Title "Microsoft Word 2000 Bible" Authors Brent Heslop and David Angell Publisher IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. Publication Date May 1999 ISBN 0-76453-281-2 Price $39.99 (U.S.) Other 1,128 pages, CD

Exam objectives for the Word 2000 Expert test can be found at the following site: http://www.mous.net/tests/word2000_exp.htm

This text covers all Core exam objectives in good detail. Screenshots scattered throughout the book let you visualize the task being discussed without the need for a computer, if desired. The pictures also serve as an aid if you're following the steps while using a computer. Concepts are presented in a brief paragraph or two followed by tasks displayed in a numbered list. A Cross-Reference icon on a page indicates additional related information located elsewhere in the text.

The text is less helpful when studying for the Expert exam. Some of the topics don't get covered in enough detail (such as Page Setup options from the "format first page differently than subsequent pages" objective). Other topics are split up over several chapters, making it necessary to flip back to previous sections to grasp the full scope of the task.

I found the index very helpful in finding topics, but it was sometimes necessary to look under several possible words to track down the desired topic. Other topics were almost impossible for me to find. While looking over the Expert exam objectives, I was unable to locate Widows/Orphans in the index. If I hadn't already known it was on the Line and Page Breaks tab of the Paragraph dialog box, I never would have located this information using the index.

As you would expect, the front portion of the text covers the basics needed for the Core exam. Later chapters cover the more in-depth topics you'd want to understand for the Expert exam. However, some nuggets of information for the Expert exam (paragraph and section shading, for example) are buried within some of the earlier chapters. I think this is an excellent guide to have on hand for the novice and intermediate user. It's also a good tool for those just starting to study for the Expert exam. If you're nearing exam time, however, I would seek out additional materials.