FIRST-TIME Internet users could benefit from a new service being tested by BT.

Two hundred homes in Northern Ireland are to be offered a pay-as-you-go service which could go national if it proves successful.

Instead of subscribing to an Internet service provider, users will only have to dial a special local call number and be billed by their phone bill.

According to BT, the service will cost about a penny more a minute than local calls. At the weekend, this means access to the Web for 2p a minute (or less if users subscribe to BT Friends and family service). A downside of the service is that it offers access only to the Web.

There is no e-mail built-in nor any access to newsgroups or the ability to create a Web site. But with access to the Web, users can access Web-based e-mail services to send and receive mail, view newsgroups through Web-based newsgroup readers such as DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com) and even create a Web site through Geocities (http://www.geocities.com) while they are online.

For those looking for their first taste of the online world, this is a great idea, but more experienced users will probably stick with their existing Net provider.

ANYONE with a passion for the planet should head for the World Wide Fund for Nature's excellent official website.

There is regularly-updated news, details of current and past conservation campaigns and profiles of various countries where the WWF is involved.

The site is easy to get around and there is some excellent visual material, including some stunning wildlife photographs and video clips.

There is a special section aimed at children and teachers and details of how you can help the organisation as a volunteer and as an employee - international job vacancies are posted on the site.

WEBSITE:http://www.panda.org/home.htm

TRUTH in Advertising carries cigarette adverts from the last few decades - and there is not a Government health warning in sight.

There were Kools, whose advert boasted "your throat and tongue stay cool and smooth, your mouth clean and fresh" while Pall Malls claimed to offer "an extra measure of cigarette goodness".

There is even an image of a jovial Father Christmas, fag in hand, in an ad encouraging the purchase of cartons of cigarettes as Christmas presents.

An enlightening look at advertising which goes some way to explaining how so many people became hooked.

WEBSITE:http://www.chickenhead.com/truth/index.html

LAST week I told you how Suffolk Police are hoping to capture criminals through the Internet.

Lancashire Police are currently in the process of appointing someone to oversee their website, which has been running in a basic form for a couple of years.

The final content of the site has yet to be decided - but could well include details of crimes which the public could help solve.

WEBSITE:http://www.lancashire.police.uk/start.html

IF you're heading off abroad in the hope of finding a bit of holiday romance, prepare yourself with the online guide to saying "I love you" in different languages.

From Afrikaans to Zuni, via Berber, Lithuanian and Navaho, it's all there - although it's probably not enough language to build a lasting relationship on!

WEBSITE:http://www.public.iastate.edu/abalce/love.html

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph online at www.lancs.newsquest.co.uk/let. And if you've found something interesting on the web, e-mail me at vcowan@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk.

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