Anquet has always stolen a march with its 3D manipulation. So if you prefer to plan your adventures with some realism rather than through the abstract world of 2D then this is the package for you. It might take a bit of time to get to grips with but once you get your head round the interface it proves to be a reliable aid to navigation, both at the planning stage and in action on the hill whether the route is loaded to a GPS or printed out as a paper map and route card. On the PC Anquet has some excellent features, allowing you to view two different types of mapping at once, to trace round your route and see your position on the gradient profile, and to fly through the 3D image of the route. You can either purchase a DVD or you can go online and download the mapping of your choice. Anquet’s site is a delight to use and is packed full of information, products and support. Once you have the software up and running, online tokens start at £20 for 500 square kilometres at 1:25,000 that can be selected to fit a boundary that you choose. There are no real gripes, but the 3D controls involve moving the eye point and can be a tad frustrating if you don’t think that way. Again there’s no Mac support, and to purchase online you need decent broadband connection speeds.
Access online and DVD
Platform PC, pocket PC and smartphone