Creating Arcade Games On Your ZX Spectrum by Daniel Haywood is aimed at Spectrum users with a confident knowledge of Basic and perhaps an inkling of machine code. Its purpose, as the title declared, is to show how games of arcade standard are created. As such, it is nothing new; but credit should be given to its patient approach and the way it develops its topics by theory and example.

Many books of this type go further - few of the games here, e.g. 'Squash' or 'Slalom' are possible rivals for 'Pacman'. However, as an instruction book it does its job well and the author shows real understanding of readers' possible problems when introducing new techniques like PEEK, POKE and Scrolling. Sadly, many of the listings are difficult to read and maybe more thought could have been given to dividing the book into logical chapters.

Written by Daniel Haywood, Creating Arcade Games On Your ZX Spectrum is published by Interfae, runs to 160 pages and all the programs contained will run in 16K. ISBN 0 907563 287.