Own up. Were you one of the thousands of people who vowed to get rid of those surplus pounds in the New Year?

If so, a new interactive software package called Joanna Hall's Step By Step Guide to Weight Loss might be just what you need to retain your dignity.

The software starts out by asking for your body measurements. As a man who regards his body measurements as something to be kept secret at all times, I was a little put out. Nevertheless, I did the dirty deed and moved on to create a personalised fat and weight loss plan that was "tailored to suit my lifestyle".

The software asked questions about eating preferences and exercise. It then made all kinds of vile suggestions about ways to walk off some of my excess inches.

I have to say this was all carried out very efficiently and without any excess effort on my part. I was then given instructions on how and when to weigh in and how to enter the information on to my personalised chart.

This clever digital diet aid projects expected weight loss while offering enough information about body fat percentages to put you off your tea.

There is only one really irritating feature. An animated character called Active Annie. She is marginally less offensive than the Microsoft Office Paperclip, popping up with "helpful" advice and encouraging banter.

It is hard to imagine how a CD-Rom could possibly help you to lose weight, which is why Joanna Hall's Step By Step Guide to Weight Loss came as such a surprise. I strongly suspect it could actually work.

Price: £12.99
Contact: 01480 496600
Feel Good factor: 8 out of 10