question before purchase

I have a list of addresses about 400 long in the greater boston area. I want to plot each address on a map and color code the marker according to characteristics of the people who live at that address.

Is this possible/easy to do with MapPoint?

I have also heard that the software is only an interface with the actual maps which are hosted online, can MapPoint be used offline to accomplish the above purpose?

Is there a way to try MapPoint out before dropping $200-$300 to see if it works?

The answer is yes, you can do it in MapPoint and yes you can order the trial version of MapPoint 2004 to test it. Here is the link to order the trial:

http://www.microsoft.com/mappoint/2004/trial.mspx

There is a web service version of MapPoint where you can say the map are hosted online called MapPoint.NET but mapPoint 2004 comes on 2 CD's and will work without an internet connection (offline)