Ashampoo Burning Studio 2009 is a simple, yet powerful suite that aims to get back to the disc burning basics. No bloat, no unnecessary features, no confusing options to get in your way, just the core functionality you need delivered through an easy-to-use wizard-based interface.

In just one click you can be creating a simple data disc, for instance (CD, DVD or Blu-ray). Drag and drop the files or folders you need onto the work area, and the disc can be burned in another two clicks.

It's just as easy to create an audio, Video or Super Video CD. Point and click, drag and drop your files, click Next > Write and watch as your disc is burned. The interface is virtually identical in every case, so once you've used one you'll feel at home with them all.

A handy design tool will help you create attractive disc covers, labels and booklets. (Don't worry if you're artistically challenged - there are plenty of bundled templates to choose from.)

There's all the usual supporting functionality you expect from any disc burning package: you can copy discs, erase rewriteable discs, rip audio CDs, and work with several types of disc image (ISO, CUE/BIN, ASHDISC).

And just in case that's not quite enough, Ashampoo also throw in a very competent backup tool. This displays the contents of your hard drive in an Explorer-like tree, letting you check boxes to decide which files and folders you'd like to back up. Customisable filters reduce the backup size by excluding files you don't need. Then the backup can be saved to CD/ DVD/ Blu-ray disc, with the program automatically splitting the backup across multiple discs if it's too large.

Upgrade to Ashampoo Burning Studio 8 and you'll gain features like the ability to create animated DVD slideshows from your favourite photos. You can now create DVD movies from QuickTime source files (amongst many other supported formats), preview them with sound, then burn them to video DVDs. And the whole process has been optimised for even better performance and compatibility. The program would normally cost £34.99, but as a registered owner of Ashampoo Burning Studio 2009 you can upgrade for only £7.99, a chunky 75% discount. Click Internet > Upgrade to Ashampoo Burning Studio 8 to place your order.