Designed to identify specific reading problems - reversing letters and substituting one word for another - this sombre-looking double tape package of eight programs seems to be aimed at teachers rather than parents.

Comprehensive notes for the "teacher/supervisor" detail the sentences used and the options, including the facility to print and analyse the user's problem. Brief mention is made of the need to talk to the user about the responses.

Basically, sentences are shown with gaps and the child types in one of the two options. Input is fully error-trapped and, if the word is correct, it wends its way into the gap with BEEPs. An incorrect response falls through and the user is expected to try again.

I'm not a great believer in dressing up all educational programs as space games, but I do feel attractive screens and important. This is about as attractive as a tax return and, for parents, of questionable use. There's not much point in diagnosing what a problem is if you don't know how to cure it. The programs won't do that and, at this price, a school would have to be well-off to consider it.

D.M.