Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this instructional manual for intermediate learners provides a brief section of information for each new topic together with a sample program to enter, run on the computer, and observe; a suggested change to clarify the principle being taught, and a challenge requiring use of the new principles. Each chapter includes a review. This volume specifically explains how to program the computer to make decisions--to follow one set of commands in one case and another set in a different case--using IF-THEN, IF-GOTO, IF-THEN PRINT, IF-THEN END, and INT(X). The following additional commands are then explained: PR#1, PR#0; FRE(0), and CHR$(X). A discussion of editing with the Apple II microcomputer covers use of the cursor movement mode, editing, and deleting. The use of the command RND(1) to randomly select a word or number is also described. A reference chart displays commands and their functions. Separate color coded project books for elementary, junior high, and high school/adult students are available for this manual. (Author/LMM)