There has been a recent boom in books for the Vic 20 but Tony Noble breaks new ground here. Mr. Noble is a headmaster and his theme is making computing educational, and making education fun.

With one or two minor quibbles, he succeeds. Criticisms first: Mr. Noble can't seem to make up his mind whether he is writing for the children in his title, or for their parents - and while the book can and does work on two levels, a clearer demarcation would help.

Second, it is to be hoped that Mr. Noble does not pass on his writing style to his pupils. There were too many "classroom situations" and "learning environment situations".

That aside, there is much to commend The Vic 20 For Children. It offers a clear step-by-step guide to get the beginner through the early stages of programming: a number of well thought out programs designed to be informative and fun; and two adventure-style simulations which could form the basis for a work project.

One is called Smugglers, and is intended to help develop logical thinking and thought processes. Your task is to find smuggled goods using coordinates on a grid, and each set of coordinates narrows the area in which you will find the treasure.

Saurus Island is a survival game, where the shipwreck idea is combined with "horrendous, strange and gigantic creatures lurking in...swamps and forests." To get off the island you have to use the available equipment, and your initiative.

These listings are one of the best features of the book and should be held up to every publisher of companion books as an example. Straight from the printer, reproduced full size, they are a marvel of clarity even down to the notoriously difficult Vic control characters.

The purchase of a computer "to help the kids" is one of the most common reasons given. This book will actually help you to achieve that.