How does your knowledge of Science Fiction rate against a Grandmaster of the genre? This rewarding and compelling program for your BBC Model B or Acorn Electron computer has been specially adapted from the Weidenfield Quiz book and will provide hours of edification and amusement for family and friends.

This is a quiz about science fiction in its wildest sense, including such modern masters of the indefinable as Jorge Luis Borges as well as the main-liners like Frank Herbert, Arthur Clarke, Philip K. Dick, H. G. Wells, Fredrick Pohl, and the new school of SF film-makers.

Science fiction is one of a series of six Grandmaster Quizzes, in which you can pit your knowledge against that of a grandmaster of the subject. The writer's specialised skill and expert knowledge makes the quiz both challenging and exciting. Each program has thirty sections of ten questions - a massive 300 questions in all - and you can take the quiz alone, in competition with a friend, or in teams. You can choose a timed option too - and if you're getting too many of the answers right, your computer can reduce the time you have to answer!

This pack contains one program cassette, one quiz data cassette and an instruction booklet."

Brian Aldiss is the author of many science fiction novels, President of World SF and the author of the only definitive history of the genre, "Billion Year Spree"."

The main aim has been to amuse. That is to say, the questions and quotes are chosen because they seem in themselves worth reading, even to readers who are not devotees of science fiction. As to what constitutes science fiction - or SF, as addicts prefer - never 'sci-fi' - there the views of a quiz-master are naturally inclined to be catholic. The broader the field, the better the horses run.

An attempt has been made to increase the difficulty of the quizzes gradually throughout the book. In these cases, difficulty is in the mind of the beholder, of course; but my hope if that Quiz No 30 is a real stinker.

I have been greatly assisted by Stephen Gould and, in particular, by that master of rolls, Mike Ashley. My thanks to them. And to all those who find themselves coralled with such amazing company.

- Brian W. Aldiss

When the program is loaded, there is a short bleep and the program title appears. Press the SPACE bar as requested and you will be asked:

  Do you want to do the quiz:
  1. On your own
  2. As two competing individuals
  3. As two competing teams
  Enter choice : ?

Answer the questions as prompted by typing in your response. Press RETURN when you have completed each entry.

The main menu will now appear and the thirty quiz titles are displayed on two screens. To move from one screen to another, type 0 and press RETURN. Select the quiz you require, type its number and press RETURN) then remove the program cassette from the deck and insert the data cassette when prompted. Make sure that the coorect side of the cassette is uppermost: quizzes 1-16 are recorded on side 1 and 17-30 on side 2. Press SPACE BAR as requested. When your quiz has finished loading, there is a short bleep. You are now ready to begin the quiz.

Most of the quizzes start with a section introduction written by the author. To move on to the second paragraph, or to see the first question press SPACE.

If you request a time limit, a clock counts down in seconds in the top right-hand corner of your screen. If you do not enter an answer before it reaches zero, you receive no marks: if two teams are playing, the question is offered to the opposition. However, you are allowed to complete an answer whih you started to enter within the alloted time.

To pass a question, press RETURN. A passed question will be offered to the opposition, if you are playing in teams.

Some questions may require you to refer back to the section introduction. Do this before you enter your answer by pressing the ESCAPE key. Pressing the SPACE bar will return you to the Quiz menu and your answers so far will be lost.

Some questions require several separate answers. When a) appears on screen, you enter your first answer, when b) appears, you enter your second answer, etc.

When you have given the answer and pressed RETURN, the author's answer is displayed. Compare the answers and decide how many points you should have. You can enter 0 if you are completely wrong, 1 if you are halfway there, and a maximum 2 points for a completely correct answer. Type in your score as requested. When you press RETURN the next question appears.

At the end of the quiz, the final scores and the total time taken to answer the questions is given. In the case of a draw, the contestant with the shortest time will win.

If you decide to try another quiz you will be returned to the Main Menu. You can run the same quiz again simply by re-selecting its number: it is still in the computer's memory. If you do not wish to try another quiz, the program will end.