Oh no - RTFM! I was a bit sceptical that I would get ANY replies thinking File::Find was just too boring for someone to show any interest. That's put me in my place.
I will try the no_chdir option & see how I get on. If this doesn't work I will be forced to have a look at wsh / vb, what a shame!
Thanks for the pointer, very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Simon