Sure you don't mean Word 2007?
Surely there is no way that a Vista PC would have had Word 1997 pre-installed??? A 10-year old app (at least)?
If it was Word 2007, there's little difference between Word 2010 and Word 2007 -
Word 2010 allows more customization of the Ribbon, adds a Backstage view for file management, has improved document navigation, allows creation and embedding of screenshots, and integrates with Word Web App.
SD