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These programs, for age four- to seven-year-olds respectively, deal with short term recall and observation skills. At their highest levels, they will tax the most observant adults!

The structure of both programs is the same, the difficulty and subject matter varying with age. A Snap-type game calls for the child, on spotting a match, to press a key; Odd One Out is just that, from a selection of three; Memory presents a whole picture, and the child has to choose various components to remake the picture. There are score keeping routines and second chances.

Both graphics and sound are superb, no review could do them justice. For the younger user, the theme is Old MacDonald's Farm. For the older user, the theme is a selection test for the observer in a space mission. Rockets, aliens, space stations and moon landscapes abound.

Two quibbles. Though it looks good, the re-designed character set of the space program really doesn't make reading easy for under 10-year-olds. The needlessly ornate packaging must have put the price up by at least £1!

D.M.