If you enjoy 3D graphics work then this CD-ROM title from PD Soft will definitely be of interest. Although it's pitched directly at Lightwave users, Light ROM contains files which are also useful for Sculpt 3D and Imagine users. Containing over 650Mb of data, Light ROM features a huge library of 3D objects, Lightwave scene files, surface attributes, bump maps, Vista .DEM files and other associated 3D files.

The range of 3D objects is certainly very impressive. Subjects covered vary from human anatomy and animals (including a great Tyrannosaur model) to effects (various types of fireworks), vehicles and more spaceships than you can shake a stick at. A wide selection of Imagine objects are included too and, surprisingly, there's very little crossover so you could use a program such as Pixel 3D (AF65 Coverdisk) to translate between the two formats. In all, Light ROM is worth every penny.

"If you're a keen Lightwave user then you'll find the objects on Light ROM a real treasure trove."

17 Bit Software have crunched every single new disk that has been added to their immense library of Public Domain software during 1994 on to this single CD-Rom which was mastered by Almathera Systems. Like previous 17 Bit Software collections, none of the programs on the Phase Four disks can be accessed directly. Instead, Phase Four uses a special menu system which decompresses any disk that you select on to a blank floppy. Althought this can be annoying, it does mean that you can easily distribute the PD software on the disk to friends who don't have a CD-Rom drive. The software on the disk ranges from full-blown PD games to demos, picture slideshows, music samples and utility collections. If you're a PD fan, this disk is highly recommended.

"The best way to get your hands on the latest programs in 17 Bit's impressive catalogue of PD software."

Aimed primarily at PC owners, this CD-ROM contains a huge collection of high-resolution clip art images for use in desktop publishing applications. Although the clip art files are stored in .PCX format, many Amiga DTP and word publishing packages support the .PCX filetype so there's no reason why you can't use them on your Amiga.

All the images on the disc were scanned in with a hand scanner. Indeed, many of the images have been scanned in line art mode so no attempt has been made to give the impression of greyscales. Although the scan quality is (on the whole) very good, some of the scans are less than perfect. Like all good clip art collections, the range of subjects covered is comprehensive and should suit every requirement.

"Despite the lack of colour clip art, DTP fans should find this compilation very useful indeed."

Most PD compilations contain the usual mix of games, utilities and other associated files. What sets one disc aside from the others is not how many animations or utilities it has, but how easy it is to access the files. The author of Compendium Deluxe has a rather clever solution to this problem, instead of relying on a fancy front end, Compendium Deluxe uses an AmigaGuide-based hierarchical menu system that allows you to find the file you want with ease and then decompress it directly on to any device automatically. Compendium Deluxe contains a wide selection of serious utilities (many of which aren't on other similar compilations), games, animations and demos. Although the choice of games is not impressive, Compendium Deluxe is worth buying for its selection of utilities.

"Although some of the software is a bit obscure, dig deep and you'll find a few real gems on this disc."

If the thought of wading through thousands of 256-colour scanned images of scantily clad beach babes, high-performance super cars, exotic locations and interesting peices of fruit excites you then this compilation from PD Soft is worth investigating. Designed for the PC, the images can also be viewed on an Amiga providing you have a program capable of interpreting .GIF format images (Personal Paint or ADPro will do the job).

The images on the disc are arranged into specific catagories - animals, people, transport, girls and so on. Most are scanned in 256-colours at a PC resolution of 640x480 and are of very high quality. As a source of colourful artwork, this disc is very good value indeed. The lack of Amiga support is somewhat annoying but the .GIF format is so widely used that this shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

"If you need a source of high-quality scanned images then look no further than this compilation from PD Soft."

Building up a decent collection of PD needn't cost a bomb - buy this single CD-ROM from PD Soft and you can instantly obtain the first 1,500 disks from PD Soft's impressive range of Public Domain software. It doesn't take a brain the size of a planet to deduce that 1,500 disks worth of data won't fit on to a single CD-ROM (you'd need approximately 1,320Mb of storage space) so PD Soft have crunched their disks using the PD Diskmasher DMS format. Although DMS is included on the CD-ROM, PD Soft have neglected to include any icons and so you need to be fairly proficient to access the DMS program. Even then, the version of DMSWin (which runs DMS from Workbench) is so old that it's very, very unfriendly. Although the content of this disc cannot be faulted, the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

"Like Hottest 4, this disc is let down by a lousy front end. Once again, though, the content is very good."

The companion to PD Soft's Utilities 1-1500 disk is Hottest 4, a compilation of PD software that didn't quite fit into the serious utilities category catered for by the utilities disc. Like Utilities 1-1500, none of the programs on Hottest 4 can be accessed directly from the Workbench so you'd better have a pretty good knowledge of DMS if you want to get any of them up and running. Once again, PD Soft have managed to make the disc very unfriendly - the only way you can access the contents of the disc is to either use AmigaDOS or a directory utility.

However the contents are very good. Packed away on the disc you'll find a vast selection of games, demos (including many AGA versions), Workbench 3.0 and AGA utilities, sampled sounds and loads of music modules. In all, a good compilation that is only let down by its awkward front end.

"The content is top notch but you need to be fairly Shell literate to access what you want."

Font compilations are nothing new - in last month's CD-ROM round up we reviewed two - but few are as cleanly and as logically put together as this compilation from the PD master himself, Fred Fish. Packed on to this single silver wonder are more than 200 fonts. OK, so some other font collections offer more fonts per pound, but this compilation is somewhat different because a great deal of effort has been put into ensuring that every single font is available in DMF, Intellifont, Adobe and TrueType format (saving you the hassle of having to convert them yourself).

If quality rather than quantity is more important to you then this is definitely the outline font disk to buy. It may not have every single PD font under the sun but those that are on the disc are generally very high quality.

"Although not the most comprehensive selection, this is one of the most professional fonts packages."

This two-volume set from Germany contains a potpourri of 3D rendering files. Common to both discs are a wide range of 3D objects for Imagine, Lightwave and other popular Amiga rendering packages. The range of objects isn't too impressive when compared to the Light ROM disc, especially when most of the objects can be found on other compilations anyway. The objects are backed up by a wide range of 24-bit backdrop images, rendered images (mostly 3D Studio stuff), 24-bit textures, outline fonts and a wide variety of attributes for Imagine users. The only major gripe I could level at this collection is that it shows its German origins just a little too much - many of the files are designed for use with Maxon Cinema 4D (an English version of which has yet to be released) and many of the file and directory names are in German. Save your pennies and buy Light ROM instead!

"Not quite in the same league as Light ROM but, despite a few faults, it's still a good disc."