Intuit started selling Quicken in 1984. When reviewing a software product with such a long history, it is easy to assume that everybody already knows about the program.

This assumption can lead to a review being simply a list of new features rather than a considered evaluation of the product. Because some of our readers weren't even born when Quicken was introduced, it's time for a re-evaluation of this classic software.

Quicken 2002 is a finance manager. What you can do with it depends on which version you buy. Quicken Standard reconciles loans, savings and current accounts, and helps you plan and budget, but for most people the Deluxe version is the most appropriate.

It answers 'what if' questions about savings and investments, and offers better help with financial decision making. It also includes a separate home inventory module, where you can record and value your possessions for insurance purposes.

The Deluxe and Business version has a limited range of invoicing, estimating and reporting functions for business users who don't need the complications of a formal accounts package.

If you want to use Quicken for financial planning and debt management you'll have to feed it copious amounts of information about yourself, including the balances of all your bank accounts and loans, the value of your investments, the state of your mortgage and how you use your credit cards.

Collating this information and typing it in could take hours, but you don't have to do it all at once. You can start with your current account details and add other accounts as the need arises.

The account information is entered into the Register, which is the heart of Quicken and where you record the day-to-day flow of money through your various accounts.

If you scrupulously record everything, you can see your net worth whenever you want to, and you can also see when you spent your money and what you spent it on, but this is possible only if you're willing to keep a full record of every payment made and received.

It's not enough to record that you took £100 out of a cash point machine and blew it all in an afternoon. To get the best out of Quicken you must be prepared to apportion the money to groceries, petrol, entertainment or whatever. This soon becomes tedious.

Despite Intuit's claims, Quicken is not an easy program to get to grips with, and the documentation is scant. Unless you buy the Deluxe version, which comes with a 32-page set-up guide, you'll have to read everything on screen.

The Watch Quick Tour Video option on the Help menu sounds like a good place to start, but all it does is display the promotional pages of Intuit's UK website, and these are mainly static screenshots from Quicken 2001.

An internet connection is essential to make the most of Quicken, especially its ability to monitor share prices and retrieve up-to-date advice from the Motley Fool financial website.

It's convenient being able to access financial websites from within Quicken, but you could simply access them with Internet Explorer and, if you wish to bank online, you are better served by your own bank's website.

Quicken can download details of cleared transactions from NatWest and Lloyds TSB accounts, but real-time interactive banking is out of the question.

Prices: Standard: £35, Deluxe: £55, Deluxe & Business: £75 (all prices include VAT).

Specifications:

• Reconcile bank, loan and savings accounts
• Monitor bills and payments
• Produce reports of your financial situation
• Plan savings and investments, including ISAs
• Manage personal share portfolios
• Make home inventories and 'what if' forecasts (Deluxe version)
• Produce balance sheets, invoices and estimates (Deluxe/Business versions)

Minimum requirements: Pentium 90MHz; Windows 95; 24Mb Ram; 54Mb to 97Mb free hard drive space; double-speed CDRom drive; optional modem/sound card.

Contact: Intuit 0845 606 2161
www.intuit.co.uk