'The Spectrum Book Of Games', a clearly printed well labeled compendium of game programs by three authors, M James, SM Gee and Kay Ewbank, is a witness to the unfortunate truth that good computer programmers were not necessarily good inventors of games. Why else with so many game programs produced should 'Invaders', 'Asteroids' and their variants still be as popular?

Each of the 21 programs are well written and while lengthy are still within the range of the 16K Spectrum. Each too has been dumped from PRINT to ensure no listing errors, and by substituting for the ZX printer a clearly legible printout has been attained.

Accompanying texts include a structure of the subroutines used, typing tips, each of which remind the user to look out for the same things and equally worthless suggestions for future developments. 'Save the Whale', for example, a program running to four pages in length might be altered by "adding a waterspout to the whale that was printed at every other move", personally I preferred to 'Save the Effort'.

Of the games themselves, I enjoyed 'Mighty Missiles' and 'Bobsleigh', both variations on old favourites, and a new one called 'Guideline', a development of the game in which a metal hook is guided along a wire without allowing them to come into contact and hence cause a buzzer to sound. 'Spectrum Invaders' was repetitive and tame, with no battlements to defend or hide behind and no bonus points on offer. Of the others, 'Mirror Tile', a tile puzzle with an infinite number of solutions and 'Captive The Quark' have been transformed successfully to Spectrum and were probably the best.

Throughout, the graphics were of a good standard and the sound is used to great effect, no more so than in 'Spectrum Ledger' - a simulation horse race that starts with the computer playing the tune Camptown Races. Unfortunately, the game deteriorates somewhat after this with the player asked to bet on a race of five horses. The result is totally random and requires no skill. For entertainment value the game, like the player, is a loser.

The Spectrum Book Of Games is written by Mike James, SM Gee and Kay Ewbank, published by Granada Publishing, contains 21 programs and costs £5.95. ISBN 0 246 12047 9.

GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

In pursuit of the definitive games book, Phil Cornes and Mike Turner corner a selection of tomes, getting to grips with them all, be they good, bad or just plain ugly.

Many years ago, when you could still buy 16K of dynamic RAM for approximately £240, I drove all the way from my home town of Stoke-on-Trent (which didn't have a computer shop) to Liverpool (which did), simply because Microdigital was selling a book of games listings. The title was, as I recall, What To Do After You Hit Return and, for my money, the star listing was a version of Wumpus.

To be asked, then, to review some eleven books of games for the Spectrum (with its super Hi-res colour screen and Z80A processor) should have been little short of a pleasure. Little did I know! I found that not only did the games frequently take little advantage of the startling advances in video presentation, but - worse - often had no 'meat' about them at all.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

First off the pile came Games To Play On Your ZX Spectrum by Martin Wren-Hilton. The listings have been typeset and may therefore contain syntax errors, but your Spectrum will tell you about these when you try to type them in. There's nothing actually exciting in the book and, indeed, the author even admits that one of the listings is the first game he ever wrote! One consolation is that at £1.95 you'll have wasted the least possible amount of money.

The Spectrum Book of Games by Mike James and various others has listings printed on a reasonable quality dot matrix printer. However, these appear to have been word-processed and so the same comments as above apply regarding syntax errors. Once more there is nothing outstanding in the selection of games (Fruit Machine, Noughts and Crosses and a dice simulator, for example) although the presentation is good. Objectives for all the games are clearly detailed, together with advice on how to play them, typing-in tips and a list of the main subroutines and details. All well and good but the whole thing is wasted on a poor selection of games. At £5.95 I really can't describe it as particularly good value for money.

60 Games and Applications for the ZX Spectrum by David Harwood is split approximately 50/50 between the author's two groupings. The utilities vary from an eleven line idiot's remember routine (which only changes program line numbers, ignoring GOTOs and GOSUBs, etc) to a correlation/regression program which produces a value for Pearson's Correlation Coefficient and the linear regression equation, but which requires you to enter all the X co-ordinates followed by all the Y co-ordinates, rather than the more usual X, Y pairs. Equally the games range from a version of Breakout with ZX80 style graphics and a ludicrously complicated set of instructions for running and typing-in, to a version of noughts and crosses which "unlike many... allows you to win"(!) and forces you to start on the centre square. At £4.95, and despite a reasonable Draughts program by Tim Hartnell, this book again represents dubious value for money.

ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING

Spectrum Spectacular by Roger Valentine has 50 programs, fewer than 20 of which are games.

There are some useful machine code routines given as both Basic programs and as assembly listings, although these are poorly documented and contain errors. For instance, in one perfectly good left and right scroll routine, the author suggests a couple of modifications for 'fun' effects. One of these, using the SRA instruction to clear the screen with a 'Venetian blind' effect, will not work in all cases. Replacing the SRA with an SRL (203,62 in decimal) cures the problem. At £4.95 this seemed fair value for money.

