Anyone, like myself, currently in the market for a new computer, will no doubt have marvelled at the power and sophistication of the latest machines, and then cursed the bewildering variety and virtually assured obsolescence which lays only a few months ahead. It's a problem which bedevils purchasers of all hi-tech equipment, but none more so than computer buyers.

Matters aren't helped by the determinedly partisan approach taken by devotees of the four main computer platforms, each believing theirs to be the only sane choice one could reasonably make. Mac users have always believed in the superiority of their machines as creative tools - and there's some justification for this. By contrast, PC owners often speak of the ubiquity of the range and their low cost in comparison to other machines (the Mac).

Most Atari Falcon owners made the transition from the ST, and point to the inclusion of MIDI sockets on both machines as evidence of Atari's commitment to the musician. Meanwhile, owners of recent Amigas are keen to play up the multimedia capabilities of their machines and drop the word 'multitasking' into the conversation at every opportunity.

After some deliberation, my view of the four formats is, predictably, rather different. To my mind Apple are still guilty of overcharging for their machines, and are now also to be taken to task for introducing too many models into the range. PC manufacturers are not to be forgiven for treating all non-business users with apparent disregard. Atari, frankly, couldn't be trusted as far as they could be corporately thrown and certainly do not deserve the loyalty they receive from users. And Commodore need to spend much more of their time and budget overcoming the 'games' reputation which they were once happy to cultivate.

So which have I decided upon? Well, with the shadow of RISC technology looming large at the moment - and all that implies in terms of speed and power - it'll have to be a machine offering the requisite upgrade path. I also need reliability, as I'll be using the machine as part of my job. And I'm also thinking seriously about a direct-to-disk recording system, and... oh hell, I don't know... perhaps I'll buy a new car instead.