PBase

my vote goes for ACDsee version 8. Don't bother with the Pro Package. Version 8 allows you to construct databases, and to insert extensive data about each image using EXIF and other tools which exist with a digital images. You can buy it online and download it. Price is reasonable for what it does, but warning here, if you do a lot of work with images, I recommend at least 2 gigs of ram.

I'd be interested in knowing how you use the categories, keywords vs the albums.
I own ACDSee Pro because I won it on another website so trying to get a handle on the best way to organize.
Any and all tips appreciated

The photo organization and decent editing software that I've used for years is:

ThumbsPlus/Pro

http://www.cerious.com

Been around for a long time and is pretty versatile.

Mike

I've tried several, including ACDSee, and then I found one that has really worked for me. It reads all my regular file formats, plus .psd and my raw files. Another neat feature is its image comparison ability. You can compare four images side-by-side. The best part....it's free!

FastStone Image Viewer
http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm

Shirley

I've been using CS2 and was in a similar situation with starting to feel a bit dizzy with organizing photos, searching, etc... I tested Lightroom beta and liked it - I went ahead and bought it. It really has whipped everything into shape. There are free tutorial videos online and I'm saving a lot of time hunting and pecking. I can also upload to pbase in minutes with quick collections - so easy. Lightroom has my vote.