I've amassed tons of books, manuals and learning CDs over the years. But sitting down and trying to wade through these tomes requires lots of dedication and perseverance, two things I lack. In fact, I'd rather be shown what to do than have to sit by my computer with a book by my side trying to decipher some author's scribblings.

This desire even has a name - visual learning - and there is a series of books that caters to individuals like myself, actually "showing" us how to use various programs. Called VisiBooks, they are the brainchild of Chris Charuhas, a computer instructor, and are available directly from his company at www.visibooks.com.

Charuhas developed the VisiBook concept in an effort to give students an alternative to expensive classroom training or Web-based training, which is tough on beginners. Knowing that "show" is better than "tell" when teaching computer subjects, he developed a way to deliver simple, straightforward books with lots of pictures, making it easier for beginners to grasp various computer concepts.

Basically, these books are written by computer classroom instructors who are experienced in showing beginners how to work with various aspects of computer technology, making it easy for them to understand.

Each book is compiled using a simple process:

- Identify the common tasks.

- Break these tasks down into simple steps.

- Illustrate each step.

- Supply examples and exercises.

This way, everyone using the books can see how everything fits together and can learn by completing each task. Simply put, it's like having a teacher beside you explaining how to get from point A to point B while you're sitting at your computer.

Titles available through the VisiBooks site include "Dreamweaver 4 for Visual Learners," "The Visual Learner's Guide to Managing Web Projects," "HTML & Javascript for Visual Learners," "FrontPage 2000 for Visual Learners" and "Palm & Handspring PDAs for Visual Learners." Their cost depends on the format you choose for your copy, ranging from $4.95 for a "standard" downloadable version to $19.95 for a paperback. You can also download a "professional" version of each book, which goes into more detail than the "standard" version and is equivalent to the paperback, for $9.95.

There are 20 more titles that will become available later this year, covering everything from Microsoft Windows XP to Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7.

Now these aren't "Idiot's" books or books for "Dummies," so you aren't subjected to the author's sarcasm -or wit - when trying to learn something new. Instead, they are easy-to-follow, instructional texts that have only one thing in mind: Teaching beginners how to deal with the one-eyed monsters on their desks.

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