Instant Arcade Games for the ZX Spectrum by Jean Frost at £3.95 is indeed good value. It's not, however, a book of games listings in the more conventional sense. Take the 'control program listing' for a typical space arcade game; each individual subroutine (producing the backdrop - stars, night skyline and so on - calculating fuel reserves, laser status, and checking for the game endings) is formulated. Then add to this a collection of user-definable spaceships, aliens and tanks with both Basic listings and pictures. Not bad, eh?

Following chapters are on writing your own games and designing your own characters. It's a publication that caters for the two mainstreams of games playing and it definitely comes as recommended reading.

Also highly recommended is Sixty Programs for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum by Robert Erskine and friends. It's a larger format book, making it easier to read than most; on the other hand one or two of the games are of questionable taste... like Exocet - Let's Play Falklands. This really is the only aspect that lets down an otherwise excellent collection of games of varying length and complexity. They range from Countabout, a counting game for two-to-five-year olds, to such substantial offerings as Asset Stripper and Evolution 1, 2 and 3. All in all at £4.95 this takes the top spot for best value for money of the pure listings books.

FREE EYE-STRAIN WITH EVERY COPY

Next up we find Creating Arcade Games on your ZX Spectrum by Daniel Haywood, a book let down by the variable quality of its listings. These appear to have oozed out of one of the poorer ZX Printers and in parts they're so faint as to constitute a source of severe eye-strain - particularly when struggling with long multi-statement lines. But one or two of the games are of a reasonable standard, explained in depth and supplied with lists of the variables used - together with the functions they serve in the game: this is the book's strongest point. Typical of the contents are ICBM, a version of missile command, and Scramble.

Now let's don protective clothing and really plumb the depths. By any standards, a 64-page book containing 20 trivial programs at just under £7 cannot be classed as good value. Richard Attwasser's Twenty Programs for the ZX Spectrum is, unfortunately, just such a book. Old chestnuts such as Breakout, Android Man and Mastermind are typical of the contents. There's even a program for storing telephone numbers - always a questionable use for cassette-based micros which are switched off most of the time or even dismantled; sorry, but a card index is still far more efficient. A cassette of the games in the book is available for an additional £2.95, so at a combined price of £9.90 for both book and cassette, this comes close to robbery with violence.

Back in the land of thick tomes with lots of listings, 49 Explosive Games for the ZX Spectrum by Tim Hartnell et al proves to be another victim of the ZX Printer. The listing of Frog on a Log (starting on page 133) is surely the worst example of random pixel plotting in any of the eleven books; novice programmers will have little chance of entering it without errors. There are several mammoth adventure listings - Doors of Doom stretches over twenty-four pages (no, I didn't test it!). There are Space games, two-player games, mazes and arcade games, as well as two sections of utility programs in machine code and Basic. One of these is a tape copy program and one has to question the ethics of publishing this, even if it does lack sophistication and will only work with certain machine code programs.

EVERY PICTURE...

Over the Spectrum (edited by Philip Williams) contains 30 programs; two-thirds of which are games - colour screen photographs are included showing most of them in action. The assortment is varied... In fact, if anything, it attempts to cover too much ground. Freeway Frog, Fruit Machine and Alien Invaders vie for space with Sales Analysis, Payroll and Block Line Delete. It is not entirely clear who this book is aimed at. Still, some of the games have excellent graphics, including Draughts (which has a machine code routine for sorting out the computer's move) and Chess. The latter is not very intelligent and plays quite slowly; in fact, the author even suggests amending the program so it can be used as a human versus human game. There's also a 30-location, eight-problem adventure for those with the patience to type it all in, plus solutions for those who lack the wherewithal to play it. At £6.95 this book leans towards being over-priced.

Finally, reasonably priced at a mere £2.95 is Games for your ZX Spectrum by YS's own Peter Shaw. Twenty-four games are included, all rolled out from yet another temperamental ZX printer (somebody must have the good one, surely?). The games are all fairly short, although some are quite interesting. Pontoon has good graphics, as does Ascot, a horse race program. However, by far the best section of this book is a detailed chapter entitled 'How to write better programs'. Here you'll find some good material on writing a fairly complex strategy that uses as an example a game called Dome Dweller. In a similar manner to the Jean Frost opus, series editor Tim Hartnell gives a listing for the main control loop, a collection of things the program has to do and a fairly detailed description of the variables to be used. This alone is almost worth the cover price.

In addition, there's a glossary and bibliography - which aren't necessary and don't appear to bear any relation to the rest of the book. With these two rogue sections exorcised and 50-75p off the price, Shaw's book would represent excellent value for money.

PICK OF THE BUNCH

Looking back over the eleven books for this month, they would seem to fall into four quite distinct groups. Top of the bill, and living up to all my expectations are: instant Arcade Games for the ZX Spectrum and 60 Programs for the ZX Spectrum. These are the two that no Spectrum owner should be without and they represent the modern equivalent of the ideal tome I yearned for many moons ago.

