[AccessD] OT: Clipper

I have had a request to look at a Clipper system where (apparently) the indexes have become corrupted.  The prospective client is a distance away and I want to evaluate my chances of succeeding before I travel.

I did a lot of dBaseIII / IV  stuff quite a few years ago, but nothing in Clipper.  Back in those days, I had the impression that dBase and Clipper were very similar, and with Clipper you could 'compile' the processing module(s).

Can someone tell me how well my dBase skills will port to Clipper?  And if it's a 'compiled' system, is the source held separately?  And are the indexes in Clipper like the indexes in dBase which are easy to re-construct?

Any middle-aged fellow travellers out there who can help?  Tips, Tricks, Traps?

Cheers 

Stephen