Here is the current apex is musical add-ons for the C64. This Seil CMK49 keyboard brings the professional touch to your home computer.

Although costing £125 the keyboard also comes with its own software, either disc or cassette based. If you think that's a little too much to pay for musical hardware then see the package in the flesh.

The keyboard has 49 notes and is of high, robust quality. It also has the real 'feel' of a keyboard. Interfacing is simple: just plug it into the back of your computer, load the software and you're away.

The software itself exploits the SID chip to its full capabilities with a possible 99 voices to define at any one time.

There are already 39 pre-defined instruments, so you can play straight away with the keyboard. Some of these are very realistic while others bear no clear resemblance to their names. There is a wide range of instruments available from bass through guitar and synthesizer to UFO.

With this set-up there is no having to go through the rigmarole of defining voices, programming the tunes and then getting the computer to play them!

The instruction booklet is only adequate, leaving you to do most of the finding out (which even a non-musician should be able to do without much bother). On-screen presentation is nice and simple, with options of playing or creating new sounds. There is also a MIDI Master Keyboard function where you can link the keyboard to control MIDI-equipped instruments.

The big limitation to the package (shared by all the others in this survey) is that imposed by the SID chip itself - you cannot play more than three notes simultaneously.

However there will be a series of add-ons available for use with this keyboard later on this year which will overcome even this limitation. A hardware/software package scheduled for June will allow the user to have full control over a new and much stronger set of sound chips and will bring new features like programmable rhythms, split keyboard, left hand chords and auto accompaniment.

Although seeming very expensive, this synthesizer package offers some very advanced sounds and features that are comparable with a synth many times its price. For the right person, it's a fantastic buy.