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The Junior Maths Pack is comprised of three programs which are aimed at teaching numeric skills and basic co-ordinates.

All three programs are loaded as one and each is accessed as a selection from a main menu. The first program contained on the tape is called Lander. This is a simple arithmetic program in which you have to prevent an alien from landing. To do this you must answer a question which the computer sets. If you fail to answer correctly the alien moves closer to the surface. A correct answer has the effect of turning on the alien's rocket motor and blasting it further up the screen. The game ends when the alien finally lands.

The second program is designed to introduce children to co-ordinate notation. It takes the form of a game in which a wizard has hidden four treasures in a large grid. You enter your guess and, provided that you haven't found the treasure, the computer will place a little arrow in the box, pointing to where the treasure is. You then repeat the process for a different box. By repeating this over and over again you can narrow down your search area until you find the treasure. When all four treasures are found, the game is over.

Guesses are input as co-ordinate pairs, first the X axis and then the Y axis. Two versions of the program are offered, one which keeps the arrows displayed on the screen throughout the game, and the other which doesn't.

The final program is entitled Number Spin. This takes the form of a fruit machine, using numbers instead of fruit. You get Hold and Nudge features and brief instructions which tell you that one of the function keys is a plus, and one a minus. What you are supposed to do escapes me, but it appears to work all right.

The graphics used in all the programs were fairly basis and the programs themselves suffered accordingly. Not one of the best educational tapes I have seen.

Phil Taylor