First things first; Painter does exactly what it says on the tin. Literally: our review copy of Corel Painter X came in a big paint tin. We got our mitts on the limited-edition version (one of a thousand, apparently) complete with special packaging and a glossy poster. The software's the same whether it comes in a box or a can though, and Painter X is as sure and steady as ever.

There aren't too many big surprises to be found in this upgrade. Painter remains the art world's standout natural media software application. The software's schtick is that it enables you to paint with virtual brushes, draw with digital pencils and create pictures with computerised charcoal and chalk. Apart from a distinct lack of fuss and the mess created by art materials, the results are nature-identical.

Selected from the application's existing brush list, RealBristle brushes behave like, well, brushes with real bristles. Press too hard and the paint will splay out on the virtual page, while delicate line work is the reward of a lighter hand.

Unlike real brushes, you can adjust and customise them on the fly, changing the fanning properties of the brush, the length of the bristles, even their density. You can also pick up multiple colours from Painter's Mixer - an enhanced feature that lets you combine colours on a scratch pad, just like a real painter's palette.

Helping you use the brushes is an overhauled cursor that shows a 'ghost' of your brush as you paint. You can see the angle of the brush while you work, helping bridge the gap between graphics tablet and screen.

The new brushes can be used whether you're painting manually or autopainting over an existing image. While we're on that subject, there have been some enhancements to the PhotoPainting features, with 'SmartStrokes' using the same directional technology and automatically adjusting to your image.

Autopainted images don't particularly turn out like the painterly masterpieces the blurb on the box may lead you to believe you can make, but they do make a great foundation for your own art creations.