This book is just the kind of product that we have to come to expect from DK Publishing Group - full of rich graphics and colors. The book has been written for Excel 2000, and not XP. Nevertheless, the concepts discussed in the book are very basic to the spreadsheet application from Microsoft, and hence, relevant regardless of the version.

The book is clearly meant for an absolute beginner, and anyone with more than a few weeks of experience with Excel 2000 will find this book passable. But this book is capable of having a novice up and running with Excel in no time. Explanations are lucid, simple, and free of boring and unnecessary technical jargon. The author has taken the pain of discussing even the minutest steps when explaining a feature/function. But alas! The book's fault lies not in the form, but the substance, i.e. in its coverage of the subject matter. It covers only the very basic steps in understanding and working with formulas, errors, and functions. The book could have easily spanned a few more topics that would have enriched the experience and knowledge of the readers.

Anyways! This book is a good reference to keep on one's shelf - atleast until the time that one gets fluent with the tricks and trades of Excel.