5 comments about The Fun Way to Serious Bridge.

1. As one of the other reviewers noted, there is a dearth of good introductory bridge books. This book is not bad, but it is very busy and focuses on memorizing rules -- not a good thing, despite the numerous cartoons designed to help you remember. The book is a bit childish and might be good for teaching a kid, I can't see an adult using this to learn with though.
   
   Most of the other books are at least slightly better. Root's ABC's of Bridge is more thorough and less busy, and Penick's Beginning Bridge Complete will get you playing much quicker. But even these books are heavy on memory work and light on teaching you to think. Furthermore, because all of these books are focusing on memorizing instead of thinking things through, they frequently "simply" modern bidding to make it "easier" to learn. Doing this however, destroys the logic behind the bidding, making it almost impossible for a beginner to learn.
   
   INSTEAD OF THIS BOOK, you should get Alan Truscott's Bridge in 3 weeks, the absolute best book, and the *only* one I'd recommend. The writing is superb, which you would expect from the Bridge editor of the NY Times. The book focuses on teaching you to think at the table and will get you playing the game quickly. More over because this book focuses on logic instead of memorization, it actually teaches you to bid and play in the way that most actual players do, making it easier to advance beyond the book.



2. I am a bridge player of long experience, and this is the best book for beginners I ever saw.



3. Tells you in ordinary terms what to bid, why, & when to use a bid. Very easy to understand, even for conventions. Great for beginners and intermediate bridge players.



4. For anyone planning to teach someone to play bridge, this is an excellent first book to use. I teach bridge classes at a retirement park and always encourage the students to buy it if they enjoy humor and are planning to learn the game to play for fun. It's easily understood and contains lots and lots of cartoons to illustrate the concepts.



5. I have played bridge on and off ( mostly off ) for 45 years having learned Goren years ago. This simple and easy to use book is a great tool to remind me of all of the basics I have forgotten or never learned. It also takes the reader up to the level of most casual players. Fastest reference I have found on the subject and I have given a dozen copies out to friends who agree and use it regularly.

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. el libro es netamente tecnico. abarca tantos conceptos importantes para comprender el manejo de la iluminacion indirecta, el uso de fotones, final gather,, sombreadores, teoria de iluminacion etc.
   ES un completo manual que permite comprender con mayor exactitud el manejo de mental ray y saber realmente que es lo que sucede cuando modificamos un valor. con este libro uno comprende el porque delas cosas.
   y lo mejor es que no se centra en un solo programa, abarca hasta 3.
   con este libro mental ray es mucho mas facil de comprender.



4. This book is for Intermediate users. If you are just starting out with Mental Ray I wouldn't suggest that you purchase this book. So far from what I can tell this book is a great learning tool.



5. This book is the book that goes under the hood of the mechanics of mental ray. I learned so much by reading it. The MR features in all three apps are equally explained. The author describes the topics in detail:
   
   Shaders,Shaders and more... (Architectural shaders little explanation)
   Final Gathering and Ambient Occlusion
   Subsurface Scattering
   Indirect Illumination
   Textures and projection, and more....
   A Bonus chapter on Surface Approximation on CD
   
   I recommend it to all CG artist.

5 comments about The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse.

1. I had high hopes for this book, but was ultimately disapointed. Like other reviewers, I do not know where the author was trying to go with this. There are a few nice stories about Big Red and his accomplishments, but most of it is about his handlers, etc. That was great for a page or two, but it quickly became tedious and then proceeded to ridiculous. It reminded me of a grad student who has fifteen pages of work, but needs to fill in the gaps with anything that comes to mind to get to the assigned fifty pages. Don't bother with this one.



2. AMAZING Book!!!! I would recommend it to anyone that wants to read about Secretariat! The bond between Eddie and Secretariat is so touching and real! So far best book I have read about a famous horses life, very real!!!



3. Mr. Scanlon's book was one of the best books written about the Thorougbred racing industry and it's key players, the horses and the people behind the scenes. It was so touching to hear stories I have never heard of about Secretariat ( and I have read every book written on him) and the heart wrenching love his beloved groom, Eddie Sweat had for him. I could not put the book down and was sad when it ended. There is so much lore to the racing world and the grooms that put their charges first before themselves will touch your heart!



