IN THIS technological age in which we live it's sometimes easy to overlook the value of the good old fashioned book.

Computer equipment and software manufacturers are increasingly moving towards the "electronic user's manual" - witness the slim Windows 98/ME volume that came with your last PC.

In reality this is nothing more than a cop out. Electronic manuals are cheaper to produce because they can be stamped onto a CD-ROM, usually the same disc that contains the programme you have just purchased. It's a lot less expensive than printing up a heavily bound volume running to several hundred pages. These electronic reference works are also easier to package and far less bulky.

But they're certainly not easier to use. What's the use of having the very best electronic manual on your PC if a software glitch makes it impossible to start your computer?

So traditional books still have a place in today's gadget filled world.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows Me (Millennium Edition) may have a vaguely insulting title but it remains a practical, down-to-earth guide to the operating system that's likely to power the majority of new PCs sold this Christmas.

Veteran PC owners up-grading to Windows Me may wonder if a 450 page book isn't overkill. But Microsoft's new operating system has several nifty new additions and this book offers a simple explanation for each.

There's also a useful chapter devoted to using Netmeeting to make cheap phone calls over the Internet, tips on getting the best from the bundled word processor and information on what to do if things go wrong. This last feature, in particular the system restore utility, is one of the best reasons for up-grading to Windows Me.

Anyone who has used a PC for some time will recognise that sinking feeling when the screen goes blue and some obscure message is flashed up. The so-called blue screen of death usually spells big trouble.

If you're lucky the PC may re-start with minimal loss of data. If not then a complete re-format may be the only way out - a drastic solution that requires the OS and all your programmes to be reloaded from scratch.

System Restore creates periodic snapshots of your system when it's fit and healthy. If (or rather when) your PC goes haywire you can use System Restore to revert back to a previously working state.

The Idiots Guide To Windows Me costs £18.50. That may seem like a lot of money but it's a lot cheaper than chatting to a costly premium rate customer helpline for hours on end.

ONE of the most usual "add-ons" for a personal computer is a scanner.

Today a simple scanner can be had for less than £50 and the results can be surprising - provided you know what to do with it. Once again the ugly spectre of the electronic user guide rears its ugly head. I've had three scanners and not one of them came with any significant paper documentation.

Start With A Scan by Janet Ashford and John Odam isn't a trouble-shooting manual (although there is a short chapter on choosing your scanner) but more a book about getting the best out of digital imagery.

Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of wonderful colour photos, it shows how a scanner and a simple image manipulation programme can be used to create wonderful pictures you never thought possible.

Creative types in need of some inspiration need look no further, even reluctant digital artists will feel encouraged to have a go. And the beauty of digital means that if you muck it up another scan can be created in seconds.

Moving on from scanned photos, the book also explains how to scan real objects, and how to use your images in stationery, book covers, even playing cards. Most of the advice also applies to digital cameras so would-be photographers should snap up a copy too. Start With A Scan is an excellent book that's fun to read and easy to understand. It's an essential purchase for anyone who owns a scanner or a digital camera.

Not all books have to be about serious subjects. More and more guides are being published to help you through a favourite game. One of the biggest titles on the Sony PlayStation this Christmas is likely to be Spiderman. Brady Games official guide to the game lifts the lid on all the secrets and is packed with handy hints for defeating even the toughest bad guys you will encounter. Written and designed to look like a Marvel comic book, the guide is also a complete walk through to the game. If you get stuck it's a simple matter to look up the relevant section for a solution.

At £9.99 it makes an excellent companion to the game.

all these books, and many more, are available on-line from the Computer Bookshop Ltd. Just point your web browser at www.compbook.co.uk or call 0121-778 3333.