

DataCom Shareware Review

Menu Commando II v1.13

Menu Commando II is an excellent, though slightly dated, menu program.  It is
seldom seen on bulletin boards or anywhere else, and in my opinion deserves a
lot more attention than it gets.

This is one of the nicest menu systems I've seen.  The main menu has space for
26 entries.  Any or all of these entries can be submenus.  Each of the
submenus can have 26 entries, and any of these entries can be submenus with up
to 26 entries apiece.  And so on.  The number of submenus and menu items that
Menu Commando II can accomodate is limited only by hard disk space and the
user's ability to organize his menu system.

Menu Commando II's main menu screen is simple and attractive.  There is a
horizontal menu line at the top and a hint line at the bottom.  In between is
nothing but the menus.  As each submenu is chosen it lays down on top of the
previous menu, forming a cascade arrangement somewhat like the windows in
Windows.  One of the best things about this arrangement is that all the items
on a particular menu or submenu are visible at the same time.   The desired
item (submenu or program item) is selected by either moving the cursor bar to
it and pressing <Enter> or by pressing the letter key next to the item.

The top horizontal menu contains commands used in either file management or
configuring Menu Commando II.   Menu building becomes a fairly simple process
after a little practice, although the process takes a little getting used to.
You can set up new menu items or edit old ones by selecting "Menu Setup" from
the "Setup" pulldown.  The program then presents a split screen layout.  The
left-hand window contains a handy tree diagram of the menu structure with a
cursor bar.  The right-hand window displays the menu corresponding to the
highlighted branch of the tree.  The menu items are added, deleted, edited, or
moved by pressing the tab key to move the cursor to the menu window and then
moving the cursor vertically to the menu selection to be worked with.
Pressing <Enter> on this entry brings up an input form for entering the menu
item configuration parameters.  Specifying these parameters is simplified by a
graphical directory tree and a file pick list which may be accessed from the
"Program path" and "Program name" fields by pressing F7.  A particularly
interesting feature of the menu parameter screen is that the capabiliy to
choose whether Menu Commando II remains in memory or is removed from memory is
selected by choosing the appropriate entry for the "Run mode" field.  The 
entries are selected by pressing one of the horizontal arrow keys and then 
<Enter> when the proper entry appears.

Anyone with an interest in computer security will appreciate the attention
given to this concern by the authors of Menu Commando II.  The program can be
configured to just about any level of security that may be required.

In addition Menu Commando II has a rudimentary set of file managemant
utilities, selected from the horizontal menu, that includes directory
maintenance from an attractive graphical directory tree, text editor, diskette
formatter, file finder, system configuration readout, memory map, date and
time set, and volume label editor.

With all the good things that can be said about Menu Commando II, it seems a
shame that the authors saw fit to detract from an otherwise nearly perfect
impression by including an annoying set of registration reminders.  Although
I'm tempted to get on a "registration soapbox" I'll just point out that
usually I'm more inclined to register programs with low-key reminders (or none
at all) than those with high-flying beg (or nag) screens.  You be the judge.

In any event, Menu Commando II is an excellent program for a reasonable price.
In a shareware garden in which new menu programs pop up almost daily, it is
one my top picks.

By the way, Menu Commando II was written by the same folks who created
Back & Forth.


Menu Commando II v1.13
Filename:  MCIIV113.ZIP
Registration Fee:  $$
Sandi & Shane Stump
Progressive Solutions, Inc.
1321 Klondike
San Antonio, TX  78245
(512) 670-1061
