Quite a few books have already appeared on the market that attempt to disassemble the two ROMs inside the Commodore 64. However, The Commodore 64 ROMs Revealed is the first book to do it properly.

The book was produced in several stages. First, the ROMs were disassembled, and all branches were labelled. All the system variables have been named throughout the disassembly and the look-up tables have been separated from the code. Finally, the listing has been fully documented. So, what appears in the book is an actual assembly of the finished file.

The whole system variable area is detailed. It would have been even better if the function of each variable had also been given, as some of the names don't mean a lot.

Another five pages give the entry points inside the ROMs for all routines - for example, where the NEW routine and CLR routines are held. This saves you having to roam round what is a rather large book trying to find the correct routine.

The comments given by the authors are long and clear. If you wish to use the 64's ROM in your own programs, or figure out how other programs work, then this book is for you. If you already own a ROM disassembly, then throw it away and buy this book instead, you won't regret it.

Susan Cooke