The prices of Electron software and hardware addons are falling so fast that they'll soon be given away free with packets of cornflakes. Software Bargains has bought huge stocks of Acornsoft's View and Viewsheet, and although this superb duo sell quite well on their own, Software Bargains has made them even more attractive by bundling them with a plug-in hardware addon board like an Acorn Plus 1 without the cream plastic case. And at a rock bottom price too.

There are three packages: PCB (the hardware addon) with one cartridge port plus View and Viewsheet for £29.95; PCB with one cartridge and printer port plus View and Viewsheet for £36.95; and PCB with two cartridge ports and printer port plus View and Viewsheet priced at £39.95. (Carriage £1.50.)

Upgrades are available to take you from the bottom of the range model PCB to the top.

In addition, you can also buy the Acorn Electron Advanced User Guide for only 99p - a bargain, and a must for programmers or anyone who likes to tinker with the micro's Operating System.

View and Viewsheet should need no introduction, but for those who haven't yet met them, they are ROM cartridge based software. View is a word processor ofr writing letters, memos and documents, while its relative Viewsheet is a spreadsheet designed for manipulating figures, handling financial accounts and so on.

Both represent the most powerful software of their type available for the Electron and together make up a flexible home business system.

The hardware addon is a bare printed circuit board (PCB) which plugs into the back of the Electron. Apart from the squarer shape and lack of analogue joystick port, it is basically the same as the PCB inside an Acorn Plus 1.

The two cartridge ports can be used for View, Viewsheet or any other cartridges you have. A Pres AP4 disc interface and Cumana Disk Interface set up also functioned without a hitch when plugged into the cartridge ports. The printer port operates as expected too.

There are two disadvantages with the hardware. First, there isn't a case, so the board PCB hangs from the back of the Electron. It's easy to knock and damage, by no means as robust as a cased unit like the Acorn Plus 1. Then again, it hasn't a joystick option - and anyway, I prefer to use the keyboard.

This kit isn't a lot of use if you have already upgraded your basic Electron with an Acorn Plus 1 and you would be better off scouring the adverts for cut-price View and Viewsheet cartridges.

If you haven't yet upgraded and either your money won't stretch to an Acorn Plus 1 and View and Viewsheet, or you're not bothered about the lack of matching Acorn cream plastic casing, this package represents good value for money. Recommended.

Roland Waddilove