Memo fields are treated the same by both 7, 8, 8.5 (possibly v5 and 6 as well)
all fields over 254 chars are converted to memo fields which can be displayed within the reports, they just cannot be used in formulas. If your not seeing the fields displayed at all, it could be a variety of issues, either field definitions, or db drivers being used. Do you know if you are using a MR1 version of crystal 7? You might want to check the crystal main site and make sure you have the latest drivers.
Hope this helps!
-Bruce Seagate Certified RCAD Specialist.
-Bruce Thuel-Chassaigne
roadkill150@hotmail.com