AutoRoute is one of the oldest route planning programs, having always been able to offer good coverage of the road system in the UK and, more recently, abroad.

But while in the past it's been limited to on-computer route planning, Microsoft has now bundled it with a satellite navigation device. Rather than just being used for forward planning, then, it can also give real-time travel guidance.

Installation is a matter of loading the software from the supplied DVD and plugging the GPS locator into a USB socket (a USB extension lead is supplied). There are no setup instructions for the hardware, which is an oversight. The AutoRoute interface hasn't changed much, so while it will be familiar to anyone who has used the product before, it now looks dated and could do with a revamp.

The GPS panel, which is implemented as a separate mode within the program, looks strangely incongruous with the rather old-fashioned look of the main screen and route panel.

AutoRoute 2007 includes street-level maps of 15 European countries and larger-scale maps of another 20, including most eastern European countries as well as Ireland and Jersey. There’s plenty of information on places of interest and restaurants, and the gazetteer includes garages and cash machines too.

Using AutoRoute with the GPS locator is not as straightforward as using an all-in-one navigation device such as those made by Navman, Magellan and TomTom, since you need to have the computer up and running to do anything. While the GPS locator attaches easily to the inside of a windscreen and gives a good strong signal, the PC will have to be on the seat beside you or, preferably, on the lap of a passenger.

The software does give spoken instructions, though these are poorly synthesised to the graphics, and looking at the notebook screen for directions can be very dangerous. The graphics are flat and two-dimensional, too, so it's not as easy to get to grips with as a three-dimensional map.

Instructions are generally helpful and delivered in good time, but if you take a wrong turn, AutoRoute isn’t smart enough to direct you back onto the route, on the fly. A plaintive "You have left the route" is the only message you get. In the end, this feels like an awkward implementation of a clever idea.

Vista compatible: Yes