While I have never actually test-driven Proteus, but like with pretty much anything else that's new in this World, willing to bet that there's a steep new learning curve involved. I can even picture it being quite daunting too.

Could it be anymore complex than manually routing a double sided through hole plated PCB with silkscreen masks? If it is, then it’s really not in line with my suggestion. If you Require a science degree to drive it then it would be very seldom that it would appeal to anyone without this degree. Makes matters even worse if there are actually genuine flaws with it too.

Can MELabs come up with a better solution that is low in cost, reliable, easy-to-use and pretty much entirely specific to the range of PICs that their brilliant compiler supports? At least my wish is clear.

Best Regards,
Trent Jackson