General books on home computing are usually written from a standard recipe: a potted history of the computer and a simple description of the way it works. Sometimes a few more ingredients are sprinkled around to make the book worthwhile.

The Personal Computer Handbook, not surprisingly, has been cooked up in much the same way. But Peter Rodwell, its author, has tried to be more complete and more practical: and so he should - he's the last editor but one of Personal Computer World magazine. So has this more exhaustive approach achieved a spicier and more satisfying book?

The book's outward appearance alone encourages you to breeze through it, that's if you're not averse to the now obligatory cover shot of Junior teaching Dad how to computer. It's a large book (about the size of a Beano annual); and it's bright, colourful, lavishly illustrated with photos and detailed drawings; and the print is clear and bold.

The chapters, or 'modules' as the author prefers to call them (yuk!), are colour-coded and self-contained so you can dip into any part at leisure. You're helped by a meticulous system of cross-referencing. If you're reading about computer memory, for example, the mention of logic gates refers you back to the appropriate module.

Another clever and useful feature is the way main text is kept separate from the illustrations and their captions. The captions generally expand on the text so you could speed along or stop and take advantage of the greater depth offered.

But the book does have an overall structure; it falls neatly into six parts each with an introduction that skims over the main issues. That may not be useful to computer buffs but the history of computing it contains certainly is worth a pause. It's concise and has some marvellous photos - like the one of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine, that improbable and ultimately useless pile of cogs. All the great computer intellects are here, most of them with funny names - like Hollerith, Scheutz and Vannevar Bush.

The section on how computers work will be equally gripping for the inquisitive. Again, it uses illustrations to add substantially to our understanding. Unlike many explanations of a computer's innards, this one doesn't attempt to gloss over difficult concepts. They remain difficult - logic gates, the central processor, binary, memory et al. All are discussed with a clarity and precision of expression that's rare among computer writers.

The same goes for the modules on hardware and software. If you couldn't visualise the complexity of a Z80 chip say, you'll see it exploded to the size of a table-mat and find out how it's made into the bargain. Likewise, there's a lot of cutaway drawings so you can 'see' inside a disk drive or a cartridge. That may be valuable merely if it stops you opening the real thing and watch in horror as all the bits fall irretrievably out.

A real practical section is the one on Basic programming. It gives not only a flavour of the language but also examples of loops, arrays and suchlike. For the more experienced, there's a discussion of more advanced languages like Pascal, C, Logo, Forth and examples of the type of programs they produce. The same goes for operating systems; Rodwell answers those nagging questions about why software won't run on certain machines and why some operating systems are better than others.

Those are the plus points, but there are a few dubious areas in this book. Why devote a chapter to the basics of setting up a computer when the machine's manual would surely cover those points - and do so more specifically too? (Incidentally, Rodwell uses the Sinclair Spectrum as an example throughout.)

Neither are there any real revelations in the section supposedly devoted to the future of computers - a great deal of time is spent talking about seeming irrelevancies like video and compact disks. The section on choosing a computer is equally unedifying: there is some sound yet diluted advice, but Rodwell goes on to give a selection of the more popular micros, many of which are already out of date. Such is the nature of computing; but Peter Rodwell of all people should know that if this book is to have lasting value, better stick to less ephemeral areas.

Learning about computers is a process of stripping away darkness. But there are always some niggling black patches that remain. Rodwell tries to give a rounded picture, and succeeds very well. His style is lucid - perhaps a little dry, but the copious illustrations make up for that.

Some sections, though, amount to mere padding. Others, like the descriptions of applications software for business, may be relevant to only a few readers. But maybe that's the price you pay for completeness.

Moneywise, the price you pay looks a bit high for an all-purpose introduction. It's buying some very good presentation, layout and illustration: and on balance, it's worth paying for.

In conclusion, good book, shame about the price (and the defunct computers).