Designed by teachers and supporting all UK examination board syllabuses, The Times Education Series GCSE Maths is just the job whether you want a reference tool to help you brush up on particular areas where you're weak or whether you're engaged in a last-gasp rush towards exam success. Perhaps stereo-typically, there aren't many laughs-and indeed, the few multimedia elements (mostly voice-overs with some nice animated graphics illustrating topics such as 3-D geometry) are disappointing. However, the core content is superb, covering well over 100 different topics including estimation, fractions, percentages, equivalence, ratios and factors, rational and irrational numbers, angles, areas, vectors, matrices, Algebra, quadratic equations, transformations, averages and frequency tables. The chapters combine teaching modules-on-screen lessons with narration-and contextualised questions to make sure that you've grasped the topic. Fortunately, the interface is an object lesson in good, simple design and allows the student to get straight on with things-from the main menu you can go straight to the classroom screen and get stuck into one of the ten chapters, browse the Curriculum Focus screen for a specific topic, or try one of the tests, which are divided into the same chapter headings as the topics in the classroom section. As you complete the tests, you're given a score which you can review at any time; if that's not enough, there are "Cross Number" games that are like crosswords that have maths questions for clues-and answers. GCSE Maths provides solid support for course work, allowing students to dip in and out of specific subjects they're not sure of, answering questions and having their answers checked. In addition, it provides sample examination questions for those who are more focussed on getting in some practice for the big day. -Rob Beattie.