One of the more unusual applications for which a computer is well-suited is the whole subject of family histories. In theory it needs just a dedicated database system, but in reality there are many problems to be overcome, not the least of which is to ensure that somebody doesn't apparently die before they were born, and manage to give birth to children before reaching the age of five!

Genealogy is a task which grows increasingly more complex as you delve further back into the past. The links between obscure members of the family grow tenuous, as records become increasingly difficult to trace. A computer is ideally suited to holding and comparing the various sets of data, enabling the entire family structure to be understood more easily.

Several trams have to be included in any program, like the obvious example above, to prevent links being made which are impossible, like brother and sister marrying, and software houses have a difficult task on their hands to try and provide all the facilities that are required.

The best-known genealogy program is Bel Gen, produced by Bel Tech of Bridgnorth.

It is a disc-based package, and has the ability to work with up to 720 records (assuming 80 track double-sided drives). This may seem a lot, but in reality the 1imit can soon be reached, mainly because families in the last century were so large. Also, Bel Gen requires a top limit to be set before any data is entered.

This is absurd, and I would advise you always to select the maximum, because it appears impossible to increase it once set, and no genealogist ever knows in advance how many entries are going to be required.

There are 10 options in all, selected from a menu by function keys, (the last of which displays a secondary menu of report options). These deal with the creation, deletion, and editing of records, each consisting of 20 fields, covering surname, spouse, date-of-birth, occupation, etc, and a notes field of only 20 characters. One of the more fascinating aspects of genealogy is the discovery of interesting items of information about an ancestor, and to have only 20 characters in which to record these is hopelessly inadequate. You need a backup card index system - which defeats the whole object of the program!

An individual record can be displayed, with the option of a hardcopy printout which is extremely slow. It prints a character at a time, with the cursor travelling slowly across the screen. Curiously some middle names were omitted from some printouts. Otner aspects of the program are also slow; for example, records are always written to and read from disc directly using random access, which results in a relatively slow response.

The secondary menu of reports options allows different formats for printouts, including an 'own report', whereby you can set up your own fields to a maximum length of one line (normally 80 characters for printers and 40 characters for screen). It is possible, for example, to list those who are alive during a specific period, or trace the male/female line. Genealogists will find this useful so that links between family members can be tested out to see if they are physically possible. The output can be either hardcopy or screen, not both, as is possible with 'find and display'.

When somebody imagines a family tree, the normal picture is of a complicated structure with interconnecting lines, and hopefully a few heraldic coats of arms thrown in. Don't buy Bel Gen if you want this. It will print out a line of male or female ascendancy - for example, it will print out the great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and son all linked by a line, but it won't oroduce the traditional family tree. Selecting the option to print the entire file will generate a series of individual records, not an integrated structure.

Bel Gen has some serious failings. There is negligible error-trapping, so you can die before you are born, and in the process marry your parent and give birth to yourself. As an index system it is good; for holding individual records, and tracing links between them it works well; but as a dedicated family tree system I did not find it satisfactory.

This package from Micro-Aid contains a suite of programs for handling family tree data. It defaults to a record capacity less than Bel Gen, but the variables can be altered to store more records, provided the data entered is shorter. In operation, the records are held in the computer's memory. Thus operations are faster, but the database needs to be saved periodically to safeguard against possible corruption or loss.

The opening screen displays the various options available, the two main ones being Easy Tree and Print Tree. Entering Easy Tree reveals another screen of menu options. Data can be entered either as individual people, or as family groups. This works well, with the father, then spouse, followed by children, being entered together. As the data is entered, so the links between individuals are made automatically. Once one group has been entered, another may be started. If any person entered relates to somebody keyed in previously, their record number is inserted, and the link established. People can also be entered as individuals with no known links, and then modified later.

Editing data is a little cumbersome. For example, to append another child first requires you to work through the entire family group to get to the required place.

The date can be entered in various formats, but approximate dates (so often the case) can't be included. The manual states that 13, 14, and 15 can be used for January, February, March pre-1752. This is when the year was altered to run from January to December - nice to see that it has been catered for. Contradictory dates can't be entered (in contrast to Bel Gen), and the comments file will hold up to 240 characters, a much more realistic size. However there are less fields than with Bel Gen, thus limiting how the data can be sorted - indeed sorting is probably the weakest feature of this package.

The Browse option is great - the record on display is treated as current and you can move to father, mother, spouse or child, with each record then becoming current, so the process can continue right through the entire structure. This was remarkably effective for just wandering round families.

There are options to show ancestors and descendants, on screen or printed out, with indents for each generation to make the result easier to follow. The latest version of the program now has the facility for setting printer codes from the menu, and this makes the control of any hardcopy much easier. Lists may be generated in record number order, or alphabetically, but the real joy of this package is the 'Print Tree' option.

After specifying the earliest generation you want to work from, the program calculates the position of each record in the tree structure and you can then print it out. You are advised to use condensed print and specify a width of 132. The final result is fantastic because the traditional tree picture is produced, a very rewarding sight after entering so much data. In the sample file, cousins were married in an attempt to fool the program, but it coped admirably, displaying the marriage correctly, and then showing the one cousin in his own right, with the comment 'already shown'.

Two other programs on the disc will convert the data into an international format known as the International Genealogical Index (IGI) devised by the Mormons at their massive database complex in Salt Lake City.

I enjoyed using this system, and felt well-rewarded when I achieved my printouts. The report facilities are not as comprehensive as Bel Gen, but it is more friendly and easier to understand. The present manual is poor and needs undating to match the software, but for anybody who wants to have a chart on the wall and be able to trace their family history lines, I can thoroughly recommend this program.

Product: Bel Gen
Supplier: Bel Tech, College House, St Leonards Close, Bridgenorth, Shropshire WV16 4EW Tel: (07462) 5420
Price: £23.00

Product: Family History System
Supplier: Micro-Aid, 25 Fore Street, Praze, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 0JX. Tel: (0209) 831274
Price: £23.00