some of the better alternatives can open & edit Word files....I guess it depends on just how much of the fancy tricks you 'really' use.

602 suite does a LOT of stuff, and Open Office does at least as much. But unless you really, truly need those, you might look at Atlantis word processor which has a freeware version called Nova, and a paid version called "Ocean Mind". This is, in either version, a good, powerful application.