MacGowan Consultants is a new name to Dragon software and if their first offering is anything to go by then it is a name that is going to become quite familiar. Printer Control can best be described as a powerful wordprocessor with even more powerful control of how the text is printed.

The hefty instruction manual gives some due to the power or the software - the whole text was prepared using a standard version of the program. Printer Control, which is written entirely in machine code, auto runs on loading and automatically adjusts itself to work on either a Dragon 32, or a Dragon 64 in 32k or 64k mode. It is certainly nice to see at last some software arriving which takes advantage of the extra RAM when it is available. With 32k you get 10.5k free for your text files, and with 64k you get 20k. On a Dragon 64, in 64k mode only, the serial printer is supported with the baud rate set at 1200. The program will not allow you to use the serial port on a 64 in 32k mode (Why?).

The first thing that greets you is a menu of 11 options. These allow you to save, load and merge text files or enter one of the program's other modes. Selecting the EDIT mode changes the screen to a 42>=:24 column display. The lower two lines are used for prompts and commands. The program is very user friendly and always prompts for the next type of command required. In this mode the keyboard has auto repeat on most of the keys. Unfortunately the delay before a key starts to repeat is much too short for all but the best touch typists, and after a while it becomes frustrating to have to keep deleting the extra characters typed.

The character set supplied for the 43 column dispay in not particularly clear and falls short ot that offered by other packages, such as Compusense's Hi-res program, despite the fact that it is only 42 columns rather than 51 columns wide. There is no on-screen wordwrapping or formatting, this is all done on the printout only.

The usual sort of cursor controlled screen editor commands are available, such as insert, delete, find and change, as well as block move, copy and delete. A powerful feature is the option to have up to nine user defined strings. These could be a phrase or word that is to be used often throughout the text, or a command string to, for example, centre the line.

Another rare feature is the "Address Block". This is a number of lines enclosed between the ESC-AB and ESC-AE characters (ESC is obtained by using shift right arrow). These lines will tie printed as a formatted address on the right of the paper. This is a useful option and eliminates a lot of mucking around with the cursor. All of the print format commands, such as centering of text, underline and formfeed, are entered as one or two letter commands following the ESC character. The effects of the command are not shown on the screen.

The big difference between this program and just any decent wordprocessor is its control over Epson type printers with graphic modes. Text can be printed in normal size or two, four or eight times normal size, in two character sets, with the option to define your own characters. The printers' bit image mode is used for this, so printouts can take quite a while. Graphics characters can also be printed.

The Printer Control program handles all the complicated business of sending the fight graphic codes to the printer - all it needs to know are the appropriate control codes for your particular printer to enter bit-image mode, enlarged and condensed modes and so on. These can all be changed to suit your printer using the first option on the main menu. It is worth pointing out, however, that the program is only compatible with printers that use the Epson type, 8 bit wide, graphic mode - it will not work with the 7 bit vertical graphic mode type of printer.

Finaily, not content with being a powerful word-processor. Printer Control has a 'Picture h/lode" which allows you to edit PMODE4 screens, loaded in from tape. The picture can be scrolled a single pixel at a time in all four directions, text can be added to it, and blocks of it (6x6 pixels) can be rotated through 90 degrees. All of this is done on a copy of the loaded screen so the original is quite safe until all the changes are complete and the mode is exiled by pressing Break. The screen can then be resaved to tape, or dumped to the printer in one of four sizes, horizontally or vertically.

Printer Control is a program anyone with a suitable printer should not be without, as at £15 it represents very good value for money indeed. A tree advice and information service is provided tor registered owners of the software, so support is guaranteed. A special version of the program will soon be released which is aimed primarily at correspondance work, giving double density bold type, and one pass right justification for faster print outs. This version will again be priced at £15, It would be nice to see a disk version of the program produced as this could offer much larger text files.