Tales of sales of millions of home micros occasionally lead you to suppose that computers are no longer strange intelligences understood only by a highly trained priesthood. But the next step is always there to be taken, and the pioneers will invent a new line in gibberish for it.

So it is with the fifth generation, artificial intelligence, and expert systems. This particular volume is written in English but draws on so many terms from earlier work that a new vocabulary is necessary.

The text isn't unreadable, rather it is accidentally obscure in the best traditions of computer literature. But this is a book for the committed student of computer sciences, a reference-work to be read for its value to a course of study. If you want to create your own expert system the book might provide a first step but it won't take you all the way - it may even deter you.

The book is in four parts - background, inference, and learning. Various distinguished contributors address themselves to specific topics within these sections, and if you make it to the end you'll emerge with the feeling that there can't be much left to know about the subject. But will you be able to make use of your knowledge? You may need an expert system to help you out...

Ralph Bancroft