The quality of Sherston Software's previous educational offerings means that any new programs have a high standard to live up to. Toby At The Seaside is one such development and it manages to maintain the expected level.

The software is written for use in infant and junior schools, so the user interface must be right if the product is to make any impact at all. Toby has been produced and tested in a variety of schools, and the feel and high quality of the software is probably due to a large extent to this vigorous testing ground.

Toby is a suite of four programs, all based on the Punch and Judy dog. The main titles are Fun and Games, Judy's Shop, Ship Ahoy!, Rock Pools and Punch and Judy. Most of the games are for two players, but without any competitive element. Each of these topics give clear and concise instructions of how to use the particular activity chosen.

Fun And Games includes delightful animation of Toby the dog. You throw a stick and he goes to fetch it, but unfortunately finds five sticks and can't decide which is the right one. You have to help him in this simple shape matching game.

Then come writing names in the sand, followed by flying kites which covers adding, subtracting and comparisons.

There's more fun and games in the form of size matching buckets to sand castles, rebuilding broken down sandcastles and observing reflections in water.

In Judy's Shop you and a friend have money to spend. The various stages involve seeing the cost of the items in the shop, counting money, choosing what to buy and paying for it. Ship Ahoy starts with a typically grumpy Mr. Punch driving violently into a road sign - a bit controversial but handled well. It then develops into an exercise in floating and sinking followed by loading the boat - a sliding block puzzle. There's a section on different types of boats and finally the flag alphabet, including the Blue Peter.

Rock Pools deals with moving shrimps around in pools, while avoiding nasties. The final step involves separating the pool into sections with different types of creature in each.

The final part is Punch And Judy and the games here cover telling the time, putting letters in their correct places and a complete Punch And Judy show with the children acting as the audience and contributing to the show.

The package includes a children's booklet, teacher's book, work cards, games sheet and Concept Keyboard overlays, both A3 and A4. The teacher's book is a splendid example of how documentation should be written. It gives you everything you need to know about the package, and details how it can be used related to subject and National Curriculum levels.

The start-up screen has an easy to use selection for teacher control - indicators are always available on the screen of what to do next. The software performs very well: A class of 11 year olds not only failed to crash the program, and they enjoyed using it.

If you want to involve children in topic work, making it interesting and enjoyable, this package will certainly be a step in the right direction.