5 comments about Monster Manual (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons).

1. The Monster Manual is one of the best books ever made. Buy it! Awwwww Yeahhhhhh this book rules.



2. This book is the ultimate Monsters Manual, the first is the best. It gives you specific details on monsters. Being that I only have 2 hit points, I have to pick my monsters carefully. Once, while at Burgermaster, a kolbold threw a burger at me with his sling. He rolled a 20, a critical hit, and the burger did 2x the normal damage, knocking me out for 2 hp! As I lay unconcious, a gelatinous cube slowly slimed my burger and fries up. When I came to, I saw him slowly digesting my burger and fries and I exclaimed "How rude!" But the Gelatinous cube just rumbled his gelationous bulbous stomach at me. I would have kicked it's ass, but luckily the Monster Manual told me that would've been a bad idea to use my hands. So instead I used my bic lighter and he apologized for eating my combo#1.



3. Just surfing and had to say I love this book. I still have the dog-eared copy I bought in 1979 safely tucked away, 7th grade scribbles and all. I saved my paltry allowance for a month to buy this baby. This is one of those books that always has a place in your heart. Not really useful anymore though for the new gamer, go pick up the updated one (MM 3.5 edition version), but for us vets, back in the day it was all about this bad boy.



4. More than the Dungeon Master's Guide, more than the Player's Handbook, this book is what made D&D the gaming force that it was for over a decade.
   
   A complete listing of monsters for use in the game, the book ensured that every DM could craft an adventure that had new and exciting monsters to be vanquished, and the special powers peculiar to some creatures suggested story lines that were ripe for the picking.
   
   This also set up for the first time a way to rate the strengths of various mythological creatures against each other. Can a Troll kill an Orc? Can a Dragon defeat a Water Elemental? How many Goblins does it take to make a fair fight against a Pegasus? Gygax carefully considered these questions and gave us a version of familiar fantasy figures that was grounded in concrete numbers.
   
   The drawings are admittedly horrible, with many of them looking like study hall doodlings instead of the legitimate artwork that came to characterize later editions.
   
   But the value of this book can't be overrated by a would-be fantasy gamer. The encyclopedic format opened the world of fantasy gaming to a world that was vast enough to include a universe of varied creatures, but cohesive enough to be thought of as a single reality.



5. This book harkens back to the "good old days" when playing the paper and pencil D&D used to be new and fun. There have been several reincarnations of this manual and I've thumbed through them but they just don't hold a candle to the original, despite the fancier artwork. All the good monsters were there from the Umber Hulks to the Neo Oytughs. I am not at all happy with the direction TSR took after Mr. Gygax was booted out (or left, can't remember which) and one big loss was the original rule manuals. They are now up to version 3 something of the rules but I do not even know what they are because I just play computer games now. All I know about the new rules is that multi-class characters are easier to work with. It was an exciting time, a different era. I still have this manual and will always treasure it. If you can find one, pick it up just to see how things used to be done. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Pokemon Ranger: (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. My youngest daughter, who is 12, loves Pokemon! My son used to like them years ago, and he is almost 17! I feel like we get to "recycle" some of the Pokemon cards and other things that he has!
   A happy customer



2. The Guide arrived quickly and helped me get through some tricky areas. Thanks.



3. My 9 year old son has a number of the Prima Game Guides, including this one and loves to get them for all of his games. He has found that it makes the games more interesting as he finds "clues" to do new things that he was not aware of in the game (apparently there are secrets in most games that you just might never see unless you know the way to get to them). He also spots easy-to-understand help on screens that he was having difficulty with so that he does not get frustrated and stop playing the game. He and his friends all use the books, so I DEFINITELY recommend them for your favorite gamer.
   BONUS- They can spend quite a bit of time reading over them to get the most from their games, and reading, no matter what the source, is always a great thing. Though he hates to read the directions that come with the games (he says they are not worth the time and do not have any helpful information anyway...and he is right) he ENJOYS reading these and sharing tips with his buddies.



4. The guide is very helpful aven though some of you might not need it. But to find some of those hard to get secrets you might just want to give this book a chance.



5. If you're really having trouble with the Ranger game, this is worth your time. Otherwise, I wouldn't really recommend it. The maps are probably the best feature, since I tend to get turned around in the caves and forests you have to navigate through. The "Pokemon Browser" at the back helps when you're at a loss as to which pokemon you need to get past, say, a huge boulder or a fence.
   The big downer about this guide is that they dont say anything about the special manaphy mission! You can get that online if you search for it.
   
   Ultimately, other than what I listed as features, this guide is rather useless. Try to find a website that has a guide, instead.

4 comments about Crimes And Mathdemeanors.

1. Not just for high school students, Crimes and Mathdemeanors is a delight for those a tad-or-two older than the days of stairwells and study halls. In Mr. Hathout have a new bright star in the world of math writing.



