This paper summarizes the state of instructional software being produced by commercial sources in the United States as of late 1984, and reports some of the trends which led up to that state. After a brief background synopsis and description of the procedure used to obtain information, the document discusses such topics as: amount of software available, subject areas for which software was produced, growth of available software by subject, trends in the production of new software, grade levels of software, classification of program types, software quality, and trends in software quality. Based on the results of the study, the conclusion identifies four main weaknesses and four impressive strengths of the instructional software field. Four data tables and 10 graphs illustrate the paper's findings; a bibliography and computer glossary complete the document. (JB)