word processor for mac OS X

hello
what is the best and most accessible word processor for mac OS X?
i am new to the world of macs and need something to give me the advanced feature that are available in microsoft word for windows. i need to be able to create tables, lists, forms, footnotes and review track changes.
i heard that microsoft word for mac became accessible after the last release. how good is it? and how is it compared to apple's pages? is there any alternative for both? can you refer me to a guide/tutorial/book that tackles word processing on mac OS X?
tLooking forward to reading your valuable responses.