I Wish I Knew ... about the Spectrum and the ZX81

Sinclair User

WITHOUT WAFFLE Price: £4.95 Publisher: Pitman One of a series of books aimed at beginners about specific computers is I Wish I Knew about the Spectrum and the ZX-81. The information in it is very basic and the book reads like a hard-back version of Sinclair manuals. The first seven chapters explain how to plug-in your particular brand of computer to the mains and how to type in simple Basic programs. It is only in chapter eight that things begin to be interesting, with an overview of the ways in which graphics are handled on the Spectrum and ZX-81. The relaxed style and copious diagrams make it an easy introduction to computing and suitable for adult and child alike. One of its most attractive features is the lack of the 'straight and dull'style so often adopted by manual writers. Some readers might find the style too relaxed and, together with the shortage of text, finish the book in about half an hour. There are, on average, four paragraphs of large text on each page and generous amounts of white space. The question has to be asked why yet another beginner's book has been produced for two machines in a market which is already saturated? I wish I knew.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online

Personal Computer News

John Lettice

'I Wish I Knew About the Spectrum and ZX81' by Jonathan Chapple, published by Beer Davies at £4.95 (hardback, 80 pages). This one is claimed to be 'the only simple introduction' to using the Spectrum and ZX81 - always a dangerous thing to say, particularly when the copy on page 11 seems to have been laid out in the wrong order. We all make mistakes, but Mr Chapple's book doesn't seem to be particularly simple, especially when compared to a lot of others on the market, and while some things are explained in detail, you'll still find yourself being presented with short programs and being told what they do, but not why and how they do it. This improves the further you get into the book, but the trouble is that the book doesn't actually go all that far. It seems to be aimed at parents who've bought micros for their children and want them to know how to use them. So you won't find any space invaders programs - although you will find one space invader, and the penultimate chapter deals with maths, which is a nice change from the usual frivolous content of this type of book. The amount of information he book contains doesn't really justify the price, and if the Holy Grail is really total simplicity, I'm afraid it has yet to be found.