Memory: 16K
Price: £9.50

Trans Express from the oddly-named Romantic Robot is a utility program which will allow microdrive and tape users to transfer programs freely between the two. The first use of the program is its microdrive-to-microdrive commands. From an enhanced CAT, files can be selected in any order and they are then saved in that order. That is useful for speeding of loading. The transfer can be either from drive one to drive two or the same drive, in which case you are told when to swap the cartridges.

The microdrive-to-tape section of the tape has a similar function but the programs are output to a cassette. It is a very simple way of making a security copy of a part or the complete cartridge.

Another program on the tape allows you to transfer tape programs directly to a microdrive, the program changing the relevent LOAD and SAVE commands in both Basic and code to microdrive ones. Finally, routines are included to allow tape-to-tape transfer. Both programs worked very well.

For microdrive users it is a valuable utility but its inability to copy itself means a frustrating wait while it loads, something surely it is designed to avoid. Tape users will also find uses for it. Each of the functions is available separately at £5.50, tape-to-drive and drive-to-drive together at £7.50, or all together at £9.50.