[Calash]

Ack...had a good review written up and lost it when I left work....Oh well, just have to write it again

I love the logo, it made me chuckle when I first saw the portal page.

You have two login boxes very close to each other, get rid of the one in the block and stick with the other. That space can be better utilized for advertising or for a welcome message.

The news post has a great blurb about the site, however as news is added it will most likely fall off of the portal. Use the best part of this to make a welcome message that will be visible to guests. It will also help with getting keywords associated to your site.

The rest of the portal looks a bit stock. The search on the left column can be dropped since you already have a search area.

I am getting a Javascript error on your front page as well. Using IE6.0 from my work computer.

The forum home looks very good, though it does not look like a forum at first look. However once you drill deeper it loses the unique look and becomes a stock vB install with some color changes. The buttons and icons should be updated to fit in with the rest of the site.

So far it looks very well done. It still needs some work, but as you said it is a work in progress. Great job