Freepages

Yellow Pages is all very well, but it gets out of date and if, like me, you live on the edge of the region covered, there are loads of entries 30 miles away and few actually in your vicinity. Freepages on CD-ROM is one answer to this problem. Choose a category, then tell it where you are. There are 24,000 towns and villages, so it's a fair chance you'll get a hit, and if you don't, there are postcodes too. Given that information, Freepages zooms off and finds a list of entries in your neighbourhood, set out in order of nearness. Some entries are hot, taking you to a page of extra information on the business.

It's certainly quick and easy, though it's worth bearing in mind that this is the sort of directory where you have to pay to be included. Having said that, it's no more selective than using the display ads in Yellow Pages like many of us do. Freepages is easy to use and delivers the goods. The only doubt is whether it's worth lashing out for a CD-ROM that will get more and more out of date when the service is available for free on the phone or on the Freepages web site.

Overall - handy way of locating a nearby service, though the phone/web facilities are just as convenient, and free. Priced around ú14.99 in the UK. Windows/Windows 95 CD.

Freepages web site http://www.freepages.co.uk
Produced by TDS http://www.marketinguk.co.uk

Reviewed by Brian Clegg