This is a true introductory programming book, appropriate for the first programming course. Most other books do not teach programming but teach the syntax of VB or highlight the "gee whiz" features of the VB interface. Visual Basic has been replacing COBOL as an introductory programming language for CIS/MIS students due to its ease of use and the near universal move to the Windows operating system. McKeown's text addresses the need for a text that offers an adequate balance between the demonstration of the Visual Basic interface and teaching programming logic that the student must know regardless of the language. The goal of this book is "to achieve a balance between demonstrating the power and excitement of Visual Basic and the need to teach traditional programming logic."