There has been a long gap since the last update.

New additions include;

• the full documentation and original discs for The Magnus Collection from MEP and Shell Educational Software. This is a huge package that needs two computers networked via a RS423 serial cable and includes a user port card reader and plastic data cards and a custom VHS video cassette. Thanks to AcornDave from the StarDot forums for archiving the VHS tape.
• Nasty Games from System Software. These are maths games for 7 - 11 year old children. The games are fiendish, against the computer and are very colourful.
• Starfinder from Century Software. This is a night sky viewer showing stars, constellations and planets for dates in the 20th century. Thanks to RobC and billcarr2005 of the StarDot forum for finding the software.
• updates to the archive for BBCsoft Astronomy.
• Star Seeker from Mirrorsoft. This has a similar function to Starfinder above but is not limited to 20th century dates.
• Wordbuild from GTM Computers Ltd. This is the full release version kindly donated by Erica Perry.

Continuing updates to the archive include;;

• The Zebra shapes book for the Griffin Shapes package,
• The wrapper for the Sulis Time Traveller package,
• The package wrappers and user manuals for the Griffin titles Atoms and Moles and Mental Arithmetic,
• The missing documentation for Mr T's Number Games.

There has been a big update to archived packages including;

• The user manual for Acornsoft's ABC,
• The package cover and inside details for Missing Signs from ESM,
• Number Balance, the ESM version including documentation,
• Alternate package design for Fernleaf's Games of Deduction,
• The documentation for Sherston's Fleet Street Phantom,
• The Master Compact software for Terra Australis from Jacaranda,
• The box front and rear scans for Get Set from Griffin,
• The sleeve art for Beebug Paintbox,
• Documentation for Tile Mosaic from Cambridge Micro Software,
• Missing documentation for Goldfields from Jacaranda,
• The package wrapper for Fernleaf's Fletcher's Castle.

Further additions include;

• Sketch, a cassette-based art package from Goldstar,
• Draw from Micropower, a turtle graphics program,
• Illustrator graphics package from Nidd Valley.

Further additions include;

• Zap The Numbers from Edsoft in Australia, an arithmetic drill program,
• Sequence from the Tasmania Education Department, a visual discrimination program,
• Some applications for the Archimedes My World 2,
• Archimedes Words and Pictures resource pack,
• Archimedes Speak Easy.

Some RISCOS educational titles added including;

• Conform+ a concept keyboard overlay designer and driver for RISCOS Archimedes computers,
• First Words and Pictures from Chalksoft. A BBC title converted for the A3000,
• Keyboard Programs from SEMERC; a suit of BBC Micro title by Alan Nixon adapted to run under RISCOS.

The continuing additions include;

• Acornsoft's Creative Graphics,
• EDG Graphics Package from Salamander.

The continuing additions include;

• Splash, from the Elizabeth Computer Centre, Hobart Tasmania, an early years counting game,
• Star Chaser, from Paranti Products, an Australian publisher; this is a mathematical game. Kudos to billcarr2005 from StarDot for cracking the protection.

The continuing additions include;

• Twenty Crossword Puzzles from NCET, a twin cassette package of extra crosswords for the NCET title, Crossword Puzzler; these have been converted to a disc image for convenience of use,
• Party Time from Argus Publications Software, maths programs for 3 - 5 year olds,
• The documentation for A Saxon Settlement by Fernleaf; documentation produced by MEP for their Blue File suite of software,
• The documentation for Stretch from 4Mation added to the Private Archive,
• Reading Corner: Folk Tales from BBC Soft.

The latest additions from a large donation of educational material include;

• Mathematics with a Micro 1, from Heinemann,
• Morse Reader, an Amateur program to decode Morse Code fed into the BBC Microcomputer Analogue Interface,
• The Tombs of Arkenstone from Arnold Wheaton Software; the original disc was protected but the protection was hacked by StarDot members.

Huge thanks to StarDot members Lnew and Lurkio for the donation.

Added the missing software for What's to Eat? by Shumwari Associates.

This was discovered on a badly damaged cassette but luckily a second copy was recorded onto side 2 of the cassette. By combining data loads from both sides of the tape and swapping cassette players to load the tricky blocks a complete archive of the title was obtained.

Recent additions include;

• Planet Watcher from Brilliant Software, definitely one for the astronomers out there,
• The Night Sky from Bridge Software, the single title from cassette.

Thanks to vectoreyes of StarDot fame for loaning the items for archiving.

Happy New Year to our reader!

The first addition for the New Year is Know Your Tables, a title for the Acorn Electron published by Collins Software.

It is rare that the Archive comments on software hosted but in this case an exception will be made. In 1983, when this title was released, Collins was a major publisher of books and other materials and very well respected. It was a byword for quality. The Know Your Tables package would have appeared to ooze that quality when seen on the stockist's shelf, wrapped in its large, colourful plastic box. Inside were a professionally manufactured booklet and cassette tape. Unfortunately the publisher's description of the package was riddled with serious errors and did not match the software at all.