1 comments about City of Peril (Dungeons & Dragons Accessory).

1. This set includes four great maps to use with the Dungeons and Dragons game and the D&D miniatures game. It also comes with a module detailing four scenarios (one of the best modules from the "fantastic locations" set). Still, the rules for miniatures combat in one of the maps (Thieves' quarter) requieres some special rules errata only avalible through Wizards' web site. This map in particular is a great setting of rooftops and streets but it has raised debate for those playing ranked tournaments in it. Still, if you're running city encounters, this is a great way to set up the confrontation.

No comments about The Ultimate Psychometric Test Book: Over 1,000 Test Questions with Explanations.

5 comments about Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors, Part 3 (My Great Predecessors).

1. I found this book interesting and well-written but lacking the insight of the other three. For example, Kasparov gives insufficient attention to Spassky as a tremendous sportsman. Spassky bent over backwards to accomodate Fischer and allow the match to be held, in contrast to Karpov three years later who seized on Fischer's mental instability to take the crown and avoid the match. Chess owes a great deal to Spassky's sporting character but discussion of his inate decency is mysteriously missing. (Compare Alekhine avoiding Capablanca, etc).
   
   The discussion of Petrosian's game with Kasparov is good and the book is worth buying though not as good as the two before and the one aferwards, both in lenght and insight.



2. Kasparov's release of MGPIII continues a fine series. The annotations are superb, and his opinions on the historical importance of former world champions Petrosian and Spassky (as well as other important players such as Portisch, Stein, Gligoric, and Polugaevsky) make the book (and the MGP series) relevant. A slight quibble is the chapter on Spassky-you never get a true sense of what made him so admired away from the chessboard. Still, a fine work.



3. The 60s and 70s were the golden years of chess. The best of the best are all here in this book. That was the period where one has really to burn candles to prepare and discover for yourself the nuances of a chess move in the opening. A cloak and dagger way of preparing one self. Much of the fun part, the surprise, are all gone because of an Intel or AMD processors.
   
   The book took me back at the time when chess was really exciting, not only during actual play, but the behind the scenes as well. This book is more of a gathering of chess titans, retelling titanic struggles with a superb historical background and most important of all, Kasparov's unequalled insight. Thank you Mr. Kasparov



4. This is Volume Three of the five-volume set of My Great Predecessors. I had to do a lot of shopping around to find each volume at a price I could afford, but if you are serious about developing an understanding of chess strategy, this set is an excellent resource. The books cover the history of great chessmasters, detailing many of their games. I don't start at page one and read through them sequentially; rather, I look up a particular strategy and lay out the game on my chessboard to move through it. One game usually leads to another, and I can spend hours going through the volumes this way. [NOTE that this review is authored by my 19-year-old son.]



5. I initially bought this book because I wanted to acquire a collection of Petrosian games that were well annotated. I figured Kasparov would be a good annotator :-)
   
   What I found out is that the section on Petrosian (181 pages) is one long story, where Kasparov shows how ideas were formed, tested adopted, refuted and so on. Throughout the weaving of the progression of chess ideas during Petrosian's time, he incrementally adds to Petrosian's life to give the reader a complete picture of him.
   
   This is unlike any other chess book I've purchased, and I was amazed once I figured out what I was reading. I was stunned at how readable it is at one level, although you could spend hours on each game if you delve into all of the analysis.
   
   I highly recommend it!

5 comments about Poker: The Real Deal.

1. Being a novice at poker, I bought this book expecting to find some very basic, not too complicated strategies on how to win at poker. Instead, I found a book that introduces some of the mathematical complexities of the game and in doing so, forced me to think more about the science of poker rather than the luck of poker. I have read this book many times and each time I learn more. I believe this book is excellent in that you have to read it more than once to understand it.
   
   Phil also sent me an autographed photo, personalized. I am impressed, he is the ambassador to poker that poker needs.



2. This page a day calendar was useful but a little light on poker strategy. It won't be something I'd suggest buying for it's information but as a page a day calendar it was fun and sometimes informative. I'd suggest a Phil Gordon page a day calendar to anyone interested in poker.



3. Of all the poker authorities out there, I'll put Phil Gordon in the top three, along with Brunson & Sklansky. Without being arrogant or aloof, he explains the history and techniques of the game. He explains the odds and math in very simple terms that anyone can understand and benifit from. Phil walks you through the stages of learning the game. You learn how to play on line and setting up your own home game. He then walks you through moving from low to middle limit games. "The Real Deal" will definitely step your game up a few levels. This is a great addition to anyone's poker library.



4. Among the very best hold'em poker books for beginners. Good advice and clear examples make this a must have for those who want to learn and improve their game. Even for intermediate players it's a good refresher and ensures your fundamentals are rock solid. Easy to read and enjoyable to boot!!



