Somebody - either the author or his publishers - has a damned odd idea about what computers are. You and I know what computers are ... they are relatively small things that sit on a desk or the dining table. If you've used one for more than a few weeks you'll have picked up on most of the jargon you'll ever need.

On the other hand, you may be a complete newcomer, in which case you may find this book a godsend. Or you may not.

Consider the following: "MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. The most common use of magnetic ink is on the bottom line of bank cheques..." Not exactly the kind of thing to bring enlightenment as you struggle with your Spectrum.

You see, Mr. Wedge sees no difference between your kind of computer and the Ministry of Defence's kind of computer, so you'll find lots of references to things like punched cards, batch processing, something called fallback, switched packet networks and other terms relating to the near-extinct dinosaurs of yesteryear.

This is a pity since the book is amusing - downright funny in parts - and worth buying for the single reference: 'Jackson, Michael - see structured programming.'

Peter Worlock