5 comments about New York Times Crosswords for Your Coffee Break: Light and Easy Puzzles.

1. The thing about crossword puzzles is that even hard-core fans sometimes like to do an easy and fun puzzle. These ones are great. An excellent puzzler should be able to complete them in 10-15 minutes or less, a decent puzzler should easily have them done in under 20 minutes. The title is no joke: these really are great puzzles for your coffee break. This little book makes a great stocking stuffer!



2. Well, pretty easy but not THAT easy. Finishing one on a coffee break is probably not something I could always do. They are fun and in a good format.



3. I find crosswords a way to relax and the Light and Easy series are just that. Not too hard, but engaging enough to keep me interested. The size of the puzzles makes it easy to finish one relatively quickly. The book size is convenient for carrying around. The expert crossword addict may find these too easy, but for the rest of us the Light and Easy series are fun. Great airplane/airport activity.



4. Since I am a very enthusiastic crossword puzzler and since I live in an area of the world where they are unavailable, it isn't always easy trying to find something you like on-line. The good news is that the N.Y. Times Coffee Break book is EXACTLY what it says it is......I love it! It is easy but not
   "brain-less" easy. Yes, the puzzles can be done in a coffee break! I only wish there were more puzzles in the book! I know I will finish the book too quickly. Buy and enjoy!



5. This crossword book is WAY overpriced. I only bought it to meet the free shipping purchase amount on another item. I really consider it packing material.

5 comments about Boggle Brainbusters: The Ultimate Word-Search Puzzle Book.

1. Ehhh, it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. It does pass the time, but is basically kinda boring and not a bit as fun as the actual game.



2. I love word games and there aren't enough out there- it's a field dominated (almost exclusively) by crossword puzzles. The Boggle workbooks (there are currently two) are terrific- as easy or hard as you want them to be- you're just making words out of adjacent letters- you get higher points for longer words, etc. I am addicted to these books. I've now bought each twice, just keep re-working the same two. So I really wish they'd bring out Boggle Brainbusters 3!



3. I love playing Boggle, both the original game and the computer game, so I was disappointed with this book. The rules are somewhat different, making it too easy. Also, there is no "correct" word list, so you can assume all the words you make are correct. Just not what I had expected.



4. My daughter and i use this and we both love it. We will take turns or time each other. And some of the puzzles are very challenging and others not so much so I can always find one that suits us both.



5. This was the first Boggle book that I bought. I absolutely love them because I enjoy the challenge of making as many words as I can. The book starts with a simple 4x4 block of letters and has about 36 lines that you can use to make words. The challenge to me is to try to make double that amount. After a certain amount of the 4x4 grids, they increase to 5x5, 6x6 and then there are a couple of 18x18 grids in the end. Also, on each page there are special "Brainbusters" for you to find. They give the clues and then you have to find the words. Some are easy, some require a bit more thinking. It's great brain exercise. This is a great puzzle book to have during a lunch break, waiting at the doctors/dentist office, recuperating from an illness/surgery, during a trip or waiting on transportation for the trip or just relaxing at home or even in the park. If like to have fun with letters and words then you will enjoy Boggle Brainbusters.

No comments about Dungeon Delve: A 4th Edition D&D Supplement (D&D Adventure).

5 comments about Eberron Campaign Setting (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. I run a D&D campaign set in Eberron, and of course this book is essential. It is very interesting, with a lot of good flavor material, and some decent additions to the rules (the new races are fun). One warning (this probably applies to all the Eberron source books): The backround information is very vague. Many things are hinted at, but rarely are they revealed in any detail. This is not neccesarily a bad thing. I like it because it releases me to invent whatever I want (without fear of contradiction by a player who has more time to study sourcebooks than me), and really make the setting my own. However, it is probably good to keep this in mind when you are considering buying this book.
   Eberron is not The Forgotten Realms. You will not find reams of material on every obscure location and character.
   The style of Eberron suits me very well, as it is quite conducive to plot oriented campaigns.
   
   As for the book itself, it is well made and sturdy. Not a lot of typos, the illustrations are pretty good, better than a lot of Wizards books, but still a little inconsistent.



2. This is a great setting. It's very easy to get involved in Eberron, and there is just enough to play in such a vast world. The new races are very attractive and fun, and the personality of the world is very interesting. Since I play Eberron, adventures just got more fun. Of course, you don't need this material to take your players through amazing locations, jungles filled with ancient secrets and mysterious enemy lands, but this book will surly put you up to it.



3. The Ebberon campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game system brings players into a new world. This is no backwoods medieval period setting. This is technology married to magic, and twisting plots. this is a world where the "normal" rules no longer apply. I highly recomend this book for any Dungeons & Dragons fan who wants something truly new.



4. Ever since the setting was announced i hated it. I hated the idea of a "steampunk" type setting and i hated the idea that wizards would produce yet another campaign setting and split up there writers even further. I hated the fact there were new overpowered races like the warforged, shifters, and changelings and i hated that the warforged were sentient constructs. In fact i hated that whole idea for the setting.
   
   Then i bought it and read it. I can now honestly say "I love the Eberron setting." It is like nothing out there. It is new and original and isn't just the same ole greyhawk or forgetten realms. The lands are all interesting and the races are all fun to play. Yes they may be out of place and overpowered in some dnd games but they fit right in with the Eberron theme. It is not a steampunk setting like i thought and is closer to a High magic setting. The artwork and layout are fantastic as well.
   
   My only complaint was that i didn't buy this book sooner. I waited until it dropped down dirt cheap and picked it up. Now with 4th edition coming in 2weeks I'm not sure when ill find time to delve into the setting. I just know that ill be the first to preorder the 4th edition version when it is released. (that is if 4th doesn't suck, heck ill probably still order the eberron setting even if it does). Great setting. Ranks right up there with Forgotten Realms and i may have to give the edge to Eberron just because it seems more about having fun than FR does. Forgotten realms borders on learning an encyclopedia that is if you want to run a true "FR" game. Good setting and i would recommend it to any dm out there looking for something different.



5. totally needs to even out its race descriptions...4 pages for warforged...4 paragraphs fer a changling....NOT COOL for a DM with 2 changlings in the party...

5 comments about Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices.

1. This book is wonderful for integrating math curriculum with reading fluency. Children don't even realize their learning because they are having so much fun sharing their poems with their classmates.



2. This is a "WOW" book...helping to connect mathematics with ELA. Provides so many ideas for extensions and enrichment in all types of teaching environments. A MUST for a proactive educator!!



3. This book is a neat way to bring poetry into the math classroom. The math teacher on my team looked at it and chose some to use with our middle school students. (Unfortunately, she felt that some of the math was not correct.) If you're looking for great use of poetic language, this really isn't the book you want. It provides the basic definitions about different mathematic ideas in the form of two voice poems.



4. After completing some other Poetry in two-voice and four-voice formats, this book offers an opportunity to reach your math oriented students, and touch the cross-curricular boundary. I used this book and the poems within its pages as a surprise for my math team partner. We practiced on some days that my partner was out on taking some professional development, and performed the poems for him upon his return. This is one more way to hook students on poetry.



5. This book is ok but not great. It's more of an idea starter, 'get you thinking', type of book. I agree with the other reviewers that, as a teacher, you can read a poem or two in class to get kids started on their own two voice math poems but don't rely on it for correct math or to be a resource for class. There is not enough varied content for that. It's more like a lesson plan that the author has expanded into a short book.

3 comments about The New York Times Sunday Crossword Omnibus Volume 9: 200 World-Famous Sunday Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Sunday Crosswords Omnibus).

1. Do you look forward to the New York Times Sunday puzzle? This book has 200 of them for you along with the answers (so you don't have to wait for a week). At this price you can't go wrong.



2. This strongly recommended 'omnibus' volume collects 200 New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles that were originally published between August 6, 2001 and June 19, 2005. Some of these puzzles were originally reprinted in recent spiral-bound, fifty-puzzle volumes of the NYT Sunday series. One puzzle appears on each page and all answers are in the back. This is slim enough for most travelers yet still offers good value, costing about a nickel per 21 x 21 puzzle. Volume 10 presumably will not be released until at least Spring 2010.



3. I've been doing the NY Time crosswords for years and years, and I have a book of 1,000 of their puzzles which included everything from Monday through Saturday and maybe even a Sunday, too. I thought this would be similar, but it isn't. Either the clues or I am too obtuse.
   
   Perhaps others like puzzles that have four to six clues that run the length of the puzzle, and start with "First line of quote." If I can't get the first line or a few words, I'm certainly not going to be able to get the rest. These must be "world famous" because they've stumped all but the best puzzlers.

5 comments about Monster Manual V (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. Well, I thought this book was very good, some new ideas and a nice format, and the monsters actually seem real, not a bunch of made up things just to fill a book. I really liked it until.......
   
   Unfortunately I found out a few days ago at GenCon , that Wizards is putting out Dungeons and Dragons Version 4 in May 2008, so Version 3.5 will be retired. Be ware before you go gung ho on buying a lot more 3.5 stuff.



2. I bought this more to round out the collection than thinking it would have a lot of high-class monsters to use. I was right. Most of the monsters are either regular humanoids with levels and feats tacked onto them or very esoteric monsters that would have little impact on a regular game. That being said, the production values and artwork remain impressive, and I would reccommend it for the hard-core gamer. People on a budget could use their money better elsewhere.



3. This is a very nicely done book of monsters - many of them are very strange and unusual. One of my favorites is the mockery bug, basically a disgusting bug-like creature that lives inside a host (the image of the creature bursting out its human shell through a persons head is one of the bloodiest, graphic pieces of art in a D&D book you'll find - well done!). Many of the monsters are very creative and interesting to read about - the undead fool is just creepy weird, hopefully your PC will never encounter him. The artwork in this book is top notch all the way, better than just about any other monster book I've seen in the 3rd edition line. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking to populate their world and dungeons with interesting monsters.



4. This is a very very solid addition to your dnd library. It has a LOT of good monsters. The new mind flayer section is amazingly good, and I really like the hobgoblin/kuo-toa sections. However the vampire section is just vampire template added to a normal class, nothing special and a waste of space. Also I do not like the added "mini-adventure maps" for some sections as they take up space and no players will use them as well as very few and desperate DMs.



5. Once the 4th edition came out, I found a lot of good 3X edition books on sale. The 3.5 Monster Manuals are great - not really compatible with the new rules, but they give you good ideas for monsters. I bought the whole series, Monster Manual I through V, and the Fiendish Codex, Hordes of the Abyss, and the Lords of Madness. All good!

5 comments about Mosaics: Inspiration and Original Projects for Interiors and Exteriors.

1. Always an inspiration is kaffe Fassett. Gives some really fresh and colorful info which I will apply soon



2. I love the explosion of colors that Kaffe uses, both in mosiacs and quilts . This book has a ton of brightly colored mosiac pictures in it...lots of interesting ideas...fairly good instructional pictures but all in all , I didn't like it and returned it . There was only one project (the broken pottery flower pot) that I would have even considered doing and it, too , was just to busy looking for what I was interested in doing. If you love the color explosion that always come with Kaffe projects then this book is for you. If you prefer something a little toned down , or a little structured, then this book is not for you. Hope this helps someone decide!



3. If you find yourself covering everything that doesn't move with mosaics then this is the book for you! See stunning examples by people who may just be crazier than you are. Just great.



4. This is the most beautiful and inspiring book on mosaic I've ever seen. I'm going to tackle my first big mosaic project soon--doing the back of the chimney of my fireplace. It is under a covered porch outside, and after seeing the beautiful photos in the book, I'm inspired to do something that will amaze anyone who sees it.



5. I own quite a few books on this subject, and this is one of the best. The photography is great and all instructions are very clear. There are also large and small projects to get your teeth into. My copy had come unbound from the cover, and despite my email Amazon have not replied, I can't hold this against the book itself, so would thoroughly recommend it.
   If you live in the US and your book is in the same condition as mine, you can return it, but from the UK it hardly seems worth it!

5 comments about Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-playing Games.

1. Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing games is an incredible tour-de-force of a recreational industry. Chapters cover early tabletop wargames such as "Chainmail" and its precursors, to the pencil-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons game, to the very first computer role-playing games programmed into university mainframe computers (and often deleted by administrators, making many of the first RPGs forever lost to history!). The saga continues with early classics like Wizardry, The Bard's Tale, Ultima, and Pool of Radiance; the rise of casual-friendly action RPGs like Diablo; and the success of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) such as the wildly popular World of Warcraft. Console RPGs are also mentioned briefly, most notably trailblazer console RPGs such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. What sets Dungeons & Desktops apart is its in-depth discussion of literally dozens of early CRPGs, many more that even the most avid gamer has likely ever heard of. From two paragraphs to several pages are devoted to each CRPG title, giving a crystal clear picture of what playing the game was like (including its highlights, flaws, and bugs), its commercial success (or failure), and sometimes notes as to what its development team may be doing today. Black-and-white computer screenshots and a handful of color plates illustrate this "must-have" history and resource for CRPG aficionados everywhere. "My advice to anyone who really wants to learn the history of CRPGs is to start with the newer classics and gradually work backwards. It's still relatively easy, for instance, to find copies of Baldur's Gate or [Might & Magic VI: The] Mandate of Heaven and get them running on a modern PC... I would recommend skipping the early Windows 95 or Windows 3.1 games though - these can be excruciatingly difficult to get running even for emulation experts. If you a little further back, though, to the DOS era, things get much easier thanks to DOSBox." Highly recommended.



2. The title tells it all: an ehaustive history of role playing computer games. Though I didn;t stop to check them, there are many URLs for more interesting history



3. 
   "Dungeons and Desktops" is a very comprehensive review of the history of computerized role-playing computer games. It's as if Matt Barton had built a museum for these games and is giving you a personal tour of each and every game, from the earliest text-based games to the latest massive-multi-user graphical adventures. It's amazing how many games he covers (one wonders how he found the time to write the book if he actually played each game - as it appears). At points, his attention to detail may seem a bit wearing but that's only because I'm not as much of a fanatic as Barton is.
   
   Readers should be warned that this is not a casual book - it's a very serious treatment of the genre and would make an excellent addition to any game-developer's curriculum, especially those interested in creating high fantasy and role playing games. Also, Barton writes very well, as his language is neither pretentious nor dim-witted. He clearly loves his subject and does an excellent job of sharing his enthusiasm and insights with his readers. A real pleasure to read.



4. Dungeons & Desktops is a comprehensive and thorough history of the Computer Role Playing Game genre. It's basically a more fleshed out version of the author's earlier four-part series on the Gamasutra website, maintaining the same format of dividing the games into different ages (Dark, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and devoting some time to each game, explaining key gameplay features, release information and sometimes the author's thoughts on the game's merits.
   
   The book's greatest strength is in cataloging both well-known and obscure games in the genre and explaining how each was innovative in some way or representative of a trend in the genre. In this way, the book gives a fairly good outline of the history of this wide-ranging genre. Even hardcore fans of the genre may be surprised by some of the very early examples Barton was able to unearth. As the book moves into the more familiar modern age, it becomes less interesting in this regard.
   
   Although the book covers an impressive number of titles, there were spots were I felt the writing was bogged down by the repetitive nature of looking at game after game, a result of being an expanded Web feature article. Although Barton pauses at times to discuss major trends, I thought this was inconsistent, and the bulk of the book reads like Mobygames summaries of dozens of games. At times, I wanted more about the people behind the games, and voices other than the author's to break up what amounted to a series of opinions on various games.
   
   This isn't helped by some questionable choices in organization and selection. A thorough look at console games like the Final Fantasy and Zelda series should have been reserved for another book, while Gothic, a well-known modern PC RPG series, gets nothing more than a few paragraphs as a footnote to the downfall of the Ultima series (ironically, the author states that the series has been unfairly overlooked). There are also issues that arise from attempts to lump the games into different "ages." Why one game is listed in one age and not another isn't always clear, and it leads to a confusing chronology.
   
   I spotted a number of minor errors in the text, mostly related to chronology. A few examples: Oblivion was not released simultaneously on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Also, Vampire the Masquerade was released before Half-Life 2, and was the first Source Engine game released. While these may be minor, it left me wondering how many more I didn't catch. Also, the printing quality of the screenshots leaves much to be desired. Most look like dark blotches.
   
   Barton's articles, from which much of this book comes from, are still a great read and catch nearly all the key games in the genre. I felt that this book did little more than add games that are of far less importance, and therefore of little interest to most readers. This book may be valuable for those who want a very comprehensive catalog of computer role playing games, but I would recommend that most readers stick with the free online articles.



5. I would hesitate to call this book a history of CRPGs - a chronology would be more appropriate. Barton is comprehensive - every major CRPG from the inception of the computer is covered, but as another reviewer pointed out it is more of a collection of review summaries - I would liken it to Maltin's capsule reviews of films.
   
   The organization into the different ages is intriguing, and aside from the nostalgic look at games I had forgotten about, it the best part of the book. The author does not do enough to flesh out the trends, technologies, people and other aspects that may have gone in to the different ages. They are all covered piecemeal with the review capsules, and this hurts the coherence.
   
   The jumping from capsule review summaries to personal opinion is a bit awkward as well. I would have liked to have read more of the author's opinions - they were the on the whole more interesting than the reviews themselves.
   
   The decision to include a bit on console RPGs without deviating from the spirit of the book was a good one.
   
   All that said, for those of us who lived through the entire period and remember seeking out judgment day, getting eaten by a grue, or fighting vorpal bunnies it is a trip down memory lane and a nice reference volume, just not the most coherent read-through.

1 comments about Legions Triumphant: Field of Glory Imperial Rome Army List (Field Of GLory).

1. This is part of the Fields of Glory series put out by Osprey for miniature combat rules. The size design is for a 4' by 6' battle area and 15 mm to 28 mm figures. In addition to listing all the armies of the period in this supplement, there are drawing and information from the Osprey books included. Well done, well laid out, good buy, I would highly recommend. You must have Fields of Glory to play this supplement.