Joe Telford will need little introduction to regular readers of Acorn User. I'm pleased to be able to say that this book maintains the excellent standard of his regular articles for this magazine, providing clear and concise coverage of a wide range of programming techniques for the BBC Micro.

The book is intended for programmers already familiar with the main features of BBC Basic, and aims to take readers to the stage of being able to write good quality, robust programs of real practical use. Almost 400 pages long, it is packed with useful information and advice. The early chapters cover program design, starting with a clear and convincing explanation of the need for structured programming. This is followed by brief coverage of the main programming structures offered by BBC Basic. The main body of the text is then dedicated to a series of chapters covering specific programming techniques, ranging from data stuctures and filing systems through to sound, graphics and use of peripheral devices such as the user port, printer port, and RS423 interface. One chapter is devoted to 'BBC logic', explaining binary and hexadecimal number system and the way there are used for internal storage of information within the BBC Micro, while the final chapter introduces assembly language programming.

The book provides numerous short but valuable routines which illustrate specific points in the text. Many of these are designed for use as part of a library of general-purpose procedures and functions.

By necessity, the coverage given to such matters as graphics and sound falls short of the treatment offered by books which are dedicated to these topics alone. These chapters are intended to give a working knowledge of their subjects, and to lead on to the use of more advanced text if required. This is not to say that the content of the book is in any way superficial, however, and most of the main chapters stand on their own merit and will be of use to even the most experienced programmer for reference purposes. The chapter on filing techniques, for instance, includes a thorough explanation of random access disc filin, and presents all the routines needed to form the basis of a sophisticated database. The same chapter also gives a full description of the use of disc workspace, and shows how directory information can be read in an automatic disc menu program. Sections covering disc structures and data processing also stand out.

This is a book which should be of interest to readers over a wide range of programming abilities. It will be of most value in helping inexperienced programmers to master the full range of facilities available on the BBC Micro, and as such is an excellent 'follow-on' from one of the many introduction texts on BBC Basic. More experienced programmers should also benefit from the advice offered on program design and technique, and will find it of continuing value.