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It's back to school time again and although most of you may not like the idea lets face it, things could be worse... You could be facing a firing squad or being horribly tortured with some matches and a pair of pliers, or, even more terrifying, forced to watch a Bob Monkhouse TV show with special guest stars Bruce Forsyth and Jeremy Beadle. See, going back to school isn't THAT bad.

Although Mr. Brown in 4C with the long nose, dandruff and bottle bottom spectacles might be a boring old fart there are in fact far more enjoyable ways of learning. One of which is right here on your Speccy - educational software. It's puzzling, informative and fun, and best of all, it gives you an excuse to play on your Speccy during time normally allotted for homework without incurring the wrath of your elders. (It also gives you a chance to slip in the odd arcade game for mental stimulation, though don't tell your mum I said this.) There are a wide variety of educational games available so here, to help you choose, is a selection of those currently readily available and a quick guide to their usefulness.

Most Kids know who the Shoe People are. and have visited Shoe Town either on tv or in book form and will have immensely enjoyed the experience. Now all their friends are available on a spanking piece of educational software. The game involves word and object recognition plus a good grounding in understanding mathematics, including recognising and adding numbers. Another interesting feature is pattern forming and recognition. Again with such young children maintaining their attention is difficult but the inclusion of well known characters with good graphics and typical Shoe People stories makes this piece of software well worth a look.

First Class/Gremlin Phone: (0742) 753 423 Tape: £10.99 Disk: £15.99