May 1 gives people north of the border the first chance to vote on how their representatives in the Scottish Parliament have performed.

BBC Parliament takes a look at the first four years: what went wrong, what were the achievements, who were the movers and shakers and what happens next?

New Labour, New Parliament

Not since 1707 had Scotland had its own parliament.

There had been some concerted attempts; home rule bills at the beginning of the last century, a failed devolution referendum in 1979.

But it wasn't until Labour won the 1997 election with a commitment to creating a Parliament in their manifesto that the vision became reality.

After the Scottish public backed the plans in a referendum, the first elections to the Parliament took place in 1999.

The proportional representation system used for the Scottish Parliament's elections meant it was unlikely any party would win an overall majority.

And this proved to be the case in 1999, when Labour won 56 of the 129 seats up for grabs.

A coalition partner was required and, after some intense negotiation, the Liberal Democrats joined Labour in a partnership agreement.

Lib Dem Jim Wallace became Deputy First Minister and Justice Minister and the two parties have, on the whole, worked as a team.

A different path

What has the Scottish Parliament done?

Well if you're interested in statistics it's passed 62 bills, held 118 separate Committee inquiries and issued 35,000 written answers.

In terms of real change: free personal care for the elderly since July 2002, a different student funding system, a ban on fox hunting and a children's commissioner for Scotland.

What Scotland has that Westminster doesn't Electronic voting Applause in the Chamber 'Time for reflection' instead of prayers TV coverage of the public gallery

Section 28, the piece of legislation that prohibits the promotion of homosexuality in schools, has gone.

More recently the biggest change in mental health law for 40 years has progressed through the Parliament.

But none of it has come easy.

The ban on hunting and the repeal of Section 28 met with particularly strong opposition both in and outside the chamber.

And some attempts to differ from Westminster have fared badly, not least the abandoned draft bill to ban smacking.

But further divergence in important areas such as education and health can be expected in the second term.

Changes at the top

Four years of Parliament: three very different First Ministers.

Donald Dewar, a man at the centre of the creation of the Scottish Parliament, became its initial First Minister.

His tenure was the highpoint of his political career and he had to use all his political nous to deal with problems in the opening stages of the new chamber.

He called the first year of the Parliament 'towsy'.

Donald Dewar battled on following heart surgery but died in October 2000 after a brain haemorrhage.

Donald Dewar Donald Dewar was the father of his nation and a huge figure in UK politics Tony Blair

Henry McLeish, effectively the deputy of the man he called the 'architect of devolution' took over as First Minister.

A Blairite without the grass-roots supports of Mr Dewar, he lasted just over a year in the hotspot.

His downfall was triggered by questions over his office expenses while an MP.

The then First Minister claimed it was 'a muddle rather than a fiddle' but stood down under media and political pressure.

This left the position open to Jack McConnell, the man who had come second to Mr McLeish in 2000.

Seen as less of a crowd pleaser, Mr McConnell's appointment led to another Executive reshuffle.

Wendy Alexander, seen by many as a future leader, was given a massive portfolio to cope with and gave up the lot in May 2002.

Through all this turbulence Jim Wallace has remained as Deputy First Minister.

Despite their status as junior partners in the coalition the Lib Dems have had a major role in the first term of the Parliament.

They were central in the push for student finance reform as part of the Executive.

When it comes to election time the parties fight alone.

A strong performer at First Minister's Questions and labelled 'pragmatic to a fault' by one political commentator, it's Jack McConnell who is at the forefront of the Scottish Labour campaign.

He's even on the front of the manifesto.