graphics and multimedia

Last year my company took the quantum leap into CBT, and I was offered the opportunity to help design and create it, using Authorware. While Authorware is marketed as a "non-programmer development tool" you find early on that a lot of typical CBT behavior cannot be accomplished without scripting, using AW's internal functions and variables. To my disadvantage, I don't have any formal programming training, and have purchased just about every book recommended by the AW community, each specializing in one or two areas of AW development.

This is the first book I've found on the use of AW that covers it all. It begins with the basics and then goes beyond...into detail on writing scripts, using functions and variables, using lists, etc. all inside one cover.

The tutorial style of the book is very appealing to me, and the accompanying CD includes plenty of example files that are very helpful. There's no way you can learn what this book offers without doing the exercises, so it is highly interactive.

I still have a lot to learn - it's great to have such a handy reference and "teacher" sitting on my desk! Thank you, Jennie and Scott!

As the Director of a Training Staff that uses Authorware I am always interested in new media available to teach non-programmers how to use Authorware. Of all the books currently on the market from Orsen Kellog's to the TAAM (The Alternative Authorware Manual) this book is by far the MOST comprehensive. Not only do the authors cover the basics of Authorware, but they provide even more intricate information such as using ActiveX controls and scripting.

I would recommend this book for the experienced Authorware user or as a guide for creating a course curriculum for teaching the general principles of Authorware programming. However, I would NOT recommend it for the novice simply for one reason: Throughout the book there are numerous editorial mistakes that can make the learning process for the novice confusing. For example, there are several references to incorrect file name titles, or references to using the white start flag (this was probably due to the authors using this function when creating the program but forgetting that the USER had not been instructed to use the white/black stop/start flags. There is actually a reference to a file on the help disk which must have had it's name changed before publication time (therefore, new users may not understand what to do or what file to use).

However, I fault the publisher OnwordPress/Thomson Learning for lack of proper proofreading for these mistakes. This is incredibly unfortunate, because without these mistakes, I would rate the book over all as a 5+!

Kudos to Scott Wilson and Jennie Thornton!

I'm a teacher learning to create learning software for high schoolers. I bought this book in 2002 to learn AW6. It's been a great resource that has made me a proficient user. However, I'm disappointed that the files for chapter 16 were missing from the CD which are the meat and potatoes of the program. That alone cost it 2 stars. Along with other errors people have mentioned. To the publisher, stop being sloppy, lazy and cheap. CLEAN UP YOUR EDITING!!!