was  completely due  to the fact that it was the first install I had carried  out and  therefore the system needed to install required fonts and such.  After  the first installation, any further software I attempted to  install was  carried off without a hitch. To be honest, this isn’t a  major problem  anyway. Proceeding with the installation, I was  confronted with the  usual interface I had found with Windows. The  installation process from  this point onwards was as quick as any  Windows installation.
The trend of  native speeds continued throughout use of the application  after testing.  The program boots with the natural Windows interface. It  is not altered  to fit the Mac themes which could be taken in either a  positive or  negative way. Positive due to the fact that many  applications wouldn’t  be suited to the alterations and may become  muddled or difficult to  navigate. Negative due to my opinion that the  general Mac interface is  more attractive than the Windows equivalent.
Running and using the  program was as simple as ever, for the most  part as fast as running on  Windows. I was extremely impressed with the  cleanliness of the switch  over considering the application was never  intended to be used on this  OS. In my opinion, the Mac version of  Microsoft Office was never up to  scratch, so to use the full Windows  version was a pleasant change.
After  successfully installing and running Microsoft Office 2007, I  moved on  to install Call of Duty 2. I dare not try the latest version  of the  games, not because they are incompatible, but because I have the  basic  Mac Mini so running the games may not be smooth enough to carry  out a  fair test of the Crossover Mac software. Suffice it to say, the   installation and running of the game was nigh on perfect and I was able   to run the game on high settings without any noticeable lag. For the   gamers amongst us who do have a Mac desktop or even a MacBook  Pro  laptop, this software also supports platforms such as Steam.
Overall  I have found many a use for this excellent software and is a  real  alternative to running Parallels  Desktop 5 that means you don’t  need to boot to a separate operating  system. I also have an old Linux  machine and am tempted to use the  Linux alternative of this software to  run the same programs. The  software comes in various packages. One for  general software such as  Office, and one for games. However, the 
Crossover  Mac  Pro option possesses both, but carries an extra cost.