Isn't it time educational programs achieved greater originality? Not many would disagree, but this book contains only the usual batch of fun-type educational games.

Ian Murray has collated 25 programs covering areas such as science, economics, geography, history, spelling and computer science, pitched at different age groups.

In each case there's a general description of the program and what you're supposed to achieve followed by a detailed description of the program and explanatory notes. Following this is a tract pointing out the program's educational aspect and how best to use it.

It's a useful format if you want to explore educational uses of the Spectrum and there's a cassette available from the publisher to save you typing in the listings.

Sandra Grandison