Do you have any experience with ArcView? It has some really nice features, but it is prohibitively expensive for private use.
I will spend a few $$ more for a better product , but face it most of us are cheap .
Johnch
Any other questions ,
No I have never tryed any map service but MY TOPO.com ,but it been a few years.
I have a way of getting their maps at a discount.
Johnch