This is obviously written for first time micro owners which provides an immediate limitation to the book. This person could become a proficient Dragon user with its aid, without even needing recourse to the manual, but the problem is that few such people exist. Hardly anyone is methodical enough to pick a book off the shelf at the same time as buying a computer. Most of us are more likely to get it home, fiddle around with the leads and sockets until it works, and then start playing. By which time Chapter 1 (and possibly more) is redundant.

The introduction itself limits the apparent scope of the book, by saying that it should be read from cover to cover, since this no longer allows the reader the freedom to use the book as a reference guide, for fear of missing something vital.

The book's other major problem is that it doesn't really even cover much more than there is in the User Manual, though it is much clearer to read. Also, the author has added a 40-page appendix of six programs, but most of these are not particularly inspiring.