Obviously aimed at schools, I find this package a disappointment coming from a software house of such good repute. That is not to say that it isn't useful or that there are problems in the programs, it simply seems to be a large price to pay for what are basically very simple programs and concepts.

The package covers two topics likely to be of use to the 11 to 14 age range. The first of these is vectors and this is the better part of the package without a doubt.

Vectors are a way of recording movements in space and in this case we are restricted to two dimensions only. As is common with a number of the programs from this publisher, the program starts with an "animated" learning section in which the first concepts of the subject are introduced and explained. This can be used to teach or revise the concept before going onto the more interesting sections of the games. The three games included have a graduation in difficulty which is a nice touch and can lead to growing skill on the pupils' behalf.

The first is a navigation game in which you have to pilot your craft from harbour to harbour using vectors. The game is easy to use and the real challenge is to reduce the journey length to a minimum and to do so you need to navigate as close to the islands as possible.

The next game is rather like a simplified game of battleships but with just one prize. Called "Treasure Hunt" you travel around a grid watching a "thermometer" showing how warm or cold you are. As in the previous program there is a grid which tends to make the vector planning a little easier. One feature of all the programs is the ability to use decimal vector quantities which can extend their life beyond initial teaching use.

The final game is called "Racing Driver" and involves a nearly circular track around which you move and around which you can race another pupil. This time there is no grid to assist, just a scale, and this makes it that bit more difficult. The booklet provided has all the information you are likely to need on running the program including worksheets to be reproduced for students. All told, the programs work well enough but there is nothing in this package that cannot be done on paper or blackboard just as well, so why use a thousand pounds of computer equipment?

The other program in this set can only be described as a "make weight" in my opinion. It works well enough and might be said to be interesting but to claim that it is really more than a toy picture drawing package is a little too much. The theme is 'Symmetry' and in part one you can build up triangles and then show the different orders of point or rotational symmetry line after drawing a shape on the screen. I could buy a whole pack of mirrors and paper to do the same thing with a complete class for just a fraction of the cost of this package. The end of term report for this collection of maths topics must read, should try harder and cover more area!