2. Crimes and Mathdemeanors is an Encyclopedia Brown-style book of short detective stories for young adults and adults alike - to test their mathematics skills and knowledge! Ravi, the 14-year-old math genius, must apply his knowledge of math and physics and his general cleverness to deduce the answers to riddles, mysteries, and puzzles. Tales rely on trigonometry, probability, combinatorics, and deductive reasoning to uncover the secret of whodunnit in this delightful educational and learning tool. Ideal for high school libraries, classroom use, and for adults who want to keep their math skills sharp!



3. A Mathematical Mosaic: Patterns & Problem Solving
   Crimes and Mathdemeanors is a well-written brilliantly conceived book for those who love mysteries and puzzles. Author Leith Hathout wrote this delightful book while in high school, yet the quality of the writing and the sophistication of the underlying mathematical themes reflect a mature blend of literary and mathematical talent. I found his murder mysteries both engaging and challenging. If you enjoyed the riddles in Dan Brown's "The da Vinci Code," you will find this book a delight.



4. Leith Hathout has written a recreational math book for all ages. I have many math and recreational math books and still had not encountered most of the puzzles he chose to build his mysteries around. The mysteries are a bit "underwritten" but this is a recreational math book as opposed to a novel. His explanations are excellent. I suspect that we will be hearing more from him in the future.

1 comments about You're the Detective!: Twenty-Four Solve-Them-Yourself Picture Mysteries.

1. My 7 and 8 year old kids had a blast going through these short "mysteries" to solve a crime! The mysteries were a bit challenging, but at the same time not so hard as to frustrate the kids.
   
   As for me, I liked that the reader has to study the picture for each scenario and answer questions at the end for hints to the solution.
   
   Just a note though: When my 8 year old daughter first picked up the book, she put it down shortly after because she didn't understand the style. I had to read through the first scenario and follow-up questions to see what it was all about. But once I explained to her that it is a crime scene of sorts with clues in the picture, and that the questions will help her solve the mystery, she was off & running on her own.
   
   I didn't read through all the scenarios, but the ones I read were a bit silly, with odd details that didn't seem to matter. At first I thought, from an adult perspective, why did they include something like that? But then I realized that is part of the benefit - teaching kids to disregard facts that are not important and focus on the relevant details.
   
   I wish there were more mysteries in each book. And it would be nice if the mysteries were a bit longer or more challenging as they go through the book, maybe even using ideas learned in earlier mysteries. (Each scenario is 1 page including questions, with a picture on the facing page, and my daughter finished the book in about 1 hour).
   
   Even so I will be looking for more of these.

5 comments about The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the 'Write' Side of Your Brain.

1. As a homeschooling parent with a high school age daughter, I bought The Writer's Toolbox to use as part of our writing program. After years of focusing on sentence structure and grammar rules, I was afraid I had completely destroyed my daughter's desire to write. Jamie's toolbox provided the breath of fresh air that our writing life needed. With just the right amount of instruction and loads of room for creativity, the exercises offered quickly restored to my daughter the joy of writing. When we break out the Tool Box, the spinners, cards, timers and sentence starting sticks have us feeling like we're playing a game. When learning and fun are synonymous, both teacher and student are winners. Thanks, Jamie for this great writing tool!



2. Jamie has been one of my most inspiring writing mentors, and it looks like she literally "picked up" her classroom and placed it into this clever and eye-appealing keepsake! How ingenious that she put her creative teaching techniques INSIDE a box in order to motivate writers to think OUTSIDE of it. The only thing missing from this toolbox is a badge that says, "I am a writer," as the person who utilizes her time tested techniques will certainly be able to make this declaration after using it!



3. This is truly a wonderful product! Simply put, the Writer's Toolbox is a necessity for every writer. Who among us has not been faced with a blank page at one point or another during our writing careers? The writing exercises in this package are perfect for moving beyond "I want to write" to "I am writing." In fact, it was a writing exercise from Jamie Cat Callan that inspired me to write my novel, due for completion in August 2008. Kudos to Ms. Callan for a brilliant creation!



4. The Writer's Toolbox is fun and engaging-- not only for me, but for our weekly writers' group! The group of six to eight of us come to the table with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The Writer's Toolbox inspirational and fun exercises are relational and help us to jump 'write' in with our warm-ups! Thanks for sharing your fabulous ideas and instruction, Jamie!
   Tanja Moriarty, "Encouraging Words", Haddam, Connecticut.



5. I'm an English teacher and a part-time, professional non-fiction writer. I walked past "The Writer's Toolbox" in a bookstore this past weekend, sniffed at the creative packaging, and muttered, "All fluff, but no substance, I'll bet!" And yet, I found myself going back to it. Finally, I bought the damned thing, hoping to scratch the itch.
   
   At home, I opened it, expecting buyer's remorse. No way!!! This kit is amazing. I plan to use it in the classroom next year, both during school hours with my writing students and after hours with my Writers Guild. I especially like the sample story -- in the directions -- that is essentially the result of the toolbox games.
   
   My favorite device? The non sequiter sticks. I plan on using them to help keep some of my non-fiction writing dynamic. Of course, I'll have to modify the items to my own research and reality, but that strikes me as half the fun.
   
   A very clever little box full of games, ideas, and methods for creative writing. Thanks!
   
