COMIS AutoTest review

Gallery

Verdict:

Old-fashioned software with a clunky control screen and limited scope that's not likely to help you pass your driving test, but will test your patience.

Review Date: 20 Apr 2004

Price when reviewed:

Reviewed By: Karl Wright

Our Rating 2 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

There's nothing more frustrating than failing your driving test because you've committed some trifling error - clipping a pensioner with your wing mirror or doing handbrake turns outside the police station, for instance.

Examiners can be real nitpickers about that kind of thing.

AutoTest claims to coach its users into avoiding such driving test pitfalls. The program consists of a simple control panel, together with a database of all the questions from which the Driving Standards Agency compiles its driving theory tests. As it comes from the DSA - the people who actually set the tests - all the information supplied by this program is pertinent.

Sadly, the software itself is extremely basic - its control screen feels at least 10 years out of date. The only way in which AutoTest makes use of a modern PC's multimedia facilities is by reading the questions and answers to you. This is useful, but there are many more impressive ways you could make use of the PC as a teaching aid.

Another fatal flaw is the scope of this software - being limited purely to the questions in the theory test. It doesn't have separate sections on things such as hazard perception or vehicle maintenance - all of which you'll need to know about to pass you test. Autotest also fails to put any of the information it provides in context. The program simply asks you a question, then tells you whether your answer is right or not. This is fine if you just want to learn the answers by rote - but it's not the best way to become a safe driver!

This software is basically just a list of questions - and if that's all you need, you'd be better off buying a book and saving yourself the bother of sitting alone in the spare room with your PC.

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