It's quite some time since a Spectrum version of Scrabble appeared; now a Commodore version is available and it was worth waiting for.

The cassette version of the program comes in a cardboard box with a clear instruction leaflet. It has a vocabulary of over 1,000 words, so it takes an age to load. You can have up to four players, any or all of which can be the computer.

There are a lot of nice touches, including graphics for use on black and white TVs, options to allow you to watch the computer see other players' racks and ask for a hint if you're stuck and receive comments on your efforts. You can cheat by challenging the computer's words, ignoring its challenges, or swapping letter racks in the middle of a game.

There are four play levels and the computer should score an average of 350 points in a two player game at its highest level. It only managed a score of 215 against me - but unless you're a Scrabble champion, you should still find it a worthy opponent.

M.N.