4. I am so happy I did not read the reviews of this book before buying it. Some say they never could understand the premise of the book, but to me the lovely story of the strong bond between Secretariat and Eddie Sweat was captivating. The greatness of this wonderful horse has long been celebrated, but how often do we get to view that greatness through the eyes and experiences of those who were closest to him? It was a joy for me to celebrate the strong bond of love that can develop between a man and a horse. I salute the artist Ed Bogucki for capturing that mysterious closeness in his magnificent bronze statue at Kentucky Horse Park which includes Secretariat, his jockey Ron Turcotte, and his long unheralded groom Eddie Sweat. I think Mr. Bogucki would understand the point of this book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any animal lover.



5. Lawrence Scanlan approaches the life & times of Secretariat and covers a wealth of angles in an industry that has yet to live up to the legendary accomplishments of this iconic champion.
   
   From the shooting-star fame of Big Red's groom, Eddie Sweat, the final minutes in the life of the champion - who apparently was treated like a pauper and not comforted like a king - to the destruction through neglect of the farm that was Secretariat's home and the plight of the runners who never perform at the highest levels of the sport, Scanlan covers much turf, but does it with style and class.
   
   There are more straight-forward biographies of Secretariat, but none roar down the stretch to bring the legend to life - and uncover the missed potential in "The Sport of Kings" - the way Scanlan's poignant reporting and timely tackling of current issues ultimately accomplishes through several strong surges to the wire, many lengths in front of the pack.

5 comments about Sandstorm: Mastering the Perils of Fire and Sand (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement).

1. First, the obvious. This book, being the second in the series of Environmental supplements, follows the same format as the first book, Frostburn. It covers the environment, new races, classes and feats, equipment, magic, monsters, and adventure sites. I find it good that WotC is formatting its books in a common structure.
   
   The Environment section is missing a few important things though. It touches on volcanic areas, but the rest of the book mostly focuses on deserts. It seems the volcanic stuff was either added in as filler, cut out for space, or the sections were written by different people. Its not clear whether this is supposed to be the "Hot Environment" book or just the "Desert" book. Also, there are a few notable environments missing. The plane of Mithardir in Arborea is totally missing. And it would have been nice to see a mention of Athas, the desert world of Dark Sun.
   
   The new Asherati race seems very derivative of the D'Resh characters from Magi-Nation, from the physical appearance/description to some of their peculiar talents. The Ashworm Dragoon prestige class evokes visions of riding the sandworms in Dune, though its hard not to find similarities to that epic. Most of the other prestige classes are interesting, and can play very interesting roles in a campaign.
   
   With the equipment, we have the hydration suit, a derivation of the Dune Still-suit - perhaps a necessity, but still pretty obvious. There are also obvious versions of real-world items such as suntan lotion or crude oil. The sand vehicles - desert variants of sailing ships - are good additions. But I would have liked to see more originality here.
   
   The monsters have a good variety of challenges. A new (deceased) race called the marru are mentioned in several monster descriptions, though not in a lot of detail. Desert varieties of many creatures (dust hag, sand dragon, dry lich, etc.) are complimented by other novel creatures. But again, there are some hidden derivations. It is difficult not to compare the saguaro sentinel to any number of other cactus creatures which have appeared in anime, gaming or so forth. But the Sand Hunter is clearly derived from Vernor Vinge's Tine race from A Fire Upon The Deep.
   
   I have no problem with people creating derivations. Its common enough in gaming, but it would be good to see credit given. I would suggest a list of references to other material in the future. This would not only credit ideas, but it would also let gamers find good extra material and ideas for campaigns.
   
   There is still a wealth of information here, and I can say the book is a valuable resource for GMs who want to run desert campaigns or adventures. While not quite up to the standard set with Frostburn, its still a solid supplement



2. After Frostburn, which is a very similar book which I liked, I expected this one to be good too. I was wrong. Let's face it, we buy the supplimental DnD books for feats, prestige classes, spells and a few quirky magic bits. Most of the rest of these books are pretty poor. Once in a while the author takes the theme to another level, which I think they did with Frostburn to some extent, and Libris Mortis too. Sandstorm is almost a waste of time. The races, prestige classes and quirky magics are horrible and almost useless in any campaign. A good part of the feats are the same. And there isn't much mentioned on desert themed campaigns to complain about. "sigh". I'd recommend buying something like Heroes of Battle instead.



