The subtitle of this book is 'Your First Programming Book' and it is another one aimed at the younger programmer, or absolute novice. It goes into a great deal more detail than 'A Child's Guide...', because the print is smaller and there are only a few cartoons included. The page layouts are also much neater and the book is easier to follow. However, a young child could well find the denser text more daunting to wade through: parents will have to judge which level of book would be more suitable for their offspring.

As well as lots of short examples scattered through the text to illustrate points as they arise, an appendix gives two complete programs, a Mastermind type and our old favourite, the Towers of Hanoi, A useful book to keep your more thoughtful kids quiet during the holidays.