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Creative Graphics is a well-produced book/disc pacakge and, although I would not recommend it for beginners, the programs do provide stunning examples of what the BBC and Electron can do.

The book opens by giving an overview of the graphics commands and describes the operation of the colour palette. The rest of the book is centred around 36 listings demonstrating various aspects of graphics. A black and white picture is included for many of the programs and sixteen colour plates are included showing the results f the more spectacular programs.

So just what aspects of graphics are covered? Chapter 2, Functions and Symmetry, includes three ways of drawing a circle and PROCJACK, which draws the Union flag (Everyone stand up!). Things heat up in chapter 3 as The Third Dimension is investigated. The programs in this section produce some very pleasing results with spheres, cubes, planets and mountains!

Animation is introduced next and the programs here include Kaleidoscope, Flat Spiral, Multicoloured Spiral, Beachballs and then my favourites, Rotating Squares and Rotating Fan. Chapter 5 introduces recursion and shows how this repetitive process is exploited.

Finally, chapter 6 makes use of the techiques previously described to build up more complex pictures. These include Windy Field (used on the cover), Merry-go-round, Desert Island and Rainbow (which was used on the cover of the very first issue of Acorn User!). All these pictures are broken down into short procedural listings that the reader could use to construct his or her own pictures.

In short, an excellent, well-produced book - a must.

Bruce Smith