Scrabble by computer is comparable to chess by computer - it's useful for solitary players - but how good is it? Can the computer's in-built (and limited) dictionary cope with the challenge of a mind comparable to the Concise Oxford?

It not only coped, but more than admirably, giving this Scrabble fanatic several tough games.

The instructions were easy to follow - seasoned Scrabble players will already know the rules of the game - and the graphics were good with a clear screen layout, although after an hour of play, my eyes were beginning to tire from gazing at luminescent characters.

A beginner to the game might find it inconvenient and distracting to have to call up information such as values and distribution of characters (couldn't this have been printed along with the instructions?) but the program did allow you to do almost anything you would normally do in a Scrabble game, including shuffling and changing letters. My biggest complaint was that it allowed you to cheat - it was too easy to overcome the computer's challenge - and I found it a little odd when the computer challenged words such as sorrel - gastronomes need not play! Four levels of speed and play added to the enjoyment and all in all I found it a compulsive program.