Testing systems against multiple securities

[HARELSDB@xxxxxxx]

At the risk of reopening old wounds, I would like to ask for some
recommendations regarding strategies for testing my trading systems against
multiple secuities.  I trade stocks using end of day data.

I have seen discussion on this list regarding programs that can be used to
automate Metastock so that system tests can be performed against multiple
securities.  I have also seen discussions of technical analysis software
packages that have this feature built in to them.  I am at a point where I
would like to be able to quickly and easily test trading systems against
multiple securities.  What are the pros and cons of these two alternatives:

1.  Spending a hundred bucks on a second software package that will automate
Metastock's testing facilities and taking the time to learn the second
package.

2.  Spending 2 or 3 hundred bucks on a software package that has the ability
to test multiple securities built into it?

Areas where discussion would be useful to me include:

1.  Are secondary programs easy to learn.  How long would it take for me to
figure out how and set the system up to test multiple securities.  (Although
others on the list might disagree, I like to think I am a pretty bright guy.)
2.  Do software packages that can test multiple securities have a look and
feel similar to Metastock so that it wouldn't take much time to learn the
program?
3.  Metastock is very powerful in terms of being able to write your own
formulas.  Would I be making a compromise in terms of the sophistication of
the systems I would be able to test using a technical analysis package that
has the ability to test multiple securities built into it? 

Thanks,

Dan
Pocatello, ID USA