The next four books, represent good value for money. They are: 49 Explosive Games for the ZX Spectrum, Spectrum Spectacular, Creating A rcade Games on your Spectrum and Games for your ZX Spectrum.

The third block includes Games to Play on your ZX Spectrum, The Spectrum Book of Games, 60 Games and Applications for the ZX Spectrum and Over the Spectrum. These four come into my 'lukewarm' category. The reason for their downgrading are varied, ranging from 'good game presentation wasted on poor games' to 'generally good but overpriced'.

The final category contains only one entry. I doubt that anyone could seriously challenge the fact that the one remaining title is just a waste of paper at the asking price. I stoop to mention the title again.

MORE INFORMATION IN GENERAL BOOKS

This month John Gilbert looks away from the specific Sinclair publications.

Many general computer books, not written specifically for Sinclair machines, are so often useful to Sinclair users or other prospective computer owners. The Personal Computer Guide, by Tim Hartnell, provides information on most of the computers available. The guide is split into several sections, with a buyers' guide as an appendix to the computer reviews section.

The computer reviews contain short sections on the general appearance of each computer, approximate price, best and worst features. Hartnell draws some definite conclusions on the performance of each machine.

The guide includes a chapter on the history of computing from the days of Babbage to the present microcomputer boom. There is also a section on computer programming and how to use Basic.

One novel feature is that it has advertisements for a variety of machines, software and add-ons. The book also includes a list of clubs and local organisations which the computer owner can join.

The Personal Computer Guide contains everything a first-time buyer or beginner to computing might need. It is excellent value at £5.95 and can be obtained from Virgin Books.

Computing is Easy, by David Parker and Martin Hann, is an easy introduction to computing. There are many simple programs ready to be typed-in and it is ideal for the young user. A series of cartoons illustrates the book. They explain the concepts and, on occasions, are very amusing.

It has a chapter of debugging exercises, so that the beginner can become accustomed to the types of problem which occur during programming.

At the end of the book various topics are suggested to the programmer, such as currency conversion and composing tunes. The authors leave the programming of those tasks to the user. It is published by Newnes Technical Books and costs £4.95.

The Working Spectrum, by David Lawrence, is the handiest book about the Sinclair computer to appear so far. It charts the design of a series of routines, such as a filing system, an accounting program, a banking program and a graphic designer.

Each of the programs includes a discussion on how it works and the various techniques used, such as sorting and searching in the filing program. Each of the routines has been designed so that they can be used separately or in your own programs.

The book covers business uses, education and, of course, games. On the cover it indicates that it is volume one and I look forward to seeing the rest of the series. The Working Spectrum costs £5.95 and is published by Sunshine Books.

The Spectrum Pocket Book is another new book which can be recommended. It is more general than the previous book in the series, which was for the ZX-81, and includes a large section on machine code, which shows, among other things, how to print on to the screen using a machine code program and the Spectrum ROM.

There is also a full assembler program, disassembler and machine code monitor. It provides much useful information on the internal workings of the machine.

It is ideal both for first-time users and a user who has had some previous experience. It costs £4.95 and can be obtained from Phipps Associates.

Andrew Hewson has launched into the Spectrum market with 20 Best Programs for the ZX Spectrum. The book includes mathematical, graphics and games programs, with information on how they work and how they were written.

It is excellent value at £5.95 and illustrates many programming techniques, including data filing, sorting and binary search.

Easy Programming for the ZX Spectrum, by Ian Stewart and Robin Jones, is another introductory text which can be recommended for the beginner. In particular, there are several good chapters on graphics which show how to paint outlined shapes with colour.

The authors explain how to debug programs and make them more efficient, an important but little-stressed area in most books about Sinclair machines. It is from Shiva Publishing and costs £5.95.

The Spectrum Book of Games, by Mike James, S M Gee and Kay Ewbank, is ideal for all those who just want to enjoy the machine by playing games. It contains game listings for Space Invaders, squash rackets and even nine-hole golf. The programs are all explained but this kind of book is nothing new. Most of the games are based around Space Invaders, Breakout and Find the Treasure.

It is a good start for a beginner who wants to write or just type-in games programs. It is published by Granada Publishing. PO Box 9, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL2 2NF and costs £5.95.

Robin Bradbeer edited the Spectrum handbook and can be regarded as an expert on the machine. His new book, Learning to use the ZX Spectrum Computer, is an easy introduction to Spectrum Basic and some of the simple ways in which the computer can be used.

It provides a fine foundation for beginners but users who have some computing knowledge already will find little of interest in it. The book includes two appendices. The first lists additional reading material in the form of books and magazines and the second details the differences between Spectrum and ZX-81 Basic. It is available from Gower Publishing Co Ltd, Gower House, Croft Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 3HR and costs £4.95.