GENUINE MICROSOFT AUTOROUTE 2004 FRENCH EDITION

AutoRoute 2004 may not be without imperfections, but it is among the best route-planning software for the PC. It has a polished interface that lets you plot routes easily. A smart search engine enables you to find places, postcodes, partial addresses, points of interest and near matches. You can then easily set waypoints and have AutoRoute automatically calculate the best route for you, along with providing time of journey and cost of petrol. It will take account of what speeds you drive at, how long you like to drive without a break, how many miles per gallon you typically get and the price of your petrol. You can also set preferred journey types, based on time, distance or preferred roads. This latter option enables you to set weighting to different road types, so for example, you can specify that you don't like driving on motorways. You then have a visual representation of the route accompanied by a list of written directions, which are easy to print out or e-mail.

The usefulness of any route-planning software is determined by the quality of its map data and this is where AutoRoute manages to both impress and distress in equal measures, depending on where across Europe you look. There is a huge amount of information packed into the software, with 2.5 million miles of routable roads plus details on 128,000 restaurants and 33,000 cash machines to name just a few highlights. Take a look at England, Germany or France, for example, and you find incredible levels of detail in the maps with very high accuracy, but other locations in Europe get far less detailed treatment, to the point that route mapping is largely impossible. Eastern Europe is particularly poorly served, as is Ireland.

For those with a previous version of AutoRoute, there are some good reasons to upgrade, depending on how they use the software. For those who would like to use the included GPS features, it's definitely worth upgrading as the satellite updates are now every second, as opposed to once every 15 seconds; this makes a huge difference in practical terms. Other new features include the ability see one-way streets at a glance and the ability to plot zones from a given point to areas you can reach within a given amount of time. There has also been a lot of work done in improving the maps and adding even more points of interest.

AutoRoute 2004 is a fine piece of software, with some excellent map detail, compounded by equally poor detail in other parts of Europe. It would be wise to check the features list for countries best served before making the decision to buy. --Heather Wilson

Manufacturer's Description
Microsoft AutoRoute 2004 is the great value all-in-one travel and mapping solution that delivers a comprehensive array of town and country maps, points of interest and driving directions for the UK and Europe. If you want to locate the closest post office, cash machine, hotel or restaurant, AutoRoute 2004 helps you find it. AutoRoute 2004 allows you to find your location while on the road with a GPS device (GPS device needs to support NMEA 2.0 or later). Simply plug the device into your PC running AutoRoute and see your location.Generate zones from a specific location indicating points that can be reached by car in an equal amount of time.Maps of over a dozen Western European countries are updated - more than 2.5 million miles (4 million kilometers) of routable motorways, roads and streets in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland plus the cities of Belfast, Helsinki, Oslo and Prague.