5 comments about Kid Talk: Conversation Cards (Tabletalk Conversation Cards).

1. I have kids ranging from 4-9yrs. they love these and beg to do them at dinner time. the best $7 I've ever spent.



2. I bought this so we would spend some quality time at the table and boy did it work.My husband works alot of hours and is so used to eating and jumping up from the table. These cards really go all of us talking and the kids have been eating more and not bouncing around at the table.Even my 2yr old likes to listen to our answers and has been much more behaved at dinner!



3. A little disappointing. Our family has to skim through a few cards before we find one that seems fun.



4. We were looking for a way to increase our family communication during dinner and to allow each child in the family to have equal "floor time" for their comments. The cards contain great topics, are creative, and enhance spontaneous discussion. Great buy!



5. I bought these for my godsons (4 & 9). They both really enjoyed them, as did the adults!

5 comments about Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games.

1. I think this book is more suitable to beginners up to Class C players. The book is indeed huge in size and contains many problems. The level of the problems is however limited to Mate in three........just not good enough.



2. With over 1100 pages, the "Polgar brick" is the biggest single volume of chess instruction I know of. Its first three chapters, which together make up most of the content, are respectively collections of mates-in-one, -two and -three. It is followed by a collection of chess miniatures, which are games decided in at most 25 moves. Then follow puzzles featuring combinations extracted from the games of the author's famous daughters, some basic endgame puzzles, and finally all of the solutions.
   
   The benefits of studying tactical exercises, endgame puzzles, and complete games cannot be doubted. And yet I cannot give this book a full recommendation. It seems a shame, for example, that the vast majority of puzzles focus on mate: there are so many other kinds of tactical patterns that receive little or no coverage. I can well imagine getting to problem 500 or so, sensing the limitations of such a narrow approach, then abandoning this book for a puzzle collection that is more balanced. Even the chapters on combinations are rather unusually grouped by key squares. Some would argue that this enhances pattern recognition, but one could just as easily argue the opposite: you're not learning to recognize the pattern if it is revealed to you a priori.
   
   As for the game scores, buyers should be aware that they are accompanied by only the barest of annotations - just a few symbols here and there. The principal virtue of these games is that they're brief. I cannot say that they are the most instructive games. Again, what an opportunity lost. How nicer it would have been, for instance, to present 25 or 50 or 100 of the most instructive games from the classics, with full annotations. It wasn't the case at the book's original publication, but now anyone can extract a collection of miniatures (for what that is worth) from a database, including some which are free on the internet; so, I don't know what value this chapter offers.
   
   Still, for the budget-conscious buyer the paperback edition of this book might be a satisfactory choice. The disproportionate attention to checkmate problems is a livable condition; if you do the work, you'll improve your chess. And there is so much to do! For others, I would instead point to the more balanced puzzle collections by Emms, Palliser, Blokh, Cheng, Alburt, or Reinfeld (or the software called CT-Art by Convekta); the lovely endgame exercise books by Pandolfini or Rosen; and the wonderful annotated game collections by McDonald, Giddins, or Nunn.



3. Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games
   Good information, easy to understand.
   I recommend this item for beginners and old timers.



4. This is not my favorite chess encyclopedia, but it contains lots of good material and, especially considering its price, is worth having.
   
   I think the most useful part of this book is "600 Miniature Games." After having seen this book for years, I finally bought it for this section alone. Each of the games contains miniatures decided by decisive attacks on the King's Field (f7/f2, g7/g2, h7/h2, f6/f3, g6/g3, h6/h3), whether the king is castled or not. You can basically follow these without a chess set and sometimes I like to open this book and "do" some of these in my head as an attacking refresher. I have some of Convekta's software (CT Art, etc) but those compendia have more varied problems and with this section of L. Polgar's book, I can focus in on kingside attacking practice.
   
   Recommended.



5. This book is a must have for anyone who is even remotely interested in the game. It starts off with simple checkmating patterns that even the newest player can understand, and then progressively increases in difficulty. But no worries! Even if you are wanting to learn how to play the game, this book teaches you that too! From setting up the board to winning the game, this book is quickly becoming a staple of everyone's chess library.

5 comments about Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Setting).

1. just recently had a chance to use the forgotten realms campaign setting, i love this book it was so helpful with forgotten realms lore, and not to mention npcs to use thanks amazon for carrying so many fine products like this,



2. I was very unsettled when the old parent company TSR went under in 1997. I loved the lavish boxed set filled with maps and cards. The novels was what it was about for myself. I loved the Dragonlance Chronicles in the mid 1980s. Then I happened upon the old gray box called the Forgotten Realms. I thought it revolutionary as an open-ended adventure setting. I didnt have many friends interested in playing the game at the time, so I began reading and collecting the novels.
   
   The stories are not classical liturature, however, they are a lot of fun! I collected all that was published until 1997. It seemed all was lost for old TSR. I decided to stop reading these stories as well. I honestly liked the Birthright setting more, but its lifespan was short indeed, a year or so. It only spawned a few novels.
   
   In the short time of TSR's hiatus, the Forgotten Realms was uncovering its hidden past-Netheril, Cormanthyr, and others that seemed very enticing to me. I began playing the game itself upon my PC. Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale were very familiar to me. The action became real for once.
   
   The books gathered dust as did the endless supplements besieging my bookshelf. Yet, for sentimental reasons, I could not part with them. Lord of the Rings became a major revival for the genre. It is widely accepted that D&D is a tribute to Middle Earth. I feel it goes much deeper than this, as the architypes can be found all over popular culture. Harry Potter to Star Wars is a little of the magic of old TSR.
   
   That brings us to the present and my rediscovery of the fabulous Forgotten Realms. I approached it with much caution. What had they done to my baby? Absolutely the greatest honor. The entire world is here, with all the vivid details I remembered. It was a little expensive and short on maps but worth it! I have every map 10 time over on my fantasy shelf. Now, I would like to see Kara-Tur, Maztica and Zhakara updated in this format. It is very tidy and easier to carry around in a single book. Now back to the novels, there are about 20 I have to catch up on. Its that old cliche-so many books, so little time.
   
   Thank you, to all that have kept the dream alive! For it is fully developed and ready for the next generation of dreamers! Elminster, if you read this, thank you for your magical input.



3. First, it is a beautiful book. The art and overall presentation is superb. The level of detail that some reviewers find lacking is not necessary for a book that is supposed to be a platform to work from. The only annoying thing, as with everything else in D&D, is that if you are a purist, there is always something else you "should" have, like the Monsters Compendium, besides all the rules books, etc; in other words, a huge wallet. But But the book is more than absolutely usable, with plenty of material to play a lifetime, good maps and sideline pointers and helpful tables. Very satisfied....



4. I think this book is helpful and adds many new features into the game of Dungeons and Dragons. It adds in Gem specifics and Dracoliches and more



5. I must admit, I've only recently began getting back into D&D. I've always enjoyed playing it, but never really played (let alone ran) Forgotten Realms. Most people would tell me it's crap, or it's too much work to do. Needless to say, I'm finding it quite useful. The modifications for the general races are one twist to making new characters for players. New magics and specializations for classes give characters a little bit more of a reason to try new things. Plus, any free maps are very cool.
   
   My only dislike (although quite necessary to game in Faerun) is the background on the world (literally takes up 2/3 of the book).
   
   If you want to game in this world, this is the book you'll definitely want. But it can be useful for running different campaigns as well.

No comments about Game Programming Gems 7 (Game Programming Gems Series).

No comments about Crazy Good: The True Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America.

5 comments about mental ray for Maya, 3ds Max, and XSI: A 3D Artist's Guide to Rendering.

1. Personally, I was looking for a mental ray book using 3ds Max as the host application. This book covers Maya, max & XSI. When the chapters explain something they explain the different approaches for each application. For example, you will have 3 different sections on supersampling: in XSI, in maya & in max. You can just skip whatever section does not apply to your program. Also, great info on HDRI methods. I have the mental ray manual which is for the standalone version and it's pretty useless for those of us who use mental ray in a host app. This is the most practical mental ray book out there so far and I think it might be required reading for a mental ray user using any of the aforementioned host apps.



2. I'm no pro at mental ray, which is why I bought this book. While it is an impressing resource, it quickly became clear that it needs to be updated for Maya 2008 users since they could go through this book and completely miss the mia_material shader, which is only described in a PDF on the included CD. Ditto for the mia_roundcorners shader, which appears nowhere in the index, only in the PDF. This is a great resource, I just wish that it hadn't taken forum posts from helpful individuals to point me to these significant shaders which replace a lot of longer workflow routines combining simpler shaders. Otherwise, this is a very helpful book and incredibly in-depth.



3. I've been searching for references to these programs that actually explained things rather than just take you through a tutorial for quite some time. As a user of both Maya and 3DsMax, this book intrigued me from the beginning. What I love about it is the author's willingness to actually explain they why behind the numbers. I also bought a few other books at the same time, but they were incredibly tutorial oriented. "Enter this number and see how it matches our picture?" Never giving the reason for that set of numbers. This one actually takes the time to explain the settings rather than just providing the right input.
   
   I was also pleasantly surprised by the depth (and amount of information) included in this book. I'm not at the level of every chapter yet, but it is a great book to grow into. The writing style allows to learn what you are looking for, and teaches new things at the same time. It is incredibly in-depth, but the book isn't written with only the highly advanced in mind. A great book for someone with some knowledge and looking to learn more about the programs, why some things work better than others, and the things that mental ray can do.



4. Being a self-study mental ray enthusiast, I've turned to three things in my path to becoming a skilled mental ray user and now a professional in the field, working with it daily.
   
   As such, I've turned to forums, to books and video dvd's. All three have very little information available about mental ray, a situation which has slowly improved in last three years, but during this time only one gem has really emerged: the item at hand, Livny's must-have mental ray guide.
   The book takes various topics from the original and very difficult Driemeyer mental ray books - which are application independant - and puts them in a more readable form in this massive seven-hundred page book. Livny understands what's really important when using mental ray, the deep knowledge of how things work, which help the user get to the result they - and their client - needs, faster and better.
   
   Differently from other mental ray books, Livny also handles the topic of third party and customization options of mental ray, covering various shaders and plugin options.
   
   Since the book covers three different applications that have mental ray integrated seamlessly, the book is also very useful to rendering experts who have to jump working platform every now and then.
   
   This is however not a book recommended for beginners, far from entry level, I personally recommend this book to average to advanced level students and enthusiasts.
   
   Thumbs up, a pleasant surprise from a generally unknown author and publisher and a book I'll be recommending to mental ray users everywhere.



5. Every serious mental ray user needs to have this book and actually read it. this is not a quick guide, its an extensive reference. Plan to spend some time with this book and a highlighter pen, read and reread it. Considering it has information in mental ray stand alone, Maya, Max, and XSI its pretty amazing. This is not the kind of book you whip out on the job just to figure out which preset shader to use, its detailed information on how mental ray actually works. If you seriously study this book and really understand it, you will master mental ray. The fact that it might be slightly out of date with regards to the mia shader in Maya is rather irrelevant. if you really understand this book then you'll understand what every setting in the mia shader actually does which is much more important. I'm about half way through it. my only criticism is that it could have more hands on examples, however their are plenty of other sources for that.

1 comments about The New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles Volume 33: 50 Sunday Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times.

1. I have been addicted to NY Times Sunday crosswords for years. This collection is no let-down. My only complaint? Not enough of them! I ordered the Omnibus collection with this: 500 puzzles! You can't go wrong with any of the NY Times crossword publications.

3 comments about Fane of the Forgotten Gods: Dungeon Tiles (D&D Accessory).

1. I was really looking forward to ripping open my two sets of Fane of the Forgotten Gods D&D Dungeon Tile sets. The Dire Tomb sets really re-invigorated my love for Dungeon Tiles after the disappointing Underdark set. Every time I built a dungeon using Dire Tombs I was able to use just about every single piece in the set. I built some multi-floor ziggurat-style dungeons that were large and expansive and a lot of fun.
   
   After opening up one of my two sets of Forgotten Gods, throwing them out on a table, and spending about an hour of trying to build a decent dungeon out of them, I have to say I am disappointed with Fane of the Forgotten Gods.
   
   First, there aren't nearly enough big room pieces. A good set, like Dire Tombs, included three double-sided 8x8 pieces. A good dungeon needs some nice big rooms. Instead, with Forgotten Gods, we only get two and two sides of them aren't rooms but overland buildings. One of them is a stable. A stable! What Forgotten God came from a stable?
   
   Because only two of the five sheets included large rooms, there is an abundance of smaller flavor pieces. I always have a hard time with the flavor pieces. I really don't want single square pieces. I much prefer larger 2x4 pieces with alters or 2x2 flaming cauldron pieces. There are a few nice 4x4 pieces in Forgotten Gods including some sort of sphere of soul catching. There's also some good statue pieces. Overall, however, there are way too many small pieces.
   
   Another complaint I have is the abundance of odd-shaped pieces. There are four corner pieces and a whole bunch of 45 degree aligned pieces. These are extremely difficult to place within a room or line up to any of the other hallways.
   
   I know the Dungeon Tile designers want to make these sets flexible but that flexibility comes at a high cost of usability. I'd much rather have a set with six to eight room pieces (four double sided rooms) and a smaller amount of flavor pieces. Dire Tombs really had the perfect mix of large rooms, good hallways, and nice usable smaller flavor pieces.
   
   I really can't get over that stable. I think I have a stable just like it with the overland dungeon tile set from a while back. Why not have a circular room or some other oddly shaped rooms?
   
   I hope future sets take the approach taken with Dire Tombs and less like Forgotten Gods and the Underdark sets. It shouldn't take a mix of multiple sets to make a good six-room dungeon.
   
   I really like the D&D Dungeon Tile sets now that I figured out the best way to use them. However, sets like Forgotten Gods are disappointing. I hope the designers go back to sets like Dire Tombs and avoid the abundance of smaller pieces over larger room pieces.
   
   Though disappointed with Fane of the Forgotten Gods, I look forward to the next release.



2. I have collected all of the Dungeon Tile sets that Wizards has put out. They are a great aid to the game since they help the DM lay out the adventure better and they greatly aid the players in getting true perspective on the areas. I have given these sets 5 stars in the past but have to give this one a 4. The reason is that after several sets they really should be trying for something different. With 4th Edition D & D at the printer, a wider variety of tiles would help round out the game before the big release in June. Aside from a few triangular rooms and odd shaped hallways, there is really nothing new here. Still very much worth the price but they should really endeavor to vary their products.



3. This was my first set of Dungeon Tiles, and will not be my last. The tiles themselves are very sturdy, so they should last a long time. Since the battle grid is pre-printed on each one, they are ready to play out of the pack. Using these tiles takes about the same amount of time as drawing a dungeon outline on a dry erase board, but they look much better. Plus, no messy erasing! Just pick up the tiles as the players move on, and reuse them for new rooms. The art on the tiles is cool, matching up with the theme of the set.
   
   For gamers that do not play D&D, these tiles are still useful for any game that uses a 1" grid.

5 comments about World Of Warcraft: The Art Of The Trading Card Game (World of Warcraft).

1. This is an awesome book...The variety of work is great, different styles and techniques, not to mention the characters are really fun to look at. As an artist, it's one of those books that you crack open to get the creative juices flowing!!!



2. I love the book. I collect every "art of" book i can find and this is definitely one of the better ones. It has a full page of art on nearly every page, and a few shots of process, like pencil sketch to painting on a few pages. Artists like Todd McFarlane, Puddnhead, and Greg Staples are some of a few in the book as well as many other amazing artists.i reccomend it highly, it's very inspirational.



3. I've been looking forward for a book like this for quite some time. It gives me the chance to study styles and guidelines for the trading card industry. Thanks to this book now I know what to work with for my next portfolio review. Luckily future book are going to have my stuff too!!! ;)



4. I was looking for the perfect book to display the beautiful works of art I had seen in the world of warcraft franchise. This book certainly delivered. There is nothing low quality about this book. It included many of the pictures I'd already seen on the internet and many beautiful paintings I had never seen before. I'll let each buyer see for themselves, but the book is organized in a very simple and interesting way. It is so full of paintings, even after a month, I can look through and find a painting I'd never noticed before, and as an amateur artist, I find plenty of inspiration. A valuable book for any fan of warcraft or fan of fantasy art.



5. I am not a World of Warcraft gamer, but the beautiful art in this book drew me to it the moment I saw it on the shelf in my local book store. This book is filled with page after page of gorgeous renditions of highly stylized creatures and monsters that entrance the viewer. Discovering some of these artists for the first time was a treat for me, so much so, that I had to go online to find out more about some of them. This is a wonderful book with some great art in it. I highly recommend it for both WoW gamers and non-gamers alike!

5 comments about The Whole Horse Catalog: The Complete Guide to Buying, Stabling and Stable Management, Equine Health, Tack, Rider Apparel, Equestrian Activities and Organizations...and ... Else a Horse Owner and Rider Will Ever Need.

1. If you're considering doing ANYTHING with a horse in it, get this book. It's by far the most complete book on basic horse health, stabling, activities, breeds, etc. (And I do mean "basic".) Would have been five-stars for a glossary.



2. I just received this book. I find it quite outdated. The drawings and illustrations are poorly done. There are only a few black and white pictures. Just beware that this is a 1998 book and I am sure you can find a more updated horse book than this one.



3. Great book



4. It was very helpful and helped in answering the usual questions that you might be too embarrassed to ask =D It also was good because it had many pictures that aided as well.



5. I just received this book and am so disappointed in it. I saw a few bad reviews, but most of them were glowing reports, many from experienced horse people about the information provided. I wanted a book about horse equipment, tack, care, etc. because I sometimes feel overwhelmed with all the "stuff" out there and what the purpose of using it is.
   The day I received this book my farrier had suggested I try a "stud chain" on my horse the next time he is shod (he is a sweet horse but horrible in this one area). Yes, I thought, now I can look up "stud chain" - - but, NO, that is not in this book.
   The book has black and white drawings, which are not very clear or detailed. For example, in the section on bridles there are 6 drawings of bridles, but several of them look very much alike, and although they are described there is NO information about why you would use one style instead of another. That is the type of information that I was expecting. If that is what you are looking for, don't buy this book.