There must by now be literally hundreds of books available on the subject of Basic programming on the Commodore 64. So when yet another with exactly that title landed on the desk, my initial reaction was, understandably, "Oh God, not another one!"

On closer examination, this 220-page volume is a considerably more optimistic offering. What makes this book such an improvement on those that have gone before is largely to do with the approach. The authors have set out to explain programming techniques and have used the many programs included as a further illustration or exactly what is involved.

So often it's done the other way round and what you end up with is a motley collection of programs tacked together with a few pages of explanation - not the best way to learn Basic.

The reader is introduced to the subject in the standard manner i.e. how to set up the C64, what the various bits and pieces do, and how a program works. The bulk of the book's thirteen chapters are concerned with explaining Commodore's Basic and the C64's hardware organisation.

On the graphics side, everything from creating readable text displays to using the high resolution screen and programming moving sprites is covered. Sound is given similarly comprehensive treatment including a section on how music is actually written.

For those with more serious applications in mind, the section on file handling covers how to design, sort and search files, the nuts and bolts of all database programs.

With the bread and butter stuff out of the way you're in for a real treat in the last three chapters. The first two deal with programming arcade and adventure games and you get the chance to put all you've learnt into practice.

Some useful routines are included like how to read the joystick ports and there are two games to type in - City Bomber and King Arnold's Flapjacks, each accompanied by an explanation of how they work.

The final section takes a look at Artificial Intelligence type programs in which the computer simulates human thought processes. Programs include a prose writer and a version of the famous Eliza program which generates uncannily human responses to user input.

Written in an easily readable style and packed with good programs, this book certainly justifies the £9.50 price tag. A worthwhile addition to your programming library if you can afford it.

Well written, but pricey.