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This is the first of two programs I've included in this article based on the theme of conservation and comes from Sherston Software, who are well-known in the adventure field with Wizard's Revenge and Return, Space Station Mada, Fleet Street Phantom, etc. Nature Park Adventure is in three parts and comes on two flippy discs. The fourth side holds the mathematical problems taken out of the context of the adventure which can be used to aid individuals who may have some difficulty with a particular concept.

Briefly, the theme of the adventure, which is introduced in a full-colour story booklet, is based on the theft of some rare butterflies. These have been stolen from the Nature Park by some nasty creatures - the Trogg and two Glob monsters. The children are invited to find the butterflies so have to explore the Nature Park. In doing so, they meet many of the animals living there and are faced with a series of challenges. These involve identifying leaf shapes, animal tracks, butterflies and birds correctly and solving the mathematical puzzles mentioned earlier.

The program is supported by a series of cards - three nature cards of tree and animal silhouettes and animal footprints, five information cards on specific creatures and trees, two maths cards and three adventure cards with questions on the story and "What's going to happen next?" - and the usual helpful handbook with its topic flow chard and ideas for further development across the curriculum.

There is no SAVE option in the program, but as each part is intended to take around 30 minutes and can be loaded individually, this shouldn't be a serious problem. The screen display, some of the most pleasing to date, which has become an important feature of Sherston's programs, consists of three windows - a large and effective graphics display (it would be useful if a dump facility were included so that some of the illustrations could be incorporated into children's writing), text and instructions. There are some amusing touches with the children shrinking in size, the meeting up with Fangs and his sister Tarant (spiders, what else?) and two Hitchcock style beetles (Lou and Bill), some of which may not be obvious to the youngsters. They'll enjoy working with this one!