In a phrase I wish I'd thought of myself, the authors of this book describe the BBC Micro as 'the Peter Pan of the computer world' because it had been designed never to grow old. This 'infinite expandibility' was well illustrated by the series of ads on the TV with an impressive row of peripherals stretching off into the distance.

Those shown were from the Acorn range only, but there are many other add-ons available as well - in fact, the Beeb is the second best supported micro (after the Spectrum) in the UK and the Add-on guide is a useful introduction to most of them, including those we usually take for granted, like printers, visual display units, and even keyboards.

Probably the most useful chapters are the one on extra storage - covering floppy tape and disc systems mainly, but also including some useful tips on getting the best results from cassette - and the one dealing with ROM/RAM expansions.

Other more exotic products discussed include robotics and control hardware; light pens, digitisers and graphics tablets; sound and speech systems; and joysticks and alternative keyboards. Communications - modems and networking - rates a chapter to itself, which also serves as a concise and worthwhile introduction to the subject.

Of course, the problem with any book of add-ons is that it will quickly fall out of date: for the moment though, this one is pretty well up with the current range. What's more, much of the advice given here, such as the importance of adequate documentation and the warning note about connecting add-ons, will always apply.

Most importantly, comments on products available now will give the reader a good general idea of what to look for in the future - specific product information may date quickly, but sensible advice is timeless!

This boook won't answer all your questions about add-ons - in fact, you'll probably have more by the time you finish - but at least you'll know what to ask the dealer when you set off to buy a peripheral.

In fact, about the only point on which the Add-on Guide is not helpful is where do you put all those gadgets after you've bought them? We don't all have desks ten feet long, I do, as it happens, but not the money to buy all the goodies!