well its true its pretty darn expensive and now cs3 is coming out shortly wich is looking pretty darn cool
Adobe - Adobe Photoshop Family
but if you realy want to see photoshop for yourself before you spend a TON of money! there are trials available on adobe's website i'll give you the link
cs3=
Adobe Labs - Adobe Photoshop CS3
5.0 elements[outdated and crappy]=
Adobe - Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows : 30-day tryout
[you just need to make a log in with them with a valid email adress]