The solution of large sets of equations is required when discrete methods are used to solve fluid flow and heat transfer problems. The cost of the solution often becomes prohibitive when the coefficients of the algebraic equations become strongly anisotropic or when the number of equations in the set becomes large. The present paper demonstrates how the additive correction method of Settari and Aziz can be used and extended to improve the convergence rate for two- and three-dimensional problems when the coefficients are anisotropic. Such methods are interpreted as simple multigrid methods. With this as the basis a new general multigrid method is developed that has attractive properties. The efficiency of the new method is compared to that of a conventional multigrid method, and its performance is demonstrated on other problems.