Product Reviews

Route planning packages differ in their geographical coverage and the detail provided but Route Planner 2004 excels in both these respects. This package covers all of Europe and even some of the ex-Soviet countries. In the UK, every single road, however minor, appears to be included. Throughout Western Europe, all major cities are covered to street level, even showing house numbers. Major roads, but not all city streets, are included in Eastern Europe.

Route planning is much as

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you'd expect although, as with most packages, Route Planner 2004 doesn't appear to know about ferry timetables. With some ferries crossing just once per day, your departure time will make a vast difference to the overall journey time.

If you load Route Planner 2004 on a laptop and attach a GPS receiver, you can use it on the road. Although it doesn't give verbal, turn-by-turn instructions as some PDA packages do, you can track your position on the map. Another nice touch is that the package is able to connect to a traffic information service to provide you with details of any hold-ups along your route.

Route Planner 2004 also allows you to select various categories of tourist-related information, such as restaurants, theme parks and railway stations, which it then plots on the map. This helps you plan what to do when you arrive at your destination, as well as how to get there. In a similar vein, the included Varta hotel guide allows you to find suitable accommodation, and even lets you book a room online. All in all, this is a polished piece of software.