I approached this book with some trepidation. My previous encounters with 'Dummies' books had not been happy. Indeed there was a fundamental question in my mind; do dummies, i.e. total laymen, really tackle C++ programming? DOS, yes, I could understand that (a few years ago), but not C++, a notoriously difficult language to learn. Surely a true dummy would have no need for such heavy armour. My question remains and I believe this book to be miss-titled. It is simply another beginners' book on the language, with nothing particular for true dummies.

Having said that, it seems a good introduction. I am a prime target as reader. With quite a bit of exposure to C, I've had little to C++. After working my way through this text, I can now say that I at least appreciate the fundamentals a bit better, although I am not going to go out and tackle a major OO project! Examples from the accompanying disc are based largely on a small budgeting system and any that I loaded, compiled and ran OK using my Borland 4.5 compiler. Davis is particularly clear on the differences with traditional C and he provides a useful, perhaps unique, chapter on compiler switches. I cannot comment on the answerability of his code to standards or portability. All I can say is that it is easy to read and follow.

In short this seems a good enough buy if you want a gentle introduction. But don't rely on it alone. Like me, you will need to follow it up with something more substantial.