This paper reviews a wide range of knowledge acquisition techniques in the context of attempts to achieve a systematic methodology. These have been poorly documented by expert system builders, who are often inclined to overvalue textbooks and the ways experts themselves claim they solve problems. No one method has a universal advantage; each has some value. Techniques should be selected to suit the domain, the task, the expert and the knowledge engineer. Knowledge acquisition involves creating a conceptual model of expert knowledge and reasoning, from analysis of data elicited by these techniques. A survey of the literature indicates increasing emphasis on tools for knowledge acquisition, used directly by experts. Several projects currently directed towards providing a proper epistemological foundation for knowledge acquisition are discussed and compared. None has yet produced a complete epistemologically sound methodology; however, recognition of the need to create a conceptual model at the knowledge level (rather than the symbol level) is an important advance. An extensive bibliography is appended.

The knowledge engineering practices of one experienced company are outlined, commenting on differences in emphasis in some of the knowledge elicitation and AI research literatures.

To summarize, Software engineering Environments provides a useful overview of recent progress in software engineering tools and methods; particularly from a UK perspective. The majority of the contributions are well-written but the general paucity of introductory material and the level of technical detail in some chapters might prove daunting to readers unfamiliar with software engineering. It would have been helpful if the editor had made more effort to draw out the common themes and important issues; either by linking sections of the book with short discussion (as Hawley did for Artificial Intelligence Programming Environments) which helps to smooth over the changes in prose style or by cross-referencing points made by different authors. As it stands the result is rather a peculiar hybrid between a conference proceedings and a multi-author text book.