You've seen all the reviews on GFA Basic by people who seemingly
know it all about computers.  Now, here's a review from someone who's not
quite an expert.

        If you've ever programmed in any Basic before, you'll take right to
GFA Basic.  Of course, there are other commands to learn and use, but
having that background in Basic makes them easy to understand.  I can't
tell you how it would be for a first time Basic user.  But as a person
who's used Apple Basic, Atari Basic, and IBM Basic, it came very easy.

        The editor is advertised as user-friendly.  That it is!  Editor
functions are listed across the top of the screen, in two rows.  You can
click on a function, or use the Function keys or Shift+Function keys to
execute them.  There is a Find command, a Search & Replace command, Page up
and down, Block markers, disk functions, and more.  GFA Basic does NOT use
line numbers, and to tell the truth, I thought using a Basic without line
numbers would feel very awkward.  Boy, was I wrong!  Using structured
programming, it's easier than using line numbers!

        You may be asking, "Can I write a program in GFA Basic and let
others use it without compiling it?"  YES!  GFA provides a run time module
with GFA Basic.  It can be freely distributed so anyone who does not own
GFA Basic can still run GFA Basic code.  I call that excellent judgement
on the part of GFA.

        The suggested price of GFA Basic is $79.95, but it can be found
cheaper mail order or software discount stores.  If you enjoy doing a little
programming, or if you want to get into some heavy coding, GFA Basic is
all you need.  It's simple enough for a beginner to use, yet complex enough
to handle commercial programming.  The days of "Basic is for beginners" are
over!  GFA Basic is what future Basic will be, and for the ST, the future
is now.