5 comments about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Official Strategy Guide.

1. Good info. For multiplayer, it gives a lot of class setup suggestions for different situatons, breaks down strategy for each map on each different type of game (i.e. Domination, Team Deathmatch, etc.), and lists details on all the different perks, challenges, XP points, etc.
   
   Quickly looked over the single player section and it shows strategy as guides normaly do.



2. I bought this guide mostly for help with some of the Xbox 360 achievements as well as to have pictures of the multiplayer maps. It does well enough in these areas, but as for tips on how to beat the game (particularly on the Veteran difficulty), I found this book to be lacking and vague. It does have some general tips for single player as well as multiplayer mode. If you're looking for layouts of the MP maps or some tips about good playing strategy, you might want to pick up this guide. Otherwise, I would suggest just using the internet for information when you are stuck in a certain spot.



3. I'm not much of a gamer but my friends encouraged me to get this for my kids for their XBOX and told me I'd better get it for the PC because I'd never get a chance to play it on the XBOX...I'm glad they did...this is an amazing game...the storyline and graphics are tremendous! I highly recommend it.



4. Very helpful product, especially for a new player like me. In fact, I would say it is essential. The strategies and intel information are as good or better than those available online, yet are handy in nice, glossy paper content whenever you need the information. Screenshots are plentiful.
   
   My major criticism is that the book focuses on online multiplayer action, so not as helpful to a single player like I am.
   
   I would like to see more details on the game basics, such as on weapons (caliber, magazine capacity, stopping power, range, etc.), and strategies for why you would choose one weapon vs. another (there is some of this, but I would like more).
   
   That said, it is very highly recommended for every player, and a must have at around $15, or less.



5. I asked a buddy whether he liked Oblivion more that Final Fantasy VII. He was dumbfounded and was about to suggest something, and then I cut in.
   
   "It's like asking which I like better, Call of Duty 4 or Tetris. I can do that. I like Call of Duty 4 better."

5 comments about Final Fantasy XII Signature Series Guide.

1. I really needed the book in some kind of ways. I like to fill up all my duties and complete everythin to 100% in the game so i dont just play to finish but to have a good review at the end. I needed the book and it did helped me. Sometimes it just didnt make any difference but hey they wont write what u have to do step by step! its still a stategy game. Very fast delivery



2. I bought the guide to go with my other guides (collect them with every FF). This is one of the guides that are so incredibly horrible that I wish I hadn't looked at a single page. Final Fantasy XII has an amazing story. Too bad you can read the whole thing on page one.
   
   Every time you look up a boss strategy, the next page has the description of what happens afterward in big, bold text.
   
   If you want to experience the game, don't buy this, or if you do, save it for the second run through the game.



3. I've been playing final fantasty games for a long time and I was getting a little worried - because each release was getting worse and worse after FF7.
   
   FF12 is freakin' beatiful. Great battle play, great graphics, and great acting. You can play this over and over again and not get tired of it.



4. This book clearly and accurately guides the player through the games main storyline and through the many aspects of the this fun game. From tips on setting up gambits, side quests, hidden espers, bestiary, navigating the license board to full detailed maps of every area, this book has it all.



5. I'm adding a positive review here as a special educator for parents whose children play video games. Buying game guides for your kids is a good way for them to spend time reading and analyzing information. Buying guides is also a way for you to see what your children are playing. This game and the guide have some very educationally advanced concepts that you can take advantage of, if your child happens to want to play this game.
   
   Final Fantasy XII has a nomenclature that is based on many cultures around the world, and many languages. You will find culture and words that are Japanese, Irish, German, Sanskrit, Arabic and English. These can be found in names of characters, the espers (big monsters that help the game characters attack), maps and locations in the game, magic attacks, even weapons. All of these have names and descriptions that are based in many cultures around the world. Explore these with your child!
   
   Have your child describe to you what is happening in the game and explore the guide to get more depth. When your child revisits a location in the game, have them go around and talk to the people in that location. What are the people saying? For example, as the empire begins to amass for the war against Dalmasca, what are different townspeople saying? What are their interests?
   
   Doing the reading of the speech in the game and interpreting it by speaking aloud to you are ways to improve language use, expressive language skills. Reading improves receptive language. This guide has a lot of world history in it that can lead to many kinds of discussions, without you needing to actually play the game.
   
   There is nothing offensive in this game, and everything to be gained by reading the guide and discussing the languages and cultural historical details the game developers have written in.
   
   One good activity to explore with the help of the guide is the Bestiary, which is a list of the monsters in the game. The list actually contains pages of stories and myths. So, as your child captures various monsters, they will get a page about that monster, but also more pages that contain unrelated mythical stories. These stories are worth collecting and reading. You won't find these in the guide, just the list of the monsters. You have to catch the monsters to get the pages of stories. One of the best stories is the one you get by defeating the Garif hunter in the Greensnake area of the Ozmone Plain.
   
   On top of this, your child will likely play the game longer and get more time in, making the game purchase a good money buy. Eventually you can resell the game along with the guide, which adds value to a game resale.
   
   Everything to recommend! I have a child with a speech and language disorder and games with their guides have really improved his ability to process language. He is an honor student now, and good play like this has added to his reading.

5 comments about Final Fantasy X Official Strategy Guide.

1. It would be impossible to accomplish all of things you can accomplish in this game without some help. There are simply too many secret places, special weapons, hidden aeons, etc. than one person could unlock on their own. The book is easy to use, easy to