This Book and Tape Learning Course is part one of a trilogy subtitled Basic Adventures in Space and is aimed at young people who want to learn programming from scratch.

The book subdivides into the story section which includes several programs in the adventure and the second section for reference use.

The story part is fairly good although heavily contrived. It should hold the interest of an under-12 very well. The bonus programs on the cassette try to make things clearer too.

It is here that I become less enthusiastic, however, as I am worried about the poor programming style which the book could encourage. I have seen the results of many self-taught programmers' efforts and they usually show bad structure and lack of logical thought. There is little mention in this book of planned programming and 'top down design'. Whether you are teaching adults or children, you should encourage good habits and this book falls short in this respect.

D.C.