The viscoelastic properties of dendrimers of generation 1-4 are studied using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics. Flow properties of dendrimer melts under shear are compared to systems composed of linear chain polymers of the same molecular weight, and the influence of molecular architecture is discussed. Rheological material properties, such as the shear viscosity and normal stress coefficients, are calculated and compared for both systems. We also calculate and compare the microscopic properties of both linear chain and dendrimer molecules, such as their molecular alignment, order parameters and rotational velocities. We find that the highly symmetric shape of dendrimers and their highly constrained geometry allows for substantial differences in their material properties compared to traditional linear polymers of equivalent molecular weight. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.