Building on the tremendous success of Channel 4's "The Living Body", Martech is proud to present THE LIVING BODY for the microcomputer.

Designed and written by a specialist programming team and drawing on the knowledge and expertise of one of the world's leading publishers in the field of medical science, this software package now offers computer owners an unprecedented opportunity.

Just as a flight simulation program allows you to try your hand at piloting a plane, no fewer than six separate programs allow you to discover, understand and even control the workings of a living body. How well you do may depend not only on how quickly you learn, but also on your skill and speed of reactions.

To help you master the six programs, a 32 page, full colour booklet packed with helpful information and stunning illustrations is included. Dr. Christiaan Barnard, the world famous heart surgeon, has acted as consultant in preparation.

The Living Body software is all about you. It is challenging, exciting and very enjoyable.

This package includes six programs:

plus a 32 page full colour booklet.

(For Children and enquiring adults)

Note that clicking the images in the table below will display the image in a larger window.

The six computer programs in this package have been designed to help you find out in an entertaining and interesting way how the human body keeps itself going.

The booklet will provide you with the additional information to help you master the programs (if you are good enough that is!) and the relevant sections should be read before each program is attempted.

It must be stressed that these programs only illustrate processes and functions which in practice are far more complicated. We've also tried to make it easy to use, so PLEASE do not take everything that happens too seriously. However, if eventually you understand the booklet and can master each of the six programs to a reasonable level, you will have gained a very valuable insight into the workings of your own living body.

This program has been designed to make sure that you know, or to help you discover, the names and principal functions of the main parts of a living body. Every time you correctly identify a part, it will be connected to the body's blood supply.

Press the arrow key to select the part you wish to try and label. Press RETURN to display eight possible labels, only one of which is correct.

Press the key which is the first letter of that part to choose the label. e.g. Key B for BRAIN

Press the RETURN key to receive a clue.

Your score will depend on:

Blood flows around a living body in a double circulatory system.

Two arteries take blood away from the heart. One takes blue deoxygenated blood to the lungs and the other takes red oxygenated blood to the body.

Two veins carry blood back to the heart. One carries blue deoxygenated blood away from the body and the other carries red oxygenated blood away from the lungs.

To build a system which works, therefore, you have to connect four major blood vessels.

Only four? - Sounds easy! Just you try.

The object of the game is to connect all four blood vessels into their correct positions.

To do this you must try and organise the movements of the blood vessels so that all four are in the correct position in the same instant. This is achieved by holding up one blood vessel at a time and releasing it at the right moment.

For example, you could start by lining up the pulmonary artery with the pulmonary vein.

When all four are correct, they will automatically 'lock on'.

Compare the mechanical heart on your screen to the diagram on page 14.

Before the mechanical heart will work, you must devise a program for its correct operation. To do this, you must place six actions which control the heart into the right order.

The six actions are shown to you on the screen, but they have been jumbled up. Use keys 1 to 6 to choose the correct sequence.

Hint: Atrium pistols push is number 1. Semi-lunar valves are (G) and (H)

Once the heart is beating correctly, it will be your job to repair it should it become distressed. A message will tell you which part or parts are in urgent need of surgery. Use the keyboard to move the scapel to the correct letter and the disease will be removed.

If the heart becomes too distressed, it will suffer a heart attack!

Use the cursor keys.

Your score will depend on:-

Imagine what life would be like if we had to take conscous control of our breathing. Fortunately, although we can change how quickly we breathe, or how deep our breaths are, our brain is quite capable of looking after this process on its own.

In this program you must take control of the breathing of a person as they go through a series of activities. As the activities become more strenuous, their muscles will require more exygen.

As you have seen in the booklet, there are three ways in which more exygen can be made available to the muscles (See page 17).

In this game, the computer controls (1) i.e. the person's pulse rate.

It will be your job to take control of (2) and (3).

A bar gauge in the left hand corner will show you whether the blood leaving the lungs is correctly oxygenated.

It is becomes all blue, the person is underventilated and will faint. If it becomes all red the person is overventilated (called "hyperventilation") and will also faint.

Every time you tap one of the keys shown above, it will slightly alter the way in which the person breathes.

How long can you last?

Imagine you have been shrunk to so small a size that you could easily wander throughout a living body. That is what this program is all about.

Starting in the mouth it will be your job to travel around the body trying to visit each of the locations in the alimentary canal and add the correct substances to the food that you find there. The more correct actions that you perform, the higher the score you will achieve.

Unlike a real body however, the substances you need have been scattered and lost. Before you can use them therefore, you will firstly have to find them.

Making your job even more difficult are bacteria which are constantly invading the body. If the bacteria are not killed by the antibodies which you carry, they will multiply and spread to neighbouring parts of the body, eventually killing it.

The body's temperature should be 37 degrees C. Any higher than this and you know there are bacteria in the body.

Bacteria always spread to neighbouring locations if not killed. As they spread, the body temperature will rise. It the body temperature becomes too high, the body will die.

To help you find the bacteria you can use a special X-ray which will show you their approximate location. However, you can only use this X-ray once for each new outbreak.

Pressing T then 3 therefore, will pick up one unit of acid, if it is present.

Pressing A then 9 therefore, will add one unit of lipase to the location. A message will tell you what effect on the food, if any, this action has had.

In this program, it will be your job to control the flow of blood in a living body.

In practice, blood is flowing through every part of a living body all of the time but in this game you must direct the red oxygenated blood leaving the heart through one of four routes.

Parts which are de-oxygenated will give a warning that they need oxygen quickly.

They will also give you a warning if they need food. To take food to a body you must first make the blood pass through the gut. Here it will pick up the food that you need.

The body part can survive for a longer period without food than without oxygen. You will need quick reactions and quick thinking in this game. How long will you survive?

Your score depends upon how long you manage to survive.