One of the main uses of a computer 'mouse' is to make life easier for busy executives. It takes control of many of the micro's functions and leads the user away from the keyboard and into a more egnonomic environment, where moving the mouse around on a desk moves a corresponding pointer on the computer's screen.

The AMX Mouse, which appeared about a year ago, promised to do this for the BBC Micro, but it has taken until now for the first business-orientated software to be released. AMX Desk offers a graphic business environment, from which you may select other application programs. You may also use its own simple facilities to help make your business life easier.

After you've told AMX Desk the date and time, the first main screen displays a series of icons down its right-hand side and pull-down menus along its top. The icons include four disc drives, a telephone, sheet of paper, pinter, calendar, alarm clock and dustbin. You can call any of AMX Desk's built-in functions by moving the mouse pointer and clicking the executive button over the appropriate icon.

Pointing to any of the disc icons will catalogue the disc, either in graphical or textual form, and you can run any of the displayed programs by pointing to them on the screen.

The telephone icon calls up a name and address index, and you select entries by their initial letters. A second screen then shows all the names listed, and by pointing to a name you can display the corresponding address and telephone number. You only need to move away from the Mouse when making new entries. On a 40-track disc you can hold about 600 names and addresses and still have 10K free for memos.

The memo pad is an embryonic word processor. It allows for centring and justification of text, wraps words from one line to the next, but will only print 32 characters across the page. Still, if you've ever owned a Spectrum...

The calendar shows three months, based around the current one, and may be pushed forward or back to show other periods of the year. Pointing to any day on the calendar leads into desk diary for that day. You can enter whatever notes you want, subject to the space allocated on screen. Once you've made an entry in the diary, that day is highlighted in reverse video on the calendar.

A calculator is available over the main desk screen or the address book. This is operated using the mouse and has a single memory. Results may be transferred to a 'scrap-pad' for later inclusion in a memo.

The whole system works very smoothly, and is clearly explained in the well-illustrated manual. The only query left is whether anyone will use this kind of program on a home micro. I guess if you make continuous use of your Beeb you may find it worthwhile, but I still wonder if paper and pen isn't quicker and easier.