Replacing text links with an image map?

Hello all!

I'm the Webmaster at:

http://www.wholesaleproducts.com

a company that specializes in consumer electronics.  Right now, my home
page consists of organized text links.
I'm thinking of converting the home page to an image map, where the user
can click on a particular section
(calculators, camcorders, surveillance equipment, etc.) with appropriate
pictures.  I was considering also
keeping the text links within the pictures.  Another alternative would be
that when the user clicks inside
the picture, another image map with more specific links displays.  This
could also be overkill :).

Is this worth doing?  How large can the image map be before it slows down
my home page loading?  Should I
save it as a gif or a jpeg?

I welcome all comments and critiques, as well as links to sites that do
this effectively.  Thanks.

Ira

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