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AUTOSONICS will enable you to add sound effects in Basic to your programs. Built into the program are 26 sounds to start. Twenty one of them are named specifically while the others are under the general heading of space sounds.

All the sounds can be modified according to pitch, which can be steady or can rise and fall at a variable rate. The speed of repeat can also be varied, as can the length of the sound. Those adjustments are made on-screen using a range of graphically-displayed slider controls. Once you have created your sound the program can give you a line of Basic which will reproduce that sound exactly.

The program is clear and well-designed and is a useful addition to any amateur programmer's collection. A BEEP amplifier, as always, would be an advantage, but is by no means necessary. It shows what can be done in Basic using the limited Spectrum BEEP command and extensive instructions are provided with the cassette.

The specific sounds are not as interesting as they could be and the range of 'space noises' shows better what is possible. Overall a novel idea and well-presented.

Autosonics can be obtained from Buttercraft, 14 Western Avenue, Riddlesden, Keighley, Yorks.

Memory 16K Price: £4.99