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Spectsound lets you use the Spectrum's keyboard rather like the keys on an electric organ, to play notes and compose simple tunes. Though by no stretch of the imagination could the Spectrum be described as a musical instrument, the booklet suggests that it could be used as an elementary music teaching aid.

A keyboard overlay is provided to show you which keys produce which notes, and the instruction book is very comprehensive and easy to follow.

The program loaded first time, and launched straight into a pleasant jingle and a display of the musical stave, with notes appearing in the appropriate places. On entering GOTO 45 as directed, I was serenaded with the demonstration tune, Hava-Nagila.

The main program, however, is rather less ambitious. Pressing a key produces a note, plus the name of the note displayed on the screen. You do not, unfortunately, see the note's position on the stave.

By adding this to the program, Spectsound's usefulness as a teaching aid would be much greater. Maybe the programmer would like to take that idea up?

B.B.