It's over a year since we reviewed Starstore, the original Slogger database. It was a memory-based database which meant fast searching and sorting but limitations on the number of records it could hold. Starstore 2 is the product launched in response to the growing number of disc-based Electron systems. It will work with DFS or ADFS, Cumana, Plus 4 and Plus 3 disc systems.

Starstore 2 is a random access database. This means that the records are stored on the disc surface and only loaded into memory for editing, searching and sorting.

The whole package is menu-driven and has been carefully designed. I'm fond of the clear yellow and blue colour scheme and all you do to select an option is to highlight it on-screen and hit RETURN. Information about the file is presented on screen, information such as the name of current file being processed, whether you are working with all the records, a subset you have searched for or the inverse of that set. Starstore will remind you if you try to create a file with a name already in use. The RETURN key is used to enter *default* values.

When you create a file the program reserves the necessary space on the disc and tells you how many records will be possible. If possible, a disc should be dedicated to each file, although you can have more than one on a disc if you are handling small data sets. Loading a file brings up a list of files available and the user merely highlights the file required, no typing necessary.

The field format of the records in the file is specified by the user at the outset. This is not actually fixed but changing field lengths or adding/deleting fields at a later date can be a lengthy operation.

There is a full range of the standard edit, delete and add records features. The user can jump straight to a record number or browse. The Examine option displays sixteen records in one screen in a 'table' format. Such operations will apply only to the selected subset if a search has taken place, or inverse if enabled.

Searches can be made on any number of the available fields. There are no logical operators available but you can use ? as a wildcard character in your sixteen character search limit. Sorting is slow with large files because of the reading and rewriting of data to and from the disc. The user specifies the priority of each field on your customer file for instance, initials and surname, you could sort on surname for conveniently looking up a customer enquiry.

Starstore II scores over its predecessor and over any other Electron database in the printout facilities available. The user can create a print format which can be saved to disc for future use. Each field is given a print priority, field width and tab position. Blocks of records can be selected for printout and (correcting a criticism we made of Starstore) the user can choose whether or not to have the field names printed out with the data. If you want a quick report you can choose the unformatted print option and bypass the setup procedure for a straight printout with fieldnames attached.

The documentation provides all the information you require but is not as well produced as the Starstore booklet. Indeed, this version is exhaustive to the point of being repetitive but very clear and a handy reference. There's a full "session" of database creation handling printed out as a beginner's example.

As far as databases are concerned this is now the main contender for the Electron. Acornsoft Database keeps program files on the disc so there is less space to work with and the utilities are less rapidly available. All the features of Starstore II are instantly available in ROM, it's well designed and will work across filing systems. Highly recommended.