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There have been quizzes aplenty in the past, but this one contains a considerable number of questions - 750 - with a selection of 3,000 answer options for use in a variety of ways: multiple-choice, completing the answer, yes or no.

The quiz is presented in a space-age context with a robot zapping the question into the sky of a planet (or is it the moon?). The answers are then printed below ready for the user's selection. Correct answers are rewarded with an alien skimming across the screen. You can shoot him down by pressing the space bar at the appropriate point and he lands in the middle of a crater, accompanied by an explosion and the screen flashing - quite what this has to do with the quiz is never made clear! The user can opt to be timed and at the end of the run of questions - you select you many - the score and time are shown. You can then re-run the questions you passed on or answered incorrectly.

Perhaps the biggest bonus is that you can create your own quizzes and save them as data files for later use. This facility is useful for parents who want to encourage reluctant children to learn drab information but it does require a good deal of work to set it up. The main disadvantage of the program is the time it takes to get started if loading from tape - ten minutes, with three loads required for the main program and a further file to be sought out and loaded for the data. The BREAK key can, of course, destroy all your hard work.

Nonetheless, it's a good package with a wide range of sensible questions. I must stress sensible, since so many software companies seem to fill data files with the weirdest material nowadays. Good fun, fine graphics and an interesting range of topics.

Nick Evans