5. I'm a relative newcomer to poker and after reading reviews on Amazon, I chose this as my starting point to start reading in order to improve my game.
   
   The other reviews are spot on, this is an excellent starting point, for the following reasons:
   
   1) It's extremely easy to read. It's well written, and it's peppered with interesting scenarios and anecdotes that keep it from getting boring. I breezed through it in a few days.
   
   2) It's not jam packed with statistics, yet at the same time covers the basics. I'm sure in depth statistics are necessary for more advanced players, but for a beginner they can be overwhelming. The book does provide some very basic statistics, such as the calculation of "pot odds" in order to determine when to chase a drawing hand.
   
   3) It covers a very wide range of topics, from a basic overview of the game, the types of equipment you need (incl brand names of cards and chips), how to host a home game, a description of casino cardrooms, how professional tourneys work, the world series, etc. It also of course has a number of chapters on how to play a game, such as how to think like a poker player, and a brief description of a number of different poker strategies and when they can be used.
   
   4) Finally, it contains a number of references for additional reading. Like I said, this is an introductory book, and I plan to follow it up with additional reading.
   
   I also purchased Slansky's "The Theory of Poker" and Caro's "Poker Tells", both also recommended by amazon reviews (and both recommended by Gordon in this book), and I'm very glad I started with this one.
   
   One note though, this isn't a big issue but the majority of the book focuses on limit hold-em. Many (if not the majority) of the concepts are applicable to other poker games, but I think it's worth noting that the vast majority of the examples are limit Hold 'em and I don't believe that is mentioned anywhere on the book's cover.

3 comments about Wordplay: The Philosophy, Art, and Science of Ambigrams.

1. It should be noted that the text "wordplay" on the cover of the book is itself an ambigram. Turn it upside-down and it will read the same as right-side-up. You'll find dozens of examples of ambigrams that the author has patiently created.
   
   I've always had an interest in calligraphy and different typefaces. John Langdon's Wordplay allows the reader to look at this from a different point of view, and brings insight into how he goes about creating his intriguing ambigrams. It should appeal to the type of person who likes visual riddles or illusions. I first learned about the author's work through Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, which features several of Langdon's ambigrams. I'm glad I purchased the book and love looking through it. Recommended.



2. This book is just fantastic. It looks like an art book, but it's more than that. It's a philophy book. John Langdon makes us think about the words he draws and the meaning of them in our lives. Each word is an ambigram, and each one is beutiful and more intriguing than the other.



3. When I showed the cover of this book to my roommate, she started having a hard time focusing and felt dizzy. As she opened the book up and started to puzzle out all the letterforms and artistic fonts, she went into an almost trance like state. She was mesmerized for the next 2 hours as she devoured this book from cover to cover.
   
   After seeing Scott Kim's "Inversions" (as a result from reading "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown), I became an instant fan of ambigrams. I wanted to pick up anything I could about the unique artform. This book completed my collection.
   
   This book is great for anyone interested in the artistic aspect of letters and the english letterform. Tatoo artists, students, graphic art designers, graffiti artists, kids all love this book. It makes a great coffee table book and is great to stir discussion at an informal get together.
   
   Buy this book not for the words you just read, but for the words you've yet to experience through the hands of John Langdon.

1 comments about The Independent Book of Super Sudoku.

1. The puzzles presented in this book are great! With the addition of 6 letters of the alphabet, the sudoku grid becomes even more challenging! My only gripe with this book is that the puzzle grid is too small. I have had to enlarge each page in order to complete the puzzles. If more of these puzzles are published, please increase the grid size!!!

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

4 comments about Best of Puzzlemania Mazes.

1. Most maze books are boring, black and white and either too easy or too hard. These are all in color, all are fun, all are challenging (but suitable for ages 3-13) and best of all, doing these mazes will increase your kid's logic skills, hand-eye coordination and (eek) make them smarter! Good for airplanes, sitting in airport, doctors offices, or even at church. I don't hink they're suitable for car trips unless you have a Rolls Royce because kids would get really frustrated by going out of the maze tracks with the jiggling of the car.



2. Most maze books are boring, black and white and either too easy or too hard. These are all in color, all are fun, all are challenging (but suitable for ages 3-13) and best of all, doing these mazes will increase your kid's logic skills, hand-eye coordination and (eek) make them smarter! Good for airplanes, sitting in airport, doctors offices, or even at church. I don't hink they're suitable for car trips unless you have a Rolls Royce because kids would get really frustrated by going out of the maze tracks with the jiggling of the car.



3. Lots of great colorful mazes for ages 3-13, good for all sorts of "sit down and be quiet" situations where kids need to be able to work alone without adult intervention. These are slightly easier than the first two volumes of the set, but just as much fun, just as attractive, just as intellectually challenging. Mazes are one the sure-fire ways to increase your kid's attention span (fie on ADD and ADHD excuses), impulse control, ability to carry a task to completion and (yikes) maybe even their intelligence! Best of all, nobody gives you a grade on these things!!!Most maze books are boring, black and white and either too easy or too hard. These are all in color, all are fun, all are challenging (but suitable for ages 3-13) Good for airplanes, sitting in airports, doctors offices, or even at church.



4. Some of these mazes are hard, some are easy, all are in color instead of boring black and white, and all of them are fun for kids who want to be smarter, better at hand-eye coordination tasks and you could even have big kids and little kids do them together. They're fun and they're stimulating.Recommended for ages 4+ to adult.Take them to the doctor, restaurant, airplane trip, church, wherever kids need to be quiet but attentive without adult intervention.

5 comments about 3D Game Programming All in One, Second Edition.

1. My son really likes the book. He requested it on his xmas list, and was very pleased when he opened the package with the book inside. Thanks a million. P.B.



2. A COMPLAINT.
   
   The book is a treasure of information about the subject matter. However, the included CD if faulty. It doesn't install. T tried to install it on two different machine in vain. I emailed Thomson Course Technology about this matter and I received no response.
   
   THE PREDICAMENT OF OVERSEAS BUYERS.
   
   Althaugh overseas buyers pay the full amount including postage, they are oftern ignored when it comes to faulty products.
   
   AMAZON Authority should consider overseas buyers' helplessness in this situation.
   
   I need the CD badly and I am willing to pay any amount for a sound one.
   
   Thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter.
   
   Regards,
   
   Fawzy Youssef.



3. This book is actually a text book for my school. I saw a lot of complaints from other people on how much it talks about the Torque engine. Personally I think that is a good thing at 150 the Torque engine is something that most people who want to get into creating games could afford. The unreal engine costs thousands so it would be bad if it went into that or another engine like that, because most of us could not afford to get the engine and use what the book is teaching.



4. I am ready to give up on this book. I have the second edition, and can't imagine how others are making it work. The code sample for the very first project doesn't work. I eliminated typing errors by using the code provided on the CD, and it still doesn't work.
   There does not appear to be an errata website.
   Many items seem glossed over without any explanation given as to what they do.
   
   Given the price I paid ($65), and the name of the book, I would have expected more breadth, rather than a straight shot at building a FPS game. Running the final version of the end product, it is bad enough that I am now questioning the $150 that I spent on TGE. The physics of the vehicle are so poor, that it frequently gets into oscillation or total rollover on the smallest of obstacles, for example.
   
   I can't imagine using this tome to attempt to learn TGE. I hope that TGE is better than what is portrayed in this book. At least I didn't blow the $300 for TGEA!



5. Pros:
   Well written in an informal and easy to follow manner.
   
   Provides a good overview of the game development process with a focus on indies.
   
   Great intro. to the Torque game engine. Far superior to the online documentation from Torque.
   
   Cons:
   The title "3D Game Programming All in One" is terriblly inappropriate. This book is packed with 1000+ pages of good information but it should have been called something along the line of Introduction to Torque scripting, emphasis on the Intro part.
   
   Many detailed pages are spent on agonizingly basic tasks while more difficult subjects get glossed over, with the reader left spending a few hours inventing a step B cause the author magically went from A to C.
   
   More then once you'll be following one of his cookbook lessons and you are presented with an options menu with something like 50 options with unintuitive names and he tells you to just accept the defaults then moves on and never looks back. Maybe some tables explaining what those options do would be nice. This is "...All in One" right?
   
   Many many hours will be spent coping code from the book and then executing it in the torque game engine. However, the author has left dozens and dozens of errors in the book code, some of which are grossly inexcusable. Did the author not try his code after he typed it? Come on guy, cut and paste, I know you didn't crank out this tome using a pen.
   
   My biggest issue is that a lot of software, files and code comes with the book. But half the software does not match versions used in the book and many of the game files aren't what they are supposed to be. Code does not say what the book says it does, some image files are none existent and some of the animations are clearly works-in-progress just dumped onto the CD. The animation for an ogre dieing is actually an ogre being bounced across the screen and then dragged under the floor.
   
   I gave the book 3 stars because despite its many flaws I learned a lot and was able to resolve most issues at the expense of a few hours frustration. This book needs editing and lots of it. Also, I'll most likely buy his advanced version.

No comments about The New York Times Favorite Day Crosswords: Tuesday: 75 of Your Favorite Easy Tuesday Crosswords from The New York Times.