Wordstar Prompt is a beginner's guide to using Micropro's well-known word processing package. It's surprising Granada feels there is a need for a book like this, given Wordstar's age and the wealth of explanatory texts available. However, this book is cheap and clear while other texts tend to be wordy and expensive.

Wordstar Prompt has two sections; part one has 15 pages of text, each facing a full-page diagram. Topics covered include moving the cursor and screen, breaks and hyphens, disk storage, paper size, dot commands and printer controls. The diagrams are simple but well-designed, the text clear and unambiguous.

Part two, Wordstar Explained, covers much the same ground, but in more detail and without the diagrams. There is a three page overview of using Mailmerge, but only three paragraphs on Spellstar.

Four appendices list control commands, dot commands for Wordstar and Mailmerge as well as the IBM/Wordstar keyboard configuration, and a full index is provided.

The book has only about 50 pages of text, but at the price is a good investment for someone who wants to start using Wordstar without wading through the manual or a wordy tutorial.

Piers Letcher