Arguing that software evaluation is crucial to the quality of courseware available in a school, this paper begins by discussing reasons why microcomputers are making such a tremendous impact on education, and notes that, although the quality of software has improved over the years, the challenge for teachers to integrate computing into the classroom is still substantial. General features that must be considered in evaluating software--which can range from simple drill and practice exercises to packages that encourage learner creativity--are identified as creativity, instructional objectives, content, screen formatting, instructions, student response, program response to the student, motivational devices, technical quality, documentation, and teacher utility. Software evaluation instruments that can serve as models are cited, including evaluation forms from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and from the San Mateo County (California) Office of Education, and such guides as the "Evaluation of Educational Software: A Guide to Guides." Three software reviewing sources are also cited--"The Educational Software Selector,""The Yellow Book of Computer Products for Educators," and "The Survey of Early Childhood Software." The paper concludes by suggesting a seven-step process for performing thorough evaluations of instructional software. Five references are provided. (DJR)