diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index ad04dba..0606ee6 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 Package: TAF
 Version: 4.3.0
-Date: 2024-02-28
+Date: 2024-06-11
 Title: Transparent Assessment Framework for Reproducible Research
 Authors@R: c(person("Arni", "Magnusson", role=c("aut","cre"), email="thisisarni@gmail.com"),
              person("Colin", "Millar", role="aut"),
-             person("Alexandros", "Kokkalis", role="ctb"),
              person("Iago", "Mosqueira", role="ctb"),
+             person("Alexandros", "Kokkalis", role="ctb"),
              person("Ibrahim", "Umar", role="ctb"),
              person("Hjalte", "Parner", role="ctb"))
 Imports: grDevices, lattice, methods, stats, tools, utils
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 05ae4d0..c4598ab 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-# TAF 4.3.0 (2024-02-28)
+# TAF 4.3.0 (2024-06-11)
+
+* Added function check.software() to check global package versions - an
+  administrative tool for special cases. Code contributed by Iago Mosqueira.
 
 * Added function ddim() to show the data dimensions of a table.
 
diff --git a/R/TAF-package.R b/R/TAF-package.R
index a25f5d7..0b15b2f 100644
--- a/R/TAF-package.R
+++ b/R/TAF-package.R
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@
 #' }
 #' \emph{Administrative tools, rarely used in scripts:}
 #' \tabular{ll}{
+#'   \code{\link{check.software}}  \tab check global package versions\cr
 #'   \code{\link{clean.data}}      \tab clean boot data\cr
 #'   \code{\link{clean.library}}   \tab clean TAF library\cr
 #'   \code{\link{clean.software}}  \tab clean TAF software\cr
diff --git a/R/check.software.R b/R/check.software.R
index 39e0cf3..8adeaf8 100644
--- a/R/check.software.R
+++ b/R/check.software.R
@@ -1,60 +1,85 @@
-#' Check versions with those in SOFTWARE.bib
+#' Check SOFTWARE.bib Against Global Packages
 #'
-#' Compare installed and required package versions
+#' Compare versions declared in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib} with packages installed in
+#' the global R library.
 #'
-#' @details
-#' A SOFTWARE.bib file can be use to record what package versions a certain
-#' analysis expects. Those available in the running session can be compared
-#' with those listed in the file. A warning is printed if the former are
-#' earlier that the later.
+#' @param full whether to return full data frame as output.
 #'
-#' @return TRUE or FALSE if available packages match those required or not.
+#' @return
+#' Logical vector (or data frame if \verb{full = TRUE}) indicating which
+#' installed packages are \dfn{ready}, i.e., at least as new as the version
+#' required in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib}.
 #'
-#' @name check.software
-#' @rdname check.software
+#' A warning is raised if any installed packages are older than required.
 #'
-#' @seealso [draft.software()]
-#' @keywords classes
+#' @note
+#' Generally, TAF installs R packages that are declared in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib}
+#' inside the TAF library (\verb{boot/library}). This guarantees that the right
+#' versions of packages are installed for the analysis. The \code{taf.library}
+#' function is then used to load packages from the TAF library.
+#'
+#' In special cases, however, it might be useful to compare the versions of
+#' packages declared in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib} against packages that are installed
+#' in the global R library, outside the TAF library.
+#'
+#' @seealso
+#' \code{\link{taf.boot}} and \code{\link{taf.library}} are the general tools to
+#' install and load packages of the correct version in the TAF library.
+#'
+#' \code{\link{update.packages}} can be used to update packages in the general R
+#' library to the newest version available on CRAN.
+#'
+#' @examples
+#' \dontrun{
+#' check.software()
+#' check.software(full)
+#' }
 #'
 #' @importFrom utils compareVersion
 #' @importFrom utils packageVersion
 #'
 #' @export
 
-check.software <- function() {
-
+check.software <- function(full=FALSE)
+{
   # GET bib file
-  bibfile <- (file.path(boot.dir(), "SOFTWARE.bib"))
+  bibfile <- file.path(boot.dir(), "SOFTWARE.bib")
 
   # CHECK file exists
   if(!file.exists(bibfile))
-    stop(paste0("File ", boot.dir(), "/SOFTWARE.bib does not exist"))
+    stop(paste0("file ", boot.dir(), "/SOFTWARE.bib does not exist"))
 
   # READ bib file
   entries <- taf.sources("software")
 
-  # EXTRACT versions
-  versions <- sapply(entries, '[[', 'version')
-
-  # COMPARE with available in session: 0 if equal, -1 is too old, 1 if newer
-  comparison <- unlist(lapply(setNames(nm=names(versions)), function(x)
-    compareVersion(as.character(packageVersion(x)), versions[x])))
+  # EXTRACT required version
+  req <- sapply(entries, "[[", "version")
+  req <- gsub("[,; ].*", "", req)  # remove text after comma/semicolon/space
+  out <- data.frame(Package=names(req), Required=req, row.names=NULL)
 