3. I'm a big fan of the Frostburn, Sandstorm, and Stormwrack series. If you're not planning to DM, the books provide interesting alternatives for your characters. If you DM and plan to do your writing for the campaign, these books are an excellent way to add flavor to your campaign. My favorite aspect to this book (and all of the environment books) is, not surprisingly, the guidance it gives in creating the relevant environment. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I view the prestige classes, feats, etc. as secondary. The point of this book is creation of waste environments, and this book is superb for that.



4. Make no mistake, sandstorm is a book about SAND. There is a discussion of volcanoes "hot" environs in general but they are little more than footnotes. Those seeking cultures and what not from Al-Qadim, or who are looking for Fading Sun (or whatever the old TSR official Psionics campaign was) classes, materials, and what not will be sorely disappointed. They could of EASILY bundled it up in this tome but they didn't. The book does cover many types of arid wasteland, describes the geography and of each and how you would determine what is what. They introduce a few new races for campaigns taking place in deserts (though not for Al Qadim or Fading sun as was said). I almost never use or allow races from splatbooks but I did like one of them. The class variants were purely to make the characters more survivable in a desert as were the prestige classes. This book really isn't for players. Where this book really shines is in it's adventures (three are included). Finally I have adventure ideas in deserts FOR ANY LEVEL CHARACTER!



5. Anyone who's read one of my reviews of a Bruce Cordell product has probably come to expect a certain amount of praise. Sandstorm, the first in a series of D&D supplements to deal with setting as environment as opposed to setting as community, has three authors listed on the cover. Bruce R. Cordell, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes and JD Wiker (look, someone besides me eschews punctuation after an initial). This book is a relatively strong product which is undermined more by the Wizards of the Coast vision of Dungeons and Dragons than its specific content. The details are interesting and relatively well-written. Some of them positively capture the imagination. However they are crammed into a certain framework of design that has plagued all D&D books for a while now. This is the first time I've reviewed a book with this structure, so bear with me if I vent just a bit.
   
   The first chapter of this book is the strongest. It deals with the waste itself, and let's face it, you're buying or not buying the book for this chapter. Here we deal with the realities of the waste. Heat. Dehydration. Survival. First this chapter addresses the real threats of a mundane waste, such as sand and the elements, the effects of glare and wind. Then the chapter veers off into the fantastic, things that could only be found in a magical world. These include everything from planes of fused glass to semi-sentient dunes, to ghost voices, to special poisons and diseases. Finally it ends with a description of the different styles of waste, complete with a list of features and the percentage of the area that would be dominated by those features.
   
   Now the book lives or dies on this chapter, and I think it lived. It's interesting and it stimulates the imagination. It hands the DM practical information as well as a launchpad into the fantastic. Honestly my only real disappointment with this chapter is that they included those percentages for the terrain features of the different types of wastes and didn't take that any farther. Honestly, how hard is it to jump from there to a full-blown mini-table. You could use it that way as is, but you'd have to count down the chart to make it work and only a slight massaging of the data could have made it so much more useful.
   So that's it. Now you know whether or not you want to buy the book. "What about the rest?" you ask. "Is the rest of the book just filler?"
   
   A lot of it is, yes.
   
   Let's look at the rest of the book chapter by chapter.
   
   Chapter 2 is races, classes and feats. Now I have to admit. The very title of this first section makes me want to chew out my own tongue. I mean, honestly. When did someone decide that they needed to add a new race or two in every book. I've been gaming for years and some of my worlds have been around from the beginning. Am I just going to pop in a new race with every supplement? It would turn my campaigns into a joke.
   
   The first part of the race section is just so much wasted space. It introduces two new races, just as you'd expect. The first look like gray aliens from UFO abduction stories spray painted a pleasant deep tan. The second are a race of desert goblinoids that have names and culture similar to Native Americans. I mean really.
   
   Evidently the handing over of Dark Sun to a web presence precluded the inclusion of Muls and Half Giants. I can understand that, but as for the rest?
   
   After this, the chapter becomes more useful. It takes the standard D&D races and discusses how to treat them in a waste environment, complete with a few swapped out abilities. The section on classes are much the same. This is how a supplement should handle races and classes. It came as a certain relief.
   
   Next we come to Feats, and this is as interest section. It has a nice selection of feats but the main feature in the introduction of Touchstone Sites. These are ancient locals with which a character can bind himself. Doing so grants the character certain powers, both basic and advanced, that go hand in hand with his connection to the site.
   
