The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
Which?
Bob Burt
 bobburt@melbpc.org.au

This rather enigmatic title represents the registered trademark of Data Diction Pty Ltd, an Australian company that has launched a series of economically priced guides on various topics on disk for use on the home computer.

Aimed at the tourist or leisure and pleasure seeker, the current databases include
  • National Restaurant Guide
  • National Accommodation Guide
  • Pastorelli's Sydney Leisure Guide
T he packaging is carefully designed. Each of the guides is presented on a card roughly the size of this PC Update page, amply illustrated to attract the potential customer and holding one 3.5-inch disk in a bubble plastic section. The reverse side of the card holds information for the purchaser, including registration form, instructions on how to use the software and user licence details. Most of you will already have seen similarly-presented software for sale through newsagents.

Each software item can be run straight from the disk without any installation and I found this perfectly satisfactory for my review purposes. However, if you are a constant or frequent user, you can install the guide to your hard disk for much faster access. In either case, you should make a backup copy of the original disk.

All three guides have a similar operation and appearance. Essentially, there are three main areas containing information
  • The map selection and display area
  • The database display and scrolling area
  • A large section showing either opening screen information on startup or details of a selected database item after such a selection has been made
F irst, you select a suitable map, using the drop-down list immediately above the map image. While lingering in the map area, the mouse pointer contains a magnifying glass image, a double click calls up a map showing finer detail. When you are already using a fine-detail map, clicking on the magnifying glass button above the map area brings you out to a coarser map.

The database display changes each time you change the map, reflecting the items available in the particular region you have chosen. If you then click on the Search button, you bring up a dialog box in which you enter the specifications you wish to set for the search. On completion, the database display will change accordingly. You then make your individual selection from this area, to provide the details in the larger section in the bottom third of the screen.

There are provisions for making your own notes and you can print all selections (including their features).

National Restaurant Guide

This guide provides a database of more than 13,000 restaurants throughout Australia. Each entry contains the name, address and phone number(s) of the particular restaurant, style of food (cuisine), availability of parking, total seating, whether licensed or BYO, whether smoking is permitted or not, wheelchair access when available, which credit cards are accepted, and the price range for meals. A chart displays breakfast, lunch and dinner segments for a week, marking those for which meals are available.


Figure 1. Restaurant Guide opening screen


Figure 2. Search options for the Restaurant Guide

National Accommodation Guide

More than 6,000 accommodation establishments throughout Australia appear in this guide. Each entry contains the name, address and phone and fax number(s) of the accommodation, its style (eg. DeLuxe--Resort, Motel), facilities such as 24-hour access, room service, child minding, restaurant, bar, convention rooms, business centre, laundry, currency exchange, indoor pool, gymnasium, tour desk, wheelchair access, air conditioning, colour TV, STD phone, refrigerator, spa, tea/coffee, hair dryer, videos and clock radio (phew!).

Prices or, at least, price ranges are included for one person and two persons, for children and for suites. There is often a note that prices will vary seasonally, however, so you must check again if you actually make a booking. The listings include information about which credit cards are accepted.

Pastorelli's Leisure Guide to Sydney

Here we have more than 750 detailed listings of places of interest to visit in the Sydney area. These are grouped into 40 categories, including Bushwalking, Cinemas, Picnic Areas, National Parks, Beaches, Architecture, Scenic Areas, Markets, Galleries, Historic Sites, Bicycling and Museums. These certainly cover a wide range of interests.

The information provided includes description, opening times, fees, wheelchair accessibility, tours, wet-weather suitability and public transport options.


Figure 3. Display of selected restaurant details


Figure 4. Making a choice from the Sydney Leisure Centre

Conclusion

This is a well-presented and useful series of disks. As each disk is labelled with the month and year of production, it would probably be worth shopping around a little to make sure you have identified the latest available editions before you make your purchase.

For up-to-date information visit http://www.datadiction.com.au/

Reprinted from the June 1997 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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