This book is intended to 'show programmers how to get up to speed on each API' and it does. Through a series of simple examples the benefits of each API are demonstrated, along with the implications of each choice. The style is clear and enjoyable to read.

Each chapter begins with a section titled 'why read this chapter', which briefly summaries what you'll get out of reading the chapter. The information is then presented in a structured manor with suitable code snippets appearing as required, but not cluttering up the pages. I particularly like the style (font and use of text bubbles) used to explain the example text.

The quality of the technical content is very high (as it should be, since the authors both work for the Intel Architecture Labs and helped design some of the APIs discussed).

To absolutely complete the package the CD contains the entire source, a test application to try the results, the Intel architecture documentation for RSX, RDX, MMX and the Pentium processor, along with all the required SDKs and an evaluation copy of Intel's VTune. Clearly this wasn't enough though as two extra chapters are available across the web.

In conclusion, I'd recommend buying this book if you wish to get a quick grasp of what each API offers, you can then use the detailed SDK documentation on the CD for the development.