Programming For Young Programmers is a very well produced book containing some 40 programs for the complete beginner. It is complemented by a cassette containing some additional games and extended listings for six of the programs in the book.

Taking the book first. This really is for the novice and assumes absolutely no knowledge of computing or the Basic language. The only part of the Sinclair manual which needs to be read are the setting-up instructions.

The book will be particularly useful as a means of familiarising the young user with the ZX81 keyboard. Programs are in the main short (they all fit easily into 1K) and are clearly set out with colours used effectively to highlight the Shift Graphics keys. Special 'keyboard maps' are used to assist in locating keys the first time they are encountered.

The programs are all very good. Some of them are only a few lines long and the user is able to run some effective and absorbing programs immediately with the minimum of keying-in. Just right for the young beginner! The book follows a logical sequence starting with programs which manipulate and display words, through drawing with the computer and picture displays, and on to movement and games. There is even a 'help' section at the end to aid fault-finding of the user's own initial programming attempts.

The book contains a host of good ideas for the budding programmer although there is little in the way of explanation of *how* the programs work. The cassette takes things a little further and leads on to the Sinclair manual and more advanced studies.

The author has struck the right balance with this book which is likely to prove a favourite and a valuable teaching aid.

The cassette contains a good range of programs. 'Bomber' and 'Mazer' are both 1K games written entirely in machine code. 'Bomber' is particularly good - you have to obliterate the city before you crash into any of its buildings - and compares well with 16K versions on the market. 'Mazer' is a maze game in which you are chased by five ghosts; you score each time your character moves and the object is to avoid being captured for as long as possible.

'Golums' is a board/adventure type game which performs well although the action is rather slow. It is written almost entirely in Basic and is readily listed with the intention of introducing the user to the rudiments of computer gaming. REM statements are liberally dispersed throughout the listing to guide the user through the program. An eight page booklet provided with the cassette contains an explanation of some aspects of the 'Golumns' listing.

The remaining six programs extend some of the listings given in the book and each requires a little more than 1K. The booklet draws attention to some of the lessons which can be learnt from the listings and indicates ways in which they might be extended and enhanced.

The book and cassette together provide a very useful learning package and are highly commended. They will undoubtedly be a source of ideas and inspiration for many young ZX81 (and TS-1000) owners.

The book and cassette are published by McGraw-Hill Book Co (UK) Ltd, Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire.