5 comments about The New York Times Supersized Book of Sunday Crosswords: 500 Puzzles (New York Times Crossword Puzzles).

1. This huge book contains 500 Sunday Times crossword puzzles from the Shortz and Maleska eras, but most of them are from the wittier Shortz group. And think of it: this contains ten years worth of Sunday New York Times crossword puzzles! Ought to take you at least a couple of weeks to finish, right?
   
   The book is well-made, with good quality paper -- much better than the slick glossy Times Sunday magazine paper that doesn't take pencil or ink marks very well -- and for those like me who tear the pages out and then use a clipboard, they tear out easily with no ragged edges.
   
   As for the puzzles, well -- is there anyone, anywhere who makes better big Sunday-style puzzles? I've done puzzles from papers all over the USA and the Times are easily the most fun and most challenging to work.
   
   Consider the price: less than three cents per puzzle. Can't beat that.
   
   Heartily recommended to puzzle fanatics and casual solvers alike.
   
   Scott Morrison



2. Not for the average crossworder! Difficult puzzles for the most part and print is very small. Paper quality is good and so was the price but if they are too difficult to solve....more frustration than fun.



3. As you age your mind also needs exercising. Crossword Puzzles are an excellent way of doing this. Research has shown that crossword puzzles are instrumental in warding off forgetfullness and even Alzheimers disease. Your mind is actually more important than your body and it can change your attitude to physical problems and overcome them.



4. Although this crossword book has 500 puzzles in it, it is amazingly easy touse in that the binding is such that it lies flat when you are working the puzzles.



5. This is a great deal on a good amount of puzzles that will last you a long time. The only thing I don't like is that the puzzles are originally from 1983 to 1998, so some of the clues are somewhat outdated and since you don't know exactly when in that 15-year time frame the puzzle appeared some pop culture/political references are hard to figure out.

5 comments about Final Fantasy X-2 Official Strategy Guide.

1. I was very pleased with the speed in which my game guides came in. They were perfect when they arrived and I was very excited to start using them.



2. This strategy Guide is very very resourceful full of information and its awesome! Tells you where everything is and how to get there. If you wanna complete the game with 100% this strategy guide book is here for you!
   
   Cody Collum



3. My purchasing experience was excellent and my daughter was very impressed with this item as a gift. It was received timely and in excellent condition.



4. Nearly all the way through the game and a 100% completion in one run. Without a guide like this I don't see how anyone could get 100% even after several times through the game.



5. The shipping was fast and the product arrived in lovely condition. However the book itself was poorly written, and if you're buying this I STRONGLY recommend reading the mini games section first as the only way to see the entire ending of the game is if you complete some of these things, a fact which is not mentioned until well AFTER you're 1/4 of the way through the book itself. I was very satisfied with the purchase, but as most of you know FF isn't a short wham-bam game and it was horribly disappointing that after getting 15-16 hours in we realized we'd be watching the end of the game on youtube anyways =p Also, there were still parts that were explained in such uncertain terms we ended up using the internet to find the answers anyways. A die hard FF fan....I was extremely disappointed in Dan Birlew's product this time.

5 comments about Kids Travel: A Backseat Survival Kit.

1. I actually used this book as a child on long car trips. I remember it fondly. I have 2 sisters and we all played quite nicely with this...for a while. The only problem was we wanted to do different things in different parts of the book. This led to 3 little girls squabbling over a book. Not fun! My advice is to get 1 per child.



2. I have 9 year old twins who thought this was a good book. The packet of activities came with some items that needed scissors. Make sure to pack your own. They had a fun time with it and it was a good hit on the 10 hour road trip we had. While they didn't play it the whole time they did use it through out the trip. It was a good sturdy book that will last for some time to come.



3. It is a truly excellent book. It really does the job of keeping a child occupied. I bought it for my 9 y.o. and he was totally consumed by it. I didn't hear a single peep during the whole trip! He had some other activity books on the back seat, but this one was his absolute favorite! We played games from the book together, he tested the adults' IQ, he checked if we really knew traffic rules, he marked down all license plates of states other than his home one, and so on... Everything from the book was real fun for everybody in the car! Highly recommended!



4. A long roadtrip can be hard on kids no matter what they're ages. This had something for everyone. It had crafts for the daughter and games for the son. It included everything that was necessary (no hunting for makers or pens) and included a two page list of all the license plates of the US with a spcae to mark the date and where you saw them. They kep a look out for unusual ones along the way.



5. This book was worth every cent to my girls ages 12 and 9. We took it on a trip just recently and it kept them busy for a long time. They love the friendship bracelet craft, the doodle area, the game boards, cats cradle string games and the licence plate checklist! My son was not particularly interested in this item since the crafts seem more geared toward girls. I don't recommend it for younger children, since it will be a little above their level. It's perfect for kids age 7-8 through teens.
   
   There are some used ones for sale, but you need to purchase a new one for this type of book. The used ones will be written in, and have the activity pages filled in already which is no fun. Each child needs their own copy.
   
   My children are getting a little older and needed some more engaging activities for road trips, and this book was just the thing we needed. The Klutz books are always fun, and this one is one of their best, and it is perfectly designed for back seat survival! We road test lots of different items because of my website, and this item was definitely a hit. I give it two thumbs up, and so do my girls. We will be bringing it on all our trips from now on.

5 comments about Killer Sudoku 1: The Deadly New Dimension.

1. In my opinion, Killer Sudoku puzzles are much more fun and satisfying to solve than regular Sudoku puzzles because of the added complexity of the sums and the various techniques that can be employed to solve them. "Killer Su Doku 1: The Deadly New Dimension" contains 110 puzzles of which there are 17 Gentle, 30 Moderate, 42 Tricky, 16 Tough, and 5 Deadly puzzles. Each puzzle has a suggested time to beat. There is also a two-page "Guidelines for Solving Killer Su Doku".
   
   I didn't find the guidelines for solving to be particularly useful. They give a quite minimal explanation of how to solve these types of puzzles and leave out explanations of some of the more important techniques for solving, such as the 45 Rule. (Steve Arons book, "The Official Book of Killer Sudoku" contains a much more comprehensive introduction.)
   
   Regarding the suggested times, I didn't specifically time myself, but I often noticed that I took much less or much more time than what was suggested. As for difficulty, I found that sometimes a puzzle in a given section was either much harder or much easier than what was implied. The puzzles in the Deadly section were no more difficult than the ones in the Tough section. The hardest puzzles in the book are 78, 98, and 105. I eventually figured out some interesting equations and relational techniques for solving 78 and 98. (Whew, that was fun!) Puzzle 105 is the only one that I have not yet managed to solve.
   
   This brings me to a recommendation for the Solutions section. In general, I find the solutions in the backs of Sudoku books to be useless. If I finish a puzzle and it conforms to the rules then it's correct; otherwise it's wrong. I don't need a solution to tell me that. The only time I look at the solution is occasionally when I'm doing a really difficult puzzle and I want to check an intermediate result to make sure I'm on the right track so I don't end up having to erase the entire puzzle and start over. This also helps to instantly understand what type of mistake I made. Something that would be really helpful in the solutions for the really difficult puzzles would be to show a partially solved grid and an explanation of how to get to the next step.
   
   On the whole I found this book to be very enjoyable and highly recommend it for any Killer Sudoku fan. Publisher, another one please!



2. I do enjoy regular Sudoku. But there are a couple of problems with it. First, while it uses numbers, it in no way uses the properties of numbers. Second, the level of effort to solve such puzzles is generally uneven; you may get a few numbers early, but then it gets very tough, and soon after that it is easy again. When it is tough, you may have to write down possible values in a square or guess, and that's unsatisfying compared to being able to simply write down correct numbers in blank squares.
   
   With Killer Sudoku, one does get to use the additive properties of numbers, so there really is a difference between the symbols! And the level of effort is more nearly even. In addition, even hard puzzles generally can be solved without writing anything down but the answers. It is my favorite Sudoku variant ("Greater than Killer Sudoku" is my second favorite).
   
   This book is about at the right level. Do not be scared by the "deadly" puzzles at the end, as I found them to be easier than some of the earlier ones.
   
   I recommend this book to all those who enjoy a challenge and have some time on their hands.



3. If your bored of Sudoku and not finding the standard puzzles challenging you need to try these out. The page layout of this book is good there is ample room to write your number combinations and there are suggested times for each puzzle. The paper used in the book is softer but stands up fine to an eraser.



4. I ran into Killer Sudoku accidentally, and became hooked ever since. The (simple addition and subtraction) math involved adds a new dimension to the puzzle. Unlike the standard Sudoku, Killer Sudoku puzzles have more twists and surprises waiting to be explored. The more difficult puzzles in this book are very satisfactory in harboring many pleasant and exciting ones.
   
   The books contain 110 puzzles of 5 levels. When you advance to the last two level, your skill and fun are elevated as well. I guess after you mastered the game, you may want to get books with only difficult ones (and they should be so published). One nice thing about this book is that the puzzles seem to have been tested, and there is a 'par' time for each one of them. For easy one the pars are ten to 20 minutes, and the hardest ones up to 90 minutes. These par times are pretty good in that I tended to exceed them in the beginning, but after I have advanced to high levels and came back to do some easier ones that I skipped I often beat the par. The time competition factor also is a way to enjoy the easy ones.
   
   Highly recommended for going through the levels and mastering the game. If you are looking only for tough Killer Sudoku books, this one contains about 20 very good ones.



5. I encountered Killer Sudoku in a Will Shortz sudoku variants book and became hooked on it, and this is a great book of it. It allows you to move between a variety of solving techniques taken from both regular Sudoku and Kakuro. The puzzles here come in a good variety of solving difficulty, with enough easy ones for you to practice your techniques on, and enough challenging ones that you won't get bored.

5 comments about Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. My daughter love the whole Pokemon genre, and especially enjoys the GameBoy Pokemon games. She has poured through this book many times already and just loved it. I highly recommend it.



2. Man, this is an awesome guide. I just got it in November and I already am at the Victory Road, about to enter the Pokemon League! Some reviews says it tells lies, and skips around the world of Hoenn; it doesn't! Some people even say that it skips Trainer imformation; but that's because Trainer's Pokemon are random. And for the "skipping around" part, just use the Quick Walkthrough to be guided and then head to the events of Hoenn in "Maps of Hoenn"! Some reviewers say that the guide calls Rock types Earth types, but that's usual. The guide even contains a Pokedex section, a List of Moves and a list of items! Here are the good and bad details about the guide (although it isn't that bad.)
   
   - The Good,
   - Nice walkthrough that connects to the Quick Walkthrough.
   - Thorough Pokedex, containing every Pokemon.
   - Nice charts for moves, and items.
   - Strategies for all Sub Quests and Pokemon Contests.
   - Good strategies for gym leaders, rivals and proteges, a.k.a. Wally.
   - Nice maps showing every building.
   - Locations of all Pokemon
   - The Bad,
   - Doesn't include Secret Bases.
   - On the battle with Archie in the Seafloor Cavern, he doesn't have a Golbat, he has a Crobat.
   
   - And the Ugly(I'm just kidding!)
   
   Anyway, buy this guide; it's well worth it!



3. The only real problem with the guide is the Pokedex in the back does not give enough information.



4. 
   I bought this book for my son and he really enjoyed reading it becuase he was really into the game he had. It's a good manual if your kids play the game.



5. I regret bying this peice. I bought it right when fire red and leaf green first came out. It does not halve the complete walkthrough. It cuts out on the islands, only showing you three of the seven islands. I think it might not even tell you there are seven Islands.Nor does it mention anything about getting ho-hoh, lugia, or deoxys. if you get stuck there, you'd be screwed. you think they put in a few more pages to give you all of the game. by time i got to the end and did not have four islands, i was so mad. And their is a different book which did include them, from a different company. Spend your money on a better product. If you like the pokedex, than buy just a poke dex book.

5 comments about Foodie Fight: A Trivia Game with Gameboard and Cards.

1. Had a lot of laughs over the game after Christmas dinner (gift to my daughter - a foodie)



2. I recently attend a weekend cooking school where we played both Foodie Fight and the Trival Pursuit Game dedicated to food. Foodie Fight was much more fun, more interesting questions, better catagories and just the right difficulty. The school was attended by "foodies" and some new to cooking and all enjoyed the game. It's a winner!



3. Saw this at xmas time and thought it would be a fun gift for a family member. I was worried that the questions would not be challenging enough being that the person is a consumate foodie, as is another family member who would be present during the holiday. We played the game and even they couldn't answer all the questions!
   Game is designed really well, good variety of questions even for the novice foodie and I like how you can play a short game or a long game.
   Good fun!



4. This game is fun, but can go on for a long time to the difficulty of some of the questions!



5. Gave this as a gift to my brother who is a masterful chef. He enjoyed it. Good gift idea for those who cook.

5 comments about The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book: Design, Invent, and Build.

1. This book contains very clear instructions and diagrams for NXT-G program. The sample robots are creative and very well designed. You can feel the intelligence behind when you build. I especially like the binding of this book, so it can lay open while you build. So I will probablly purchase more book from this press. In fact I have pre-order one. One thing I doesn't like is one of the samples requires two NXT kits, which I don't have at the moment. I guess it's because this book is targeting more senior builders.



2. 'The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book: Design, Invent, and Build' is an absolutely wonderful book with one MAJOR flaw in that the entire book is in black and white. Packed with 16 chapters written wonderfully with exciting examples and content, this would have been a easy 5 star recommendation but I simply cannot do that. Legos are bold, bright, and full of color, the decision to publish this in black and white was a terrible one. I understand this decision was made to no doubt save costs, but it shouldn't have been published (no matter how good the content is) in this form. Some books would benefit from color, some books require it and this is one of those cases. If you enjoy Legos and want to learn how to use Mindstorms NXT and all the fun, amazing things you can do with them this book will show you how, but I would wait for version 2.0 of this book with color. Not only is the black and white unfavorable, it's downright hard to follow.
   
   Great content, great layout, thumbs WAY down for no color
   
   **** RECOMMENDED



3. The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book: Design, Invent, and Build
   
   I read this book and I really enjoyed it. This was the first Mindstorms book that I read and it was really easy to understand and got me off to a quick start. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was that the graphics and text are printed on an off white background and it made it a little harder to read and the graphics themselves are all black and white and some of them were a little hard to figure out the robot designs because of it. But dont let this keep you from getting this great robotics book. [...]



4. Lots Of good information on NXT G-code,Bluetooth programming for the NXT, and an informative guide to designing your NXT bots.I thought this book was well worth the money. The "LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action) is a very good intro to this book.



5. The problem with this book is it has black and white photos of black and white pieces. They don't give a close up of what your adding to your structure. Writing is too small to look at without a magnify glass.
   Programming was screwed up in some places.

2 comments about Star Wars Gamemaster Screen (Star Wars Accessory).

1. Starting with the bad: The lack of a chart listing damage dice for common weapons is a major oversight, particularly considering that the climb and persuasion skills each get their own table here, not to mention two entire tables devoted to how hard it is to break various objects.
   
   I give it points for being a sturdier GM screen than I expected, being made of much thicker cardstock than most screens I've used. I also like that it is shorter than most other screens, making it both easier to peek over and not being an intimidating "wall" between you and your players. The art on the front of the screen is attractive, and the whole thing has a kind of glossy laminate that will help stand up to wear.
   
   I would like to give it three-and-a-half stars, but three isn't quite fair.



2. This installment of the Star Wars GM Screen has great photos and art work but still delivers the information needed to run a game session with minimul book, rule checking.

5 comments about Game Theory: A Nontechnical Introduction.

1. The second best after "The Compleat Strategyst" at a primer level, highly redable.
   Yes, unfortunately enough, I am over the age of 13 (65)



2. The book is very well written, and surprisingly easy to read, considering how dry the subject matter can be at times. Gives a very nice introduction to the topic, and finishes off with a more formal discussion of some advanced topics.
   
   If you are a mathematician, this book is probably excruciatingly easy for you, and probably has little academic value. But, if you are a layman, with an interest in systems and games, it really gives you a lot to think about, and a new way to think about it. It introduces a method of determining possible outcomes, as well as giving a nice overview of more sophisticated concepts, should you decide to explore the topic more fully.
   
   Each chapter begins with some questions to consider while reading, and detailed answers to help at the back of each chapter. The only real issue I found with the book is that the questions are missing from chapter one, yet the answers are there. Odd.



3. it was received in ample time for school and in great condition
   a pleasure to work with
   thanks so much



4. This is my "Goldilocks/Babybear" game theory book. Not too hard, not to soft, just right.
   
   Without calculus, Davis provides a complete introduction to an arcane but useful mathematical discipline. The Compleat Strategyst: Being a Primer on the Theory of Games of Strategy by Williams was too soft. It used the simplest possible methods to address the concepts being discussed, and barely acknowledged some of the most interesting topics in game theory. Games and Decisions: Introduction and Critical Survey by Luce and Raiffa was good, up until you hit the calculus (pretty quickly in each chapter), after which I have no basis to form an opinion.
   
   Davis hits all the important concepts of game theory without resorting to sigma notation or even more occult symbols (unlike Luce and Raiffa). He does, however, require a fairly solid understanding of algebra, (unlike Williams). With this fairly humble prerequisite knowledge, Davis takes the non-mathematician where he or she needs to go, and provides a fairly complete level of understanding.
   
   I would recommend this one as a perfect sequel to Williams, should the reader not be challenged, or as a stand-alone for the marginally mathematically literate (such as myself) who need a practical understanding of mathematically grounded decision making.
   
   E. M. Van Court



5. Got this for hubby for his b-day off his wish list and well he loves it. Says he is learning a lot! Did tell me it was a tough read but still learning from it.

3 comments about Practical Poker Math: Basic Odds & Probabilities for Hold'Em and Omaha (Ecw Press).

1. Finally, a book that makes odds, probabilities and expectation easy to understand. The book is well written and the math is easy to follow. Also, it is the only book I know of that deals with the odds in Omaha. Well worth the money!



2. I started playing poker with some friends about 1 1/2 years ago. After going through a learning curve I was winning more than I was losing. I then thought I'd try online poker and found that the caliber of players was higher than I was used to and realized I needed to improve my chances. I happened upon Pat Dittmar's book Practical Poker Math and thought I'd take a look at it. I'm a computer professional and the book struck a chord with me because it's very logical. It also doesn't get so complicated that you lose interest and put it aside. After putting some of Dittmar's ideas into play I soon found I was holding my own with the online players. As I get more disciplined about sticking to the math and not letting my adrenaline carry me away I'm winning more and more. This book has paid for itself many times over.



3. This is the second book I have read about poker odds and the first I could understand. It is easy to understand, easy to read and best of all I have been winning more since reading it. Well worth buying.