The Rough Guide to Personal Computers (How to Choose and Use a PC) by Peter Buckley and Duncan Clark (Rough Guides, £6)

AT last... a plain speaking, no nonsense pocket-sized book to guide the bewildered computer user through the seemingly closed world of PCs.

The book does exactly what it says on the cover and much more.

Not only have the authors succeeded in taming the wild world of technical jargon into plain, straightforward language the rest of us can understand, but they have also broken down the process of researching and purchasing a computer into bite-sized easy-to-digest information.

This book should also carry a health warning, for not only does it explain things easily and simply, it could also be seen as a therapy for those of us who thought computers were difficult.

I now know my ROMS from my RAMS, my ports from my expansion slots and am now suitably equipped to enter a computer shop confident about what I want to buy and why. I am also unlikely to be bamboozled by a jargon-riddled salesperson.

The information takes you much further than concise descriptions about different set-ups and facilities. It takes you through the different systems you will need to get your machine working and even explains what to do when things go wrong.

Jackie Harris