Original review published on Steve Litchfield's 3-Lib.

RMRBank (a.k.a. Personal Accounts and more previous names than I care to repeat) is Alan Richey's all-encompassing shareware masterpiece, one of the most registered of all Psion programs and very highly regarded by all and sundry. More information and updates of the program (I've just been looking at v2.1 for the Series 5) can be downloaded from RMR Software. There are also versions for the humble Siena and Series 3 range.

The sheer size and scope of this program impress, though you'll need around 600k of disk space free on the Series 5 (or 400k on the '3') to keep the program with all its modules and plenty of free system memory to run it. RMRBank's basic function is to keep track of all your finances. From bank accounts to standing orders to look-ahead to stocks and shares to expenses to household planning, this program does it all. Heck, the Views (diamond) list alone boasts at least 10 entries! Going into the 'Preferences' section gives a choice of about 15 different sets of preferences, each of which can have up to 6 more sub-preferences, although these have been simplified significantly on the EPOC version. Anyway, I think you get the idea!

Whichever section of the program you happen to be in, a different menu system is used, relevant to the job in hand. This is very professional and helpful. All versions also include a proper help system, with entries well laid out and comprehensively written. RMR's EPOC Style guru Phil Spencer has obviously been at work here too, with every menu option and dialog immaculately turned out and conforming to Psion's own style guides.

The unregistered version of the suite is limited on all fronts. Only a few standing orders, only a few accounts and so forth, but that's fine for trying a program of this size and scope out, Alan seems to have got things well balanced, given that he doesn't want to make the program fully working shareware, always a personal decision for each author. Registering with him thankfully doesn't involve re-installing anything, it's simply a matter of typing in a special un-locking code. There are also few over-the-top nag screens, making the program very useable during its shareware trial period.

In use, the suite works very well. It's fairly intuitive, despite its complexity, and the screen layouts are clear and informative. Integration between the different modules is excellent and you can transfer monies between modules or accounts at will. On the Series 5 the toolbar is used well and on the Series 3 the diamond key is configured so that your most frequently needed modules are only a pen tap or key press away.

If you use a desktop finance program already, there are import and export modules to and from the standard Quicken Interchange Format, a nice touch and one that will be widely welcomed.

Early versions of RMRBank were widely criticised for their speed. Quite slow in operation, often you had to press a key and wait a second or so before anything happened. Although even now no speed demon, the program is about as fast as it's possible to get in OPL, given the complexity of what it's trying to do, juggling so much data and so many options. Sometimes quality takes just a little longer. On my Series 5mx, the program hums along nicely, without any frustrating waits.

Although this is nominally shareware, its quality and complexity are a match for competing commercial programs, such as Money. Although perhaps not as rigorous in its implementation, RMRBank's extra modules will more than make up the difference for many people. Other shareware/freeware competitors include HomeBank and ABP, both of which have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Treat the unregistered RMRBank as a demonstration version of a commercial program. Check out what the program can do and see if it fits your way of handling your family's (or firm's) money.

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