I shall start by saying that this book is ideal if you are planning to use the Rational Rose software. It was the recommended text for my Systems, Analysis and Design module and priced at around £30 I was a bit unsure about whether it was a worthwhile investment. After searching for it in the library I realised it was very difficult to get hold of a copy - so I decided to buy it. I was surprised when it arrived - a fairly small book in comparison to some computing books I have purchased over my year of studying IT, I was a bit horrified at the price.

So what is the book about? As the title briefly outlines, this book provides an introduction to Rational Rose 2000 (a tool) and a language known as UML (Unified Modeling Language), with which a user can visualise and construct a software system. The book also contains an excellent tutorial that runs alongside each section, providing step-by-step instructions on how to carry out everything. This book has been very well written - it starts from the very basics and each chapter progresses logically into the next. How many of you have read computing books that cannot be read from beginning to end in a logical manner? I know I certainly have - usually being referenced to another part of the book constantly. Well with this book this is kept to the very minimum, allowing a very easy read.

Starting at the beginning of this text, the first chapter introduces you to Visual Modeling and the history of UML - an excellent start for any beginner! The book progresses with a chapter on how to begin your project and then goes on to explain Use Cases, Classes, Object Interaction, Relationships, Inheritance, Object Behaviour amongst others.

Along with the excellent tutorials a case study runs throughout the book illustrating the development process and UML in practice.

I believe this book is perfect if you are interested in this area or require a book on using Rational Rose, even though the price I
feel is a bit high. It may be worth shopping around online to get a better price, but I was forced to order it at full retail price due to coursework deadlines!