   My only problem with this section is a bit of murkiness about what happens when you take the feat to bond with multiple sites. In one place, it says that you can only have one of the basic abilities at once and must sacrifice it when orienting on a new site (by going there and recharging your vital energies.) A bit lower it says that you never lose these basic abilities. I think they changed to rule during an editing pass and missed one of the references. It's happened to me so I understand it, but that doesn't help you. You'll have to look for errata.
   
   So I've already chewed out my own tongue. Next comes the section that makes me want to swallow it whole. Prestige classes. I thought these were a great idea at first, but now the glut of prestige classes has made them lose almost all meaning. In addition, the lack of any real game balance from one to another has made them an absolute nightmare to include in any game. This is the perfect example of a good idea that someone tried to take out for a ride only to find that they had to run it around and around and around, digging a trench like poor, enslaved Conan.
   Sort of like I just did to that simile.
   
   All right. So if I had my way, I'd never see another prestige class outside of a very specific setting situation (such as the various knightly orders of Krynn). That being said, I can grudgingly admit that maybe they aren't that bad in this context. A waste is completely alien to the climate of most fantasy. If they call me tomorrow and tell me they'd already decided against putting anymore prestige classes into their main supplements, but they couldn't see a way around it in this book, I'd forgive them. Is my phone ringing? No. I don't think it will, either.
   
   Okay. So I made it past that section of the book without letting my own frustration get the better of me. It speaks well enough for the book.
   Next comes equipment. This section has nothing spectacular about it. They ripped off Dune still suits here, but they really probably needed too (they ripped off worm riding in the previous chapter). Let's face it. Dune has done more to shape genre perceptions of the waste than perhaps any other work in history. Don't think of it as theft. Think of it as homage.
   
   Magic is also a fine chapter. Here they treat with new types of spells, such as those that cause dehydration. They to a fine job of adding new deities and domains to deal with life in the waste. I liked it.
   
   Chapter 6 is all about monsters. They could have snuck Muls and Half Giants in here and satisfied everyone, but alas, I'll have to go online for them. Again, I was fine with this section on waste monsters. If you run a waste campaign, you'll probably spend most of your time in this section, so they gave it just under a third of the book. Considering how tired monster sections are becoming in D&D books, I think they did an admirable job.
   
   The final chapter contains three adventure sites, about twenty pages of what are essentially mini adventures. I was rather pleased with this section, because it speaks to a need in the audience. Whenever a new book comes out, everyone in a gaming group who likes the work becomes excited to add the new content into their games. I remember in the old days of 2nd Edition. When the Complete Fighters book came out, we started a new campaign of all fighters. When complete Thieves came out we did the same. We'd learned our lesson by the time Priests came out, if I remember right. We probably went back and started a new campaign of all fighters.
   
   But I digress.
   
   This section is fine. Instead of causing a rash of new campaigns and hundreds of illegal downloads of PDF versions of the old "I" series of modules, here we have the bones of three adventures. Twenty minutes of thought and a DM could easily dress them in the duds of his own campaign. Then the players can get the sand and the dust out of their system and make an informed decision about whether to continue gaming in the waste for the long term.
   
   So, honestly, if you feel like gaming in waste environments (even in the planes), this book is probably worth your money. Does it have problems? Yes, but really, these aren't problems with this one book, but with the design philosophy of Wizards. If these elements don't bother you in other books, they probably won't bother you here. If they do bother you in other D&D supplements, well you've either stopped buying them or you've learned to deal with your frustration.
   
   So in short, considering the structure imposed by Wizards, this is a fine work. Not the greatest achievement in Wizards history, but I'm happy to add it to my library. Now, let's get Cordell back to solo projects. I have games to run.

5 comments about Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature Series).

1. great game. I am still playing.



2. This guide contains everthing a guide should have except one maps! MAPS! MAPS! It contains absolutely no maps! But everything else is well done. Overview of storyline, character strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. The guide itself is also good and contains absolutely no spoilers. It has good tips for bosses. In the back details all side quests and missions that can be completed as you play through the main story line. And man does this game contain one heck of a story line just like the first two!! Gotta love Xenosaga! Overall a good investment!



3. Xenosage is one of the best roll playing games I have ever played. The story is unfolded over three episodes which allows for great character development. The story line is wonderful and kept me never let me down. I would say it is a must for anyone who likes roll playing and quest games. I will playing it again. This guide was very helpful and full of hidden secrets and information that helped me in my quest to get everything I could out of the game.



4. Great and fantastic series.
   
   Never thought I'd play a game on a console but this one changed all that.
   Each game changed a little and added something special each time. Loved the ingame movies and the characters are not to be forgotten. They changed with each game and for the better. Great story line and the graphics are fantastic as well.



5. This guide is pretty complete and very good-- I never feel like I'm missing anything while I'm playing along. There is complete sidequest information (while a little bit more space devoted to Hakox would have been nice) along with good boss strategies among other things.
   
   The one thing it is sorely lacking, however, is MAPS. Even a little poorly-done overhead sketch of some of the areas would have been appreciated, but this guide has nothing. Unfortunately, the long, drawn out pages of text are not always sufficient in helping me to find a specific item or location. Things could be said in significantly less words if simple maps could have been provided.
   
   I do recommend the book, overall-- it is very helpful in getting all one can from the game.

5 comments about The Secret Life of Siegfried and Roy: How the Tiger Kings Tamed Las Vegas.

1. I was lucky enough to see Siegfried and Roy's show at the Mirage, from a seat right in front of the stage. It was totally awesome, one of the most memorable shows I've ever seen. Curious about the duo, I purchased this book. Well...The first thing that must be said, is that it was written by former employees, who would seem to have an axe to grind. The second thing that must be said, is that former employees know where all the bodies are buried; in this case, literally. So how much of this book is true? Hard to say. What can be said is that it is almost as fascinating as their show. Lots of "dirt" about lots of people, everyone from Steve Wynn to Liberace. Eccentric behavior in full measure (and beyond). And what really did happen the night Montecore attacked Roy? It's all a bit creepy at times, but it's sure a page-turner. Take it to the beach, this summer.



2. You don't want to admit it but you're kinda curious about what goes on behind the scenes with S&R. This is a perfect little page-turning, guilty pleasure of a tome. The stories might be from bitter ex-employees, but who else is going to have the best stories? Well put together, fast, fun read- perfect for the Summer.



3. This book is easy to read. I was done with it in no time. It is full of fascinating information that, far from marring Siegfried and Roy's names, only paints them as fallible human beings like many of the other of us "mere mortals". Blind-loyalty fans will have a difficult time accepting the possibility of these "hidden" personality traits and incidents as being true.
   The tone of the book is hardly mean-spirited; in fact, the writers sound very much on Siegfried and Roy's "side". The content includes histories of such Las Vegas icons as Liberace and Steve Wynn, as well as a history of Las Vegas itself.
   
   My main complaints about the book are as follows: Siegfried's birthdate is written as being June 12th instead of 13th, the lions in a few of the pictures are mistakenly called tigers in the captions, Mastering the Impossible is quoted rather a lot in a few areas, and some of the information from it seems to have been changed slightly.



4. I loved author's cool and wit way of telling the story.
   Not trashing The Maestros, but an interesting story written with a great sens of humor.
   A+ for summer reading!



5. Well, I guess their lives will still remain a secret because this book has nothing new to offer! As former employees who claim to have had a long and close relationship with S and R, they really don't have much to say about their OWN on the job experiences. The book simply rehashes old tabloid and magazine stories about S and R--not much about their own accounts on anything! The rest of the book is simply 'filler' material about the history of Las Vegas, Liberace's sexual preferences, etc...--not much to do with S and R. There are a couple of chapters that are copied almost exactly from S and R's own autobiography as well. If you have followed the careers of S and R, believe me when I say that this book has absolutely NOTHING new to offer! Don't waste your time nor your money!

5 comments about Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Game Careers.

1. As a graduate advisor for gaming students at Westwood College Online, I can not stress enough how important and worthwhile this book is. I recommend this book to every student that I work with because it is full of numerous "wake-up calls" and good ideas for breaking into the industry. Check this book out, it will greatly help you in your career search.



2. This book gave me more insight about what the Gaming work world is like than all the other research I did my whole life.
   
   This is an essential read for anyone who wants to design electronic games!



3. Are you considering going into the video games industry, but you want to find out more about it before making the decision to make the jump? This book will give you an honest and insightful look at just about every facet of this competitive industry.
   
   Whether your serious or curious about the games industry, you'll enjoy this entertaining read. I wholeheartedly recommend it!



4. I bought this for my bf because he was thinking of a video game career, he hasn't done anything with this field yet, but he said the book was good



5. This book was extremely informative and answers most of the questions you would have about the gaming industry. I'm hoping for a second edition! Definitely purchase this book if you are considering a career in this field.

