The Atari's graphics potential is often laboured as an argument to defend its costly software, but the fact remains that the machine can produce exceptional displays.

Unfortunately, it is not easy to master the techniques to produce them, mainly due to Atari's confusing Setcolor and Color commands and the work involved in the Player-Missile sprite system - rewarding though it is.

Tom Rowley makes a brave attempt to unravel some of the mysteries, and succeeds - up to a point. But given the subject and the enormous scope for reproducing tantalising colour illustrations to draw you through the book's tutorial approach, the black and white diagrams provide the sort of bland appearance that made me want to liven them up with a set of felt pens. Still, real screen illustrations would have added to the already inflated price.

The book's question-and-answer style becomes irritating after a while and I tired of seeing the same grumpy cartoon character staring at me with every new challenge to devise a program to produce a given result.

All this detracts from the real meat of the book which, though good, solid theory, is found better explained and better illustrated elsewhere.

SC