When I decided to review this book I was a little sceptical about its claims of featuring 'reusable C++ classes to handle real-world tasks', now I have finished reading it I must say that I am impressed. It covers all major areas of Windows programming in a logical, progressive manner, with each new chapter building upon the principles introduced in previous chapters. The subject areas covered range from the basics of Windows programming through to Database, COM and ActiveX implementation; each subject is meticulously explained with both MFC and SDK examples being provided. The book takes an excellent 'show and tell' approach to each subject; firstly the basic principle is explained, then the code to realise the principle is given, closely followed by a detailed explanation of the implementation. I found this method of explanation very useful and quickly understood some quite complex principles thanks to this approach.

For readers used to using visual development environments this book may appear to detail some very basic subject areas, however for programmers wishing to understand what goes on 'behind the scenes' this title is excellent. There are a number of examples that, before obtaining the book, I spent many hours trawling the Internet trying to find. I would recommend this title to anyone engaging in Windows programming and especially for people wishing to enrich their knowledge of the Windows SDK.