TRAVEL Q & A / By RAY CORMIER
CD-ROM Maps of Europe

Q: Are there CD-ROM maps for European cities and country routes similar to Microsoft's Streets USA? -- Joseph F. Boyle, Nanticoke, Pa.

A: It turns out that Microsoft makes such a product -- the Auto Route Express Europe 2000 CD-ROM, covering 45 countries from Ireland to the Urals and 1.7 million miles of roads. It allows a traveler to plan customized trips, search for destinations and print out maps and directions. It can also be used with a global positioning system to determine your location.

It requires an operating system of Windows 95 or later or Windows NT Workstation 4.00, and minimums of 16 megabytes (32 recommended) of RAM, 85 MB of hard-disk space and a double speed CD-ROM drive.

For England, Scotland and Wales, you could choose Microsoft's Auto Express Great Britain. Rob McIntosh, international products manager for Microsoft, said the Britain program includes all streets in every city, whereas the Europe program does not show some small streets.

These products, however, are also almost impossible to find in America, he said. To find out where to order them, go to www.microsoft.com/uk or call (800) 426-9400. The list price for each is about $95, at $1.59 to the pound. A British mail-order company, Elstead Maps, sells them for about $79, plus $8 shipping.

Elstead also carries a Dutch product, the AND Route 99 World! CD-ROM, which maps everywhere but Antarctica. It does not offer as much detail as Auto Route Express 2000, according to Stephen Colebrooke of Elstead, but does provide printable optimum and alternative routes and multiple destination trips. It is about $67. Contact Elstead at (44-1252) 703-472, fax (44-1252) 703-971, or www.elstead.co.uk .

The Eartha Global Explorer by Delorme of Yarmouth, Me., (207) 846-7000, www.delorme.com is another world atlas, showing major highways and streets. It can plan trips by mass transit and be used with a G.P.S receiver. Cost: $39.