Rabbit Writer is a word processing that will enable you to emulate many of the features available on more expensive programs for your VIC.

Unlike many programs here the cursor stays in one place, while the words you are typing move to the left. This looks odd at first, but works well in practice. Although you can only show 22 columns on the screen at any one time, your copy can be up to 80 columns wide. To show the rest of the text, you scroll the copy across the screen. This is a feature used on many more expensive word processing packages.

On setting up Rabbit Writer, you decide on the width of your copy and the page length. At the top of the page is a status line where you are always told the page number, line number and column number.

Rabbit Writer has two basic modes. Edit, where you are changing the copy in some way and Scrolling, which is used to move around the screen to see the rest of the text. All of the function keys on the right hand side of the Vic are used, the top key is used to change modes and the bottom one for the Help facility. This useful feature is available in both the Edit and Scroll modes.

After pressing this bottom key you can soon solve any problem starting with 'What do I do next?' In fact this feature also eliminates the need for any written instructions, though three pages of written details are supplied.

Although the cursor starts off in the centre of the screen, you can easily move it around by pressing the cursor keys. But when you do, it appears to have the opposite effect. Pressing cursor left makes all the text move to the right, but left and the page that moves right.

In the scroll mode, you have all the functions needed to manipulate your copy, and to see them you either read the instructions or press the Help key. I just used the Help key as it was easier.

The F1 key changes the mode between Edit and Scroll. F3 gives you the facility to insert a line of copy. While F5 lets you delete it. F7 is the Help key. For justifying F2 gives you right justified and F4 left justified. And for the centre line type F8. If you want to re-run the program, F6 gives this facility. For the first occurrence of a set of characters just press F for Find, but don't try to find commas as this doesn't work.

To leave or quit the program just press Q and if you want to replace a set of characters then R gives this option. But the new set must be the same length. So John can be replaced with Mark, but not with Richard. If you want to print out your text and most people do, just press P for print.

When you press this key, you will be asked whether you want to merge a letter with a database file created by Rabbit Base. This Mail Merge facility is something that is sometimes extra even with much more expensive programs.

But Rabbit Writer does not have the block move feature of more expensive processors, neither do you have the facility of word wrap around at the end of each line of copy. These are refinements which you can manage without, considering this package costs under £20 on tape.

Rabbit Writer is a very useful addition to the range of Vic software, especially if you have already bought a copy of Rabbit Base.