   Scott Snair

5 comments about Bridge: 25 Steps to learning 2/1.

1. Paul Thurston takes you to learning 2/1 in 25 steps.
   
   His choice of conventions to use is good, but some of them are not really related to 2/1 (New Minor Forcing, FSF, while excellent conventions, are both things that are fairly independent of 2/1 for instance), so one wonders about including them in this book -- likely he just needed to fill "25 steps".
   
   Also, he has a strange choice of hand evaluation, and really he need not place that in this book. Generally, someone that buys this book will already have some basic form of hand evaluation, and this bould would do better just let each player use his/her own system without imposing "HCP" as the standard (and explicitly telling readers not to do things like count points for long suits, etc.) for seemingly every bid. This is probably my biggest criticism with the book.
   
   My second biggest complaint is that he places Bergen raises in the book so early that someone reading this book is forced to learn Bergen while learning 2/1. This is not necessary. This chapter belongs later in the book -- placing the chapter so early on just results in a needless delay of getting to the point where you can start playing 2/1 at the table.
   
   On the plus side, it does get you to the point where you are functional in 2/1, and the quizzes are well designed (just having them is a plus). He also does a respectible job warning the reader of potential sticky spots.



2. I've read Mike Lawrence's and Max Hardy's books on 2/1 (several times actually) and found them hard to comprehend because their organization was not structured so that my engineering mind could follow them easily. This book, "25 Steps to Learning 2/1", is certainly simplistic compared to the others, but I found that I could understand the "system" as presented here. The detail is certainly sufficient for the beginning 2/1 bidder. It is well organized and flows well from the basic system to the necessary additional conventions. I have purchased about 10 copies of this book for bridge playing friends and they all have found it very understandable.



3. This book continues in the excellent tradition of the "25 xxxs" by striking the right level in teaching effectively without overburdening the subject with detail.
   
   I've bought and read thru all three Max Hardy books but just didn't want to uproot my hard earned bridge knowledge to essentially start over. Thurston's book showed me that the Two Over One system is not that much different from what I've spent the last two years learning. It's not much different than learning several new conventions at the same time.
   
   My teacher swears by the precision of the Two Over One system. I'm not far enough along to testify to that but it was clear during the learning that many of the thorny problems I've encountered are much better handled with 2ov1 . Of course, there are those in-between hands that require the experience and judgement that I can only hope to achieve some day but there are far fewer of them.
   
   Yes, the inclusion of some conventions does seem like a gimmick to flesh out to the number 25 but they are useful conventions that were not included in the Seagram & Smith book, "25 Conventions You Should Learn".
   
   And yes, the quizzes are excellent and really help in the learning process. All in all, this book is certainly worth the money and time if your partnership is considering moving to Two Over One.



4. I thought this book was an excellent way to learn 2/1. It started with the very basic- point count - which was a good refresher for the bridge player who has not played in a while. You can easily skip it. You learn constructive, limit, invitational, and preemptive raises. It explained the simple conventions - Bergen, Jacoby transfer, and splinter. These are routinely used in bridge auctions. It covers major and minor bids and responses. It stops short of NT opening bid, strong 2 clubs, weak two-bids. Does not cover slam bidding. But, for someone who really wants to learn the basics, it is excellent. There are plenty of exercises with explanations for each bid. Also, there are flow charts of a sort that you can easily refer to when doing the exercises.



5. This is one of the best introduction book to 2/1. Each chapter has an explanation of concepts and good examples and quiz at the end of the chapter. Very easy to read for new players at this system.

5 comments about Day of the Dragon (WarCraft, Book 1).

1. Knaak is the most generic author of all-time. His characters are bland, and even though he's hand-fed the events that take place they still somehow manage to be less than exciting. He makes his own characters the stars of the tale when they didn't even exist in the real lore. Not only do they not belong there but they are some of the most boring and generic characters around.



2. This book is probably the best book I have ever read, and I have read a LOT. No other book has as much suspense or detail. Someone who hasn't played Warcraft or even World of Warcraft might have a little trouble understanding the content of it, but overall it is a wonderful book. Even after I read it, I became addicted, and started reading my favorite parts over and over again. There are lots of pleasant suprises that you will find inside, and if you're interested, a tiny hint of romance. If you want to find out more about Warcraft, or just find a nice fantasy book to read, this is the book for you.



3. Excellent history of Dragons and a crucial epoch in Warcraft lore. Must reading for all Warcraft enthusiasts



4. This book seemed more of a side story as it didn't involve as many "core" characters as the other books.
   It covers some big events, such as the Dragon flights and Deathwing's disappearance after the Second War, but I could not seem to get into this one as much as the other Warcraft books. Still a very good read.



5. Basically random fantasy characters and story based on the warcraft story. doesn't really follow any series or game. Worth reading if you are a Fantasy nerd, not too much enjoyment for someone wanting to find expanded warcraft knowledge.

No comments about Pathfinder Chronicles: Gazetteer (Pathfinder Chronicles).

No comments about Best of Puzzlemania Mazes.

No comments about Large Print Crosswords #5 (Large Print Crosswords).