5 comments about Microsoft XNA Unleashed: Graphics and Game Programming for Xbox 360 and Windows (Unleashed).

1. well this isnt realy the publishers \ writer fault but this book is written for XNA 1.0, and once 2.0 had been released some of the code in the book needs a bit of tweaking,
   
   i think that if you have some background knowledge about C# and programming, then this is the perfect book to take you into XNA.
   it has a much better approach then most, "teach yourself" books,
   and i recommand getting it,
   
   it only got a 4 out a 5, but if a new edition with XNA 2.0 will be release i would have givven it a 5.
   :)



2. At first I was hesitant to get this book since it based on the 1.0 refresh. However, I wanted to get started right away and seeing how this technology will simply continue to grow, there is no better time than the present to start learning.
   
   I have all of the current XNA Books available and this one is by far the best. I love this guy's coding style ... it is nice when an author using .NET is actually using .NET styled code. If there is only one XNA book you can buy -- get this one.
   
   I really enjoyed his perspective on performance. It helped me in my day job as well ... can you say Garbage Collector? I bought this book to do 3D and I have been happy with my results. I am using 2D to supplement my 3D game, but it seems the community is obsessed with 2D games at this point. The physics chapter is great. I also enjoyed the chapter on Artificial Intelligence. Both are short, but to the point and helped me know where I need to look for more information. The particle system is excellent. I liked the force field created by particles ... cool.
   
   I am a programmer by trade and have dabbled in computer graphics in the past, but it was just too much work to get anything valuable. With XNA and this book as a guide, I was able to go so much farther than I ever did with DirectX and the books I bought on that subject. I have created a full 3D game that I plan to put out on Xbox LIVE Community Games when it is available. There is no way I would have a completed game without this book -- sound, game states, input, polish -- it is all in here!
   
   I liked how the author didn't waste time on rendering a single triangle ... he did a rectangle (two triangles) ... and then later used that code to create a skybox. The chapter on the content pipeline was excellent. I enjoyed the advanced topics he has as well like Render Targets, Parallax and Relief Mapping.
   
   In regards to changes with 2.0, he has updated the code on his site and it runs with no issues at all! Fortunately, the code is about identical to what it is in the book even with new code. I guess it just proves that not too much had to change between 1.0 refresh and 2.0.
   I would buy this book again. In fact, I will when the author comes out with the 3.0 book.
   
   Get this book ... and don't waste any more time ... make a great game -- it really is within grasp!



3. This is a very well planned book with game development students in mind. Readers who complain that the writer takes off too quickly should keep in mind that the book is categorized as "Intermediate-Advanced" and quite accurately so.
   
   I'm using this as a recommended text for a module I am teaching to diploma students and it brings them up to speed on programming with XNA.
   
   You should get this if you have programmed in DirectX and/or C++; you'll find it a breeze and be amazed by how many things have been taken care / made much easier by the XNA framework and using a managed language such as C#.
   
   The author, Chad Carter, also actively responds to the questions in the book's discussion forums. This is especially important for a technical book such as this as technology is constantly evolving (we're at XNA 2.0 currently), and it helps to know which parts of the book need to be updated (or not).
   
   The only improvements I can recommend for the next edition (XNA 3.0) are:
   1. Consolidated list of errata on the author's website (xnaessentials.com) to make it easier to find and update my own copy / students' copies of the book.
   2. Teaching / supporting materials. However, I must admit that going through the exercises in the book will give you a good deal of ideas and inspirations already.
   
   In short, thanks Chad, please keep up the excellent work.



4. The book assumes you know C#, and basically takes you through the development of a 2D game and a basic 3D FPS style game. As new functionality is added, the book explains the code pretty much line by line. It therefore shows you two sets of simple game design patterns in some detail.
   
   It also makes the book very linear - as new functions are shown in the context of what has been built already, you can't easily just experiment with the different classes on their own. You really have to follow it through as a sequential tutorial.
   
   What I was more hoping for was a more systematic treatment of the various XNA classes, and more of the underlying theory particularly with respect to using transformations. Matrix and vector maths is barely discussed directly at all.
   
   The linear structure and practical focus also means that I didn't find myself able to "dip into" the book and learn more about XNA whilst watching TV for example.
   
   So if you want an extended tutorial on XNA game programming its fine. If you want to really "get inside" XNA and graphics programming, then its not the right book for you.



5. When i started to get serious about XNA i started looking for a good book to begin learning. Like most people (IMHO) i learn better through books and then self training than reading everything online.
   
   The Microsoft XNA Unleashed by Chad Carter is a great book as it is not merely a skim through from the top for XNA but is very detailed. I have just started and i dont think i will be done with the book very soon.
   
   I like his presentation style as well as the detail. I read all the reviews and sure some folks think it is a good book whereas some folks think otherwise. For me when i started reading through it i immediately liked the presentation style. I think (IMHO) that a good presentation style with good material leads to better learning.
   
   I will post an update to my blog as and when i complete this book. Based on my initial 80 or so pages, i like it a lot.
   
   See my blog http://ilovethexbox.blogspot.com/2008/06/microsoft-xna-unleashed.html for updates to the review.

5 comments about Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability.

1. Some time ago, Lamarr Widmer, the editor of the problem column of "Journal of Recreational Mathematics" submitted a review of this book to me, in my capacity as book reviews editor of JRM. As soon as I read the first two paragraphs of the review, I knew that I had to read the book. Sherlock Holmes is without question the greatest character to appear in fiction, the style of the stories still inspire many spin-offs. In the science fiction television series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation", the Holmes style of problem solving is used in many episodes. This book presents several stories where Holmes solves problems with a mathematical theme. Each of them is a delight to read and I did a good deal of head scratching as I tried to anticipate the solution to the puzzle.
   My favorite story in the collection is "The Case of the Martian Invasion", which, set at the turn of the twentieth century, covers the possibility of heavier-than-air flying machines, "Martian" images on the Moon, crop circles and secret messages being embedded in biblical verse. The proponent of a Martian invasion believes that heavier-than-air machines are possible, putting forward the fundamental principle of using complex machines. That is of course redundancy, where multiple engines are placed on the aircraft in such a way that it can fly with any subset above a certain size. The explanation of the "secret messages" is easy, nothing more than a simple exercise in the probability of the frequency of the appearance of letters and looking hard enough.
   The other stories were nearly as interesting and cover many areas of life, the probability of various events being the most common scenario. Game theory and decision theory is also used to solve the cases brought before the greatest detective of all time. Although they are set in the time of Holmes, the events described in the puzzles can still be applied to life in the twenty-first century.
   I found this to be one of the best demonstrations of logical deduction based on sound mathematical principles that I have ever seen. Although he is constantly praised for his skill in logical deduction, Holmes also possesses another talent, that of a master teacher.

   Published in the recreational mathematics newsletter, reprinted with permission.




2. I have read seven chapters of this book so far and I ask all readers of this book to beware! Even though the author Bruce Collins attempts to explain some math, probability and logic in pedagogical stories using Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, readers of this release of the book (2001) should be careful of errors. For example as explained on pages 72 & 73 have both Holmes and Watson made a mistake by saying or agreeing that there are six ways to get to the middle point of the diagram called "A Walk Along the Pier"? There may be six routes to get to that point labelled "6" but Holmes mentions flipping a coin 6 times (e.g. Head, Head, Head, Tail, Tail, Tail). For an equal number of heads and tails with six flips of a coin, wouldn't Watson get to the point labelled "20" (for 20 routes) on the diagram because there are 20 possible configurations of getting 3 heads and 3 tails (e.g. Head, Head, Head, Tail, Tail, Tail; Head, Head, Tail, Head, Tail, Tail;...Tail, Tail, Tail, Head, Head, Head etc)? Another example is in the story "The Case of the Martian Invasion" where Holmes is explaining a failure mode of a powered airplane by a "bird strike" (as in a flock of birds which could cause one or more engines to fail). Remember these stories take place around 1900 and the Wright Brothers have not yet had a sucessful powered airplane flight. Would Holmes be seriously considering multiple engine failure modes due to a "bird strike"?! Also, readers get introduced to a Reverend Dodgson as Lewis Carroll (writer of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland") in one of the earlier stories but in this story of the Martian invasion, readers get introduced to an Alexander Smith, designer of the Titanic! According to what I've looked up using Google, Alexander Carlisle and Thomas Andrews were designers of the Titanic. The captian of the ship, however, was Captain Smith (not Captain Alexander Smith)! So, do not assume you'll be getting necessarily an accurate history lesson. And what kind of thing is it for Holmes to say "...Love is all very well, Watson, but there comes a point where Darwin's laws must be left to take their course"! Do you think the author is trying to tease us? So too, another example occurs in the story called "Three Cases of Unfair Preferment" where a set of weirdly constructed dice are described; one die is colored red; another is colored black and another is colored white. It turns out that these dice are biased based on how they are made. Now, isn't "Watson" mistaken by saying "The red dice..." - should he say "The red die..." instead (p148)? Holmes goes on to describe how that in this case the red die has a higher probablity of winning over black; the black has a higher probability of winning over than white (per Holmes "5/9 of the time" as mentioned on p158) and how "white is better than red." He then compares these dice to the paper, rock ("stone") and scissors game. But is it fair, logically speaking, to compare the paper-rock-scissors game to these dice? Where are the set probabilities of a piece of paper winning over a rock (for example)? It's not a fair comparison because in the case of these dice, even though "black wins over white," white can still win over black albeit with a smaller probability. But can you imagine, for example, a piece of a paper winning over a scissor (some of the time)? It doesn't go both ways. So, is Holmes wrong? Thus after reading this, let me ask you if you would think that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are making these kind of errors? Perhaps the reader himself should ask, who is really doing the conning?



