The usefulness of any route-planning software is determined by the quality of its map data and this is where AutoRoute manages to both impress and distress in equal measures, depending on where across Europe you look. There is a huge amount of information packed into the software, with 2.5 million miles of routable roads plus details on 128,000 restaurants and 33,000 cash machines to name just a few highlights. Take a look at England, Germany or France, for example, and you find incredible levels of detail in the maps with very high accuracy, but other locations in Europe get far less detailed treatment, to the point that route mapping is largely impossible. Eastern Europe is particularly poorly served, as is Ireland.

For those with a previous version of AutoRoute, there are some good reasons to upgrade, depending on how they use the software. For those who would like to use the included GPS features, it's definitely worth upgrading as the satellite updates are now every second, as opposed to once every 15 seconds; this makes a huge difference in practical terms. Other new features include the ability see one-way streets at a glance and the ability to plot zones from a given point to areas you can reach within a given amount of time. There has also been a lot of work done in improving the maps and adding even more points of interest.