It is unusual to find one, let alone two programs which actually have some genuine practical use in the home. Designed primarily for use by women, these two could be of educational value for the whole family.

'Cycle planner' starts by providing some useful facts about the female menstrual cycle, then proceeds to a calculator routine which allows women to calculate probable dates of maximum fertility, including the time of greatest risk, and the date of birth of a child if conception occurs.

If the cycle is irregular, the dates of the first day of at least the last three cycles have to be entered to estimate future dates. There is no way to store any data, so this information has to be re-entered each time the program is used.

Another minor criticism is the lack of error-trapping when a numeric input is requested.

'Growth tracker' is a database for extracting information on the growth of a foetus before birth, development of a child (up to 24 months) after birth, and information on five of the most common childhood diseases.

This cassette certainly won't be sold in the same numbers as space games, which is a pity, for it's much more useful and educational than Invaders.

D.N.