The enduring appeal of the BBC TV series that traces the ancestry of celebrities sees no sign of diminishing, with stars like Bruce Forsyth and Jason Donovan eager to track down any villains in their past. As a result, the linked software of Who Do You Think You Are? Family Tree Maker is now in its fourth incarnation, aiming to coax more of us into chasing our genealogy.

As well as the family tree software, the disk contains movie clips and stills from the first seven series to give you a flavour of the celebrities' family journeys, together with tips from genealogist Nick Barratt to help with research, and a trial subscription to the Who Do You Think You Are? magazine.

If you're not familiar with previous versions of this package, then it's important that you read either the supplied start-up guide book or the digital equivalent on the install disk. It uses the example of the late Princess Diana to talk you through the step-by-step procedure for building up your family tree. The main page you work off has an index of all your featured persons on the left, specific facts and figures about a highlighted member on the right and the actual family tree in the large central workspace.

Even with the tutorial it still takes some time to navigate your way around the various drop-down menus in order to, say, add a second spouse or list adopted as well as natural parents, but once you get the hang of it, it soon becomes second nature to add new data, photos, or video clips.

The new features in the current edition include producing slideshows from images in your tree, creating family books and calendars, scanning photos directly into your tree and constructing timelines that chart family migration paths. Another vital new addition is the Relationships tab that shows you at a glance how you're related to everyone in your tree.

Now, while you can do most of the legwork yourself in terms of researching your ancestors, you are strongly advised to take out a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk, including a three-month free Essentials membership to get you started. As that is by far the largest source for online family records (currently claimed to be 865 million), the fee will save you months of trawling through parish records, censuses and WW1 Army Service and Pension records. However, we found the process of narrowing down searches through Ancestry records often cumbersome and confusing, although the satisfactory results can be immediately transferred into your tree.

Verdict
Whether or not you're a fan of the BBC TV series, this fourth edition of the definitive Family Tree Maker software has made some significant improvements that should enable you to enjoy finding the skeletons in your family closet.

Company: Avanquest

Contact: 01962 835053

Tags: ancestry.com nick barratt bruce forsyth jason donovan family genealogy parish register services