''Xtree Gold For Windows,'' Version 4.0

"XTree Gold for Windows," Version 4.0 Central Point Software (800) 876-6541 Windows $99.95

It's not easy to replicate the elegant simplicity of software like "XTree Gold for DOS." The program made it easy to handle such routine chores as copying, deleting, renaming and moving files. Even better, it allowed users to view the contents of files in many different formats, and it handled file compression, too.

To thousands of users, "Xtree Gold" quickly became indispensable. Even after they switched to Windows, many continued to run the DOS version in place of Windows' own file manager.

This kind of loyalty caught the eye of Central Point Software, which is trying to bring the best of "XTree Gold" to a Windows version.

The latest release, Version 4.0, is a significant step forward. But unfortunately it still doesn't accomplish the key objective: a Windows version that works like its DOS counterpart.

Central Point - maker of many other popular software products, including "PCTools" - has tried to make the Windows version respond to the same keystrokes found in "XTree Gold for DOS." It's a good idea, one that would allow users to move seamlessly to the new Windows program.

The problem is that while the old keystroke menus are in place, they don't always work the way they used to.

For example, if you invoke the move command in "XTree Gold for DOS," the program simply asks if you want to keep the same file name and then where you want to move it to. It even gives you a chance to point with keyboard controls at the new directory, rather than typing the name in manually.

Not so with the new Windows version. It assumes you want to keep the same file name, then forces you to type in the destination directory or reach for the mouse to indicate your choice. So much for keystroke compatibility.

This close-but-not-quite approach crops up in other places and can be maddening to someone hoping for an easy transition.

Still, the new Windows version does have several important features.

For one thing, the new package supports the latest capabilities of PKZIP compression, including the power to create archives larger than a single disk. "XTree Gold for Windows" also has updated viewers that allow users to examine and print the contents of files stored in formats such as "Word," Version 6; "Excel," Version 5; and JPEG.