3. I am frankly shocked by the negative reviews, although it could be that the reviewers are math-lovers who just find the stories too basic or something. For me, a relative novice to math thinking, the book is a delight. Bruce manages to capture much of the tone of the original Holmes books and works interesting math illustrations (some, to be fair, a little contrivedly) into the stories. Minus the math, the stories still have enough whimsy, flair, and character development to warrant reading them. Perhaps my expectations were so low for anything to do with a subject I avoid that "Conned Again" is getting all but a free pass from me, but I really enjoy this work and will look for more of Bruce's writing.



4. The author does a marvelous job of presenting Sherlock Holmes stories through the thought of Dr. Watson, very much in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However instead of simple detective mysteries each story has a probabilistic theme.
   
   After reading the first couple of chapters I thought this is great for me but I am a statistician. Could a novice understand the complex explanations and story that enhances ones memory about the principles as the author suggests? I think so. The later chapters convince me.
   
   There the author goes over the waiting time paradox, capture-recapture methods and other related problems in the chapter on the poor observer. The famous Monte Hall problem and the birthday problem are also covered and well explained through the eyes of Watson based on the work of Sherlock Holmes and his brother.



5. Twelve short Sherlock Holmes stories challanging logic, probability, statistic, game theory, more or less relevant to daily life. The authors approach of telling the story seen through Holmes and Watson is brilliant (incl. the dialogue between the two). Some stories are a bit simple and boring while others were quite amazing. Example Chapter 7 illustrates the error of assuming that a well-defined ordering retlation must also define a unique hierarchy. In higher mathematics it is quite possible to have x greater than y, y greater than z, and yet z greater than x! Last but not least, the afterword is extremely useful where the author sheds more light on each chapter.

5 comments about Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. This book takes you step by step and the descriptions are clear. Although it may take a while to acutally complete the game while trying to read a player's guide at the same time, it does not take away from the excitement.

   And a big plus would be that this guide doesn't take away from the plot. BEWARE those that do!




2. Dear Zelda fans& lovers,
   This book is sure to help you on the 2nd level to getting the Goron Ruby.Soon I have this book to help me.
   P.S. This guide is the best!



3. This is a great companion to the game. It is descriptive and offers a number of strategies for certain situations. I noticed a couple of flaws in it, but nothing major. For example, in the back where it describes where to find all the gold skultulas, it usually has what you need to get it, what dungeon or town it is in, and where it is in the dungeon or town. However, one of them had the dungeons in one column, but what you need to use to get it in two coulmns, so I had no idea where to find it, even after searching. I think there is another flaw, but that is about it. They are very minor and don't take away the fact that this is a great guide!



4. This is a really good guide, I had a copy of this, but it was like five years old, and the pages fell out. But before, it was really a good guy, and it helped me out of a few tight spots. The one thing I think it could have is more puzzle-help. Especially the one in Forest Temlpe, the one where you have to move the crescent blocks. But, it might have had it, that pages has been missing in my copy for years. Overall, excellent. Highly recommended. Being a kid (-13) myself, I can say that most kids will find this easy to understand and comprehend, and the complete maps, listings, and charts are very clear!



5. Not being a "game" person, I must admit to having to struggle through the most simple of computer and other electronic type games. I simply could not have completed this one on my own. If this guide helped me, then I certainly feel it would be helpful to anyone! Ghe graphics in this book are excellent and the instructions are quite easy to follow. Recommened this one highly.