Question about composition tools

[HereComesTom 2,232]

I've been thinking about getting some musical scores written down for a game I'm making---it's actually one I'd like to release for iPhone, and not the one I have linked in my description (though I may someday want to use it for that game, too).

 

Ideally, I'd like to have a computer program that'll let me write the notes I have in my mind onto a musical staff, play them, and save them as a MIDI or other sound/music file.  Once upon a time, I had a program called Score Writer by Cakewalk that did exactly that, but that product is no longer sold by Cakewalk, and the CD that I have for Score Writer is useless without the product key---which I've lost, sad to tell.

 

Does anyone know of a similar composition program that I can buy or find online?

 

Also, I saw this Musescore program that at least looks like it's about what I want, but does anyone know whether it's any good?

[Bass Concerto 27]

Musescore is fantastic. I'm a college student majoring in Music Composition and I've been using Musescore during my entire Undergraduate studies (so far) and I haven't had any problems with it. It's really good as it currently is and it's constantly improving.

[Alphys Hedge 671]

I rarely use Musescore, but that's only because I don't use a musical staff when I compose music. Musescore is a great program if you want to make sheet music though (yes, it exports to MIDI).

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

Good for beginners, but if you want a step up, look at Finale, the student version is pretty cheap, but if you want the full, you're gonna have to invest quite a bit. The playback is superb and it's hooked with Garritan Virtual Instruments. 

[HereComesTom 2,232]

Thanks, guys!  I think I'll try Musescore out!

[Vlazamal 338]

Sibelius is really good, excellent playback of orchestral instrments, Mixcraft 7 is a DAW that does notation extremely well (It does MIDI and piano roll, and so does Sibelius) so I recommend Mixcraft because it serves as more than just a composition tool. You can use the trial indefinitely if you're just a hobbyist.