Yes, I agree with you. I'd heard that MS Word 2003 was the best of the bunch and I tried to buy it at the time. However I couldn't find it (alone) at a reasonable price right then, so I bought the 2002 version. In any case, Word 2002 has served me well with its writing and editing (with tracking) features.

I recently bought a copy of Word 2010 for my second computer and I've discovered that the older versions of Word are better for straightfowared, one-person creative writing and editing, which is all I've ever used Word for. It is my opinion that software designers make many changes and additions to software simply to justify their positions and, in the process, sometimes diminish the effectiveness of the orignal versions. (This is especially true with email designs, the latest of which is particularly cumbersome. There has to be a better way. How I long for the elegance, simplicity and functionality of Outlook Express.)

I might add that, as a writer that started out with pencil and paper many years ago, I dearly love my word-processing programs. They make my working life so much easier and more efficient. In this regard, you may be interested to know that the senior editors I've dealt with at my upscale NYC publisher still insist (at their end) on working with pencil and post-its on the manuscipts they handle.