Computer budgeting should help those who are useless with figures and free those who are numerate from unnecessary tedium. Home Budget is a well laid-out program. You can adjust the expense headings as you wish, it offers help pages at most stages and it appears to be foolproof against wrong key entry.

However, there is no written documentation or loading instructions when simple explanations of how to budget would be invaluable. Also, why must the forecast figures be entered 12 times for each heading? The program should duplicate itself once the first month has been entered.

The answer "No" to "Are Actuals Correct?" after mis-entry is supposed to allow entry to a revision stage, but when I did it I found I could only exit by re-starting. The same answer to "Replace Forecast with Actual?" erased the forecast, and comparing the budget with actual is pointless if half the figures are missing.

Graphic representation of individual expenses and rolling budget feature. The reasonable price might make the problems bearable for those who are numerate.

D.C.