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The title of the book is accurate, it is a guide (although the back cover gets a bit carried away and makes extravagant claims that the book will transform its reader into an expert!) Apart from C and C++, the book covers MFC 3 Windows programming and advanced topics such as DDE, OLE, ODBC and sockets programming. The book is aimed at intermediate to advanced C programmers and aims to introduce C++, OOP and the Microsoft specific features of MFC and Windows programming.

The author has a very clear presentation style and topics are always placed in context, discussed at a general level and then covered step by step for implementation. The book is split into logical sections and progresses from the VC2 environment through ANSI C, OOP, C++, Windows programming, advanced Windows programming and extending VC2 before finishing with a useful bibliography. This allows the reader to start the book from their level of experience; e.g. someone familiar with OOP and C++ could start reading from the Windows programming section onwards.

The C presentation makes clear which features are ANSI C and which, such as predefined global variables and pragmas, are Microsoft specific. However, the presentation is only an overview and advanced topics, such as function pointers, aren't mentioned. The C++ presentation is much more detailed, but again advanced topics get little coverage, e.g. templates are covered in 3 pages, including code examples.

The author has produced a useful book, which is clear and makes good use of the 1000 pages, given the range of material covered. If you want a single source introduction to the topics covered then this book is a good place to start, which can also serve as a reference since the index is so extensive. However, advanced use of the topics covered will probably require further reading outside of the book. Obviously, for up to date C++ or VC coverage you'll need to look elsewhere.