SATS Maths Age 7

Designed to test the 40 maths principles covered by Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum, this package takes children through a number of mathematical problems, one question at a time. Click on the "P" icon to enter the parents' guide, where you can set the selection of questions: choose from random, even (asking the least covered topics first), easy and difficult, or set it to cover your child's weakest areas (this option becomes more and more effective the more an individual child takes the tests.)

What follows is a 1 to 20 on-screen test. Though not intuitive or very clearly explained, children should answer each question in turn, then click on the following number from the list in the left-hand border for the next question. However, once this is realised, it is a quick, easy and efficient way to progress through the test. Questions cover addition, multiplication, division, shapes, solids, tally charts and a whole host of other mathematical principles. On-screen symbols are backed up by written instructions, so a child will soon associate "taking away" with the minus sign, "sharing" with the division sign, and so on. Sums are written up on-screen as they would appear in an exercise book and children must work through them as they would on paper, working right to left in addition, subtraction and multiplication, and left to right in long division.

Children can request the repetition of questions at any time, and extra help is given if they struggle with a problem. The farmyard setting is used well mostly, with appropriate animals often used as objects for addition and subtraction, etc., but sometimes the background seems incongruous with the mathematical problems set against it. That said, there is no fancy animation, graphics or other unnecessary features that would distract, rather than enhance, the test situation.

At the beginning of the test, a child is asked to enter his or her name. This ensures progress is tracked on an individual basis--particularly useful for teachers using this package in a class situation. At the end of each 20-question test, the questions are marked, with a tick or cross against each question and a total. What the program would benefit from here is the opportunity to go back over questions that were wrongly answered, but if it is set to choose questions according to a child's weakest areas, this should cover any necessary ground.

Parents, teachers and children can check progress against the graphs, which are built up with every use. Detailed investigation of the categories will reveal those that a child is struggling with, and it will soon become obvious if any weak areas exist. An added bonus, particularly for children who may struggle at first, is that this progress chart can be wiped clean and a new one begun as a user becomes more confident.

Hundreds of questions on each area mean thousands of different tests can be produced, so the chances of a child getting the same question twice are slim, though the format of many questions is similar in successive tests.

Easy to load, simple to use with practice and highly effective at what it aims to do, SATS Test: Age 7 Maths claims to be useable with or without parental supervision, though our testing would suggest seven-year-olds would need help with their first use at least, as would particularly unconfident PC users. Once in use, the simple fact of demystifying the test environment can only help and parents and teachers can track their child or pupil's progress to keep them on the right track. --Lucie Naylor