Savitch’s seventh book on Pascal focuses on Borland’s Turbo Pascal version 6.0. Versions 5.0 and 5.5 are also addressed, and either could be used as the compiler for most of the exercises and examples. Notes are included throughout the book to warn users of version differences.

Introductory computer science students are the intended audience of this book. A chapter dependency chart demonstrates chapter interrelationships and gives the instructor a framework for curriculum development. Following the critical path will introduce the student to “Procedures and Parameters,” “Local Variables/Defined Functions,” “Branching Statements/Boolean Variables,” “Loop Statements,” “Pascal Units and Abstract Data Types,” “Arrays and String Procedures,” “Sets,” “Basic OOP,” and “Dynamic Objects.”

The text begins with a general overview of computer architectures, DOS, and the Turbo Integrated Development Environment (IDE). While this chapter seems more suited to a secondary school text, it is included as part of the core dependency chart.

Savitch presents concepts in small segments, with copious examples and dialogues. Each subsection includes self-test exercises, all of which are answered in an appendix at the end of the book. Subsections also include interactive exercises, which are intended for use by the course designer to reinforce students’ understanding. I have not seen the instructors’ guide, but the author states that solutions to most of the exercises are included in this guide. Program disks, solutions disks, a computerized test bank, and hardcopy test bank support materials are available to the course designer or instructor.

Many chapters also include case studies that evaluate complete programs, demonstrating concepts and program development and structure. The author tries to introduce structured design and object-oriented programming techniques. Summaries at the end of each chapter help consolidate the ideas and concepts presented. Special “Pitfall” sections present common mistakes made when using the concept that is being presented.

The physical appearance of the book is pleasing to the eye, although the pictures at the beginning of the book are blurry and do not add value to the material. Blue type is used to highlight paragraph content and subsection headers. The first page of each chapter is printed on a blue background, making chapter openings easy to find. Various fonts are used to separate code segments from explanatory text and reserved words from program text.

The text is divided into 17 chapters:

• Introduction to Computers and the TURBO Environment

• Introduction to Algorithms and Pascal

• More Pascal and an Introduction to Software Engineering

• Procedures and Top-down Design

• Modularity, Functions, and Data Flow

• Designing Programs that Make Choices

• Design and Implementation of Loops

• Units and Abstract Data Types

• One-dimensional Arrays

• Complex Array Algorithms and Complex Array Structures

• Records and Other Data Structures

• Files and Secondary Storage

• Recursion

• Numeric Computations and Random Number Generators

• Sorting, Searching, and the Analysis of Algorithms

• Pointers and Dynamic Data Structures

• Object-oriented Programming

• The goto and exit Statements

• Syntax Diagrams for TURBO Pascal

• Summary of DOS Commands

• Version 6.0 Hot Keys

• Summary of TURBO Editor Commands

• The TURBO CRT Unit

• TURBO Pascal Character Graphics

• Some Common TURBO Pascal Compiler Directives

• Versions 5.0 and 5.5 of the TURBO Environment

• Versions 5.0 and 5.5 of the TURBO Debugger

• ASCII Character Set

The material presented in each chapter is sufficient for fairly easy understanding of the concepts presented. Chapters 4 through 17 should give a beginning student a firm grasp of programming style and the use of Pascal and the Turbo environment.

Finally, the book has a typical “TURBO Pascal Program Layout” on the frontispiece and a list of “TURBO Pascal Reserved Words” and a “Predefined Functions” quick reference on the inside back cover. This book is fairly valuable as a supplemental text, but it is better suited for independent study. Version 7.0 of Borland’s Turbo Pascal compiler is now shipping, and the curriculum designer should take this into account when designing a course.