Do you remember what the difference is between a proteoglycan and a glycoprotein? If you don't, no need to panic — go to Glycoforum and you'll find out. If you do, go to Glycoforum anyway and learn something else, as the site contains loads of information.

The website originates in Japan, and it's available in both Japanese and English. Although some of the links are of limited usefulness if you live outside Japan, the site itself is accessible to English speakers.

Once your eyes become accustomed to the bright yellow of the homepage, you'll find all the important links grouped in one place. In fact, it's one of the few thoroughly 'clickable' pages on the site, most others being built like textbook chapters — with the net advantage that you can download the figures to make slides.

Undoubtedly, the pièce de résistance is GlycoWord, offering a comprehensive overview of all glycoscience-related topics. This section is the answer to your prayers if you are preparing a course on lectins or proteoglycans, and it even contains sections about pathology and technology.

A more specialized complement to this section is Hyaluronan Today, which features up-to-date information on all aspects of hyaluronan biology, from its structure to its involvement in morphogenesis and tissue remodelling. There are 15 chapters in this section so far, and new chapters are added regularly.

The site also provides useful information about meetings as well as a few longish interviews with leaders in the field. The last section, Topics, lacks a bit of focus, featuring for example meeting programmes right next to the product catalogue of Seikagaku Corporation — a company that has strong links with Glycoforum.