-  # FIND those too old
-  toold <- comparison == -1
-
-  # WARN if any SOFTWARE.bib:versions > available
-  if(any(toold)) {
-
-    msg <- lapply(names(toold)[toold], function(x)
-      paste0(x, ": ", packageVersion(x), " installed but ", versions[x],
-             " required\n"))
-
-    warning(strwrap(msg, prefix="; ", initial=""))
-
-    invisible(FALSE)
+  # COMPARE with installed version
+  out$Installed <- NA
+  out$Ready <- NA
+  for(i in seq_len(nrow(out)))
+  {
+    inst <- try(as.character(packageVersion(out$Package[i])), silent=TRUE)
+    out$Installed[i] <- if(inherits(inst, "try-error")) NA else inst
+    cmp <- compareVersion(out$Required[i], out$Installed[i])
+    out$Ready[i] <- if(is.na(out$Installed[i])) NA else cmp < 1
+  }
 
-  } else {
-    invisible(TRUE)
+  # WARN if any packages are obsolete (Installed < Required)
+  obs <- which(!out$Ready)
+  if(length(obs) > 0)
+  {
+    txt <- paste(out$Package[obs], out$Installed[obs], "installed but",
+                 out$Required[obs], "required", collapse="; ")
+    warning(txt)
   }
+
+  # RETURN data frame or vector
+  if(full)
+    out
+  else
+    invisible(setNames(out$Ready, out$Package))
 }
diff --git a/man/TAF-package.Rd b/man/TAF-package.Rd
index 37ffd9d..20fcb1b 100644
--- a/man/TAF-package.Rd
+++ b/man/TAF-package.Rd
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ scientific applications.
 }
 \emph{Administrative tools, rarely used in scripts:}
 \tabular{ll}{
+  \code{\link{check.software}}  \tab check global package versions\cr
   \code{\link{clean.data}}      \tab clean boot data\cr
   \code{\link{clean.library}}   \tab clean TAF library\cr
   \code{\link{clean.software}}  \tab clean TAF software\cr
diff --git a/man/check.software.Rd b/man/check.software.Rd
index 25adfad..02fc35d 100644
--- a/man/check.software.Rd
+++ b/man/check.software.Rd
@@ -2,23 +2,45 @@
 % Please edit documentation in R/check.software.R
 \name{check.software}
 \alias{check.software}
-\title{Check versions with those in SOFTWARE.bib}
+\title{Check SOFTWARE.bib Against Global Packages}
 \usage{
-check.software()
+check.software(full = FALSE)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{full}{whether to return full data frame as output.}
 }
 \value{
-TRUE or FALSE if available packages match those required or not.
+Logical vector (or data frame if \verb{full = TRUE}) indicating which
+installed packages are \dfn{ready}, i.e., at least as new as the version
+required in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib}.
+
+A warning is raised if any installed packages are older than required.
 }
 \description{
-Compare installed and required package versions
+Compare versions declared in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib} with packages installed in
+the global R library.
+}
+\note{
+Generally, TAF installs R packages that are declared in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib}
+inside the TAF library (\verb{boot/library}). This guarantees that the right
+versions of packages are installed for the analysis. The \code{taf.library}
+function is then used to load packages from the TAF library.
+
+In special cases, however, it might be useful to compare the versions of
+packages declared in \verb{SOFTWARE.bib} against packages that are installed
+in the global R library, outside the TAF library.
+}
+\examples{
+\dontrun{
+check.software()
+check.software(full)
 }
-\details{
-A SOFTWARE.bib file can be use to record what package versions a certain
-analysis expects. Those available in the running session can be compared
-with those listed in the file. A warning is printed if the former are
-earlier that the later.
+
 }
 \seealso{
-[draft.software()]
+\code{\link{taf.boot}} and \code{\link{taf.library}} are the general tools to
+install and load packages of the correct version in the TAF library.
+
+\code{\link{update.packages}} can be used to update packages in the general R
+library to the newest version available on CRAN.
 }
-\keyword{classes}
diff --git a/tests/Examples/TAF-Ex.Rout.save b/tests/Examples/TAF-Ex.Rout.save
index 077acbe..1decdb9 100644
--- a/tests/Examples/TAF-Ex.Rout.save
+++ b/tests/Examples/TAF-Ex.Rout.save
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 
-R version 4.3.2 (2023-10-31) -- "Eye Holes"
-Copyright (C) 2023 The R Foundation for Statistical Computing
-Platform: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu (64-bit)
+R version 4.4.0 (2024-04-24) -- "Puppy Cup"
+Copyright (C) 2024 The R Foundation for Statistical Computing
+Platform: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
 
 R is free software and comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
 You are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions.
@@ -207,6 +207,26 @@ Type 'q()' to quit R.
 > 
 > 
 > cleanEx()
+> nameEx("check.software")
+> ### * check.software
+> 
+> flush(stderr()); flush(stdout())
+> 
+> ### Name: check.software
+> ### Title: Check SOFTWARE.bib Against Global Packages
+> ### Aliases: check.software
+> 
+> ### ** Examples
+> 
+> ## Not run: 
+> ##D check.software()
+> ##D check.software(full)
+> ## End(Not run)
+> 
+> 
+> 
+> 
+> cleanEx()
 > nameEx("clean")
 > ### * clean
 > 
@@ -1818,7 +1838,7 @@ detaching ‘package:lattice’
 
 > options(digits = 7L)
 > base::cat("Time elapsed: ", proc.time() - base::get("ptime", pos = 'CheckExEnv'),"\n")
-Time elapsed:  0.236 0.001 0.236 0 0 
+Time elapsed:  0.216 0.008 0.225 0 0 
 > grDevices::dev.off()
 null device 
           1