HARD FACTS SPECIAL

Are you having a hard time choosing the right hardware? Hard but Steve Adams has the lowdown on the latest hardware. And it's all under £100.

Modem House
£39.95

If you're planning to use the Voyager modem on your Speccy, you'll need this interface. As far as hardware goes, it's great. You get multiple speeds on a rotary switch at the back and there's also reverse Prestel that'll allow you to talk to VTX5000's without any specialised software. You can even talk to other computers at up to 4800 baud though at these rates you have to be directly connected.

The software tape that's included features three programs - Viewterm, Teleterm and Newterm. The first is a really natty autodial, menu-driven program and comes complete with autologon/autodial macros to give a Prestel-type terminal. To download Telesoftware you have to go off-line and load up Teleterm. This'll load CET format Basic programs, but not some of the VTX programs so it'll cost you extra for a double telephone socket. Newterm is an ASCII format terminal program for non-Prestel bulletin boards and it includes xmodem to transfer files.