Somewhere, possibly on the other side of the looking glass or perhaps on the main drag of some tumbleweed-blown Middle American town, there must be the ideal computer retail outlet. All possible systems are stocked. Software is readily available on hot and cold running disk units.

Sales assistants of perfect impartiality remain discreetly in the background until they are needed, at which time they will step forward and answer questions with omniscient clarity.

It's about as likely as a duff bottle of Hirondelle, you might well say. In its absence you could immerse yourself in ths book, which divides neatly into two halves. The section dealing with business computing in general can't decide whether it's a dictionary of terms or a plain man's guide. The second section names names - it constitutes a guide to hardware, software and publications.

But machines come and go, prices and specifications change, relationships alter. It's a good try, and the publisher has also attempted to turn around its original US orientation for UK readers. But it can hardly be of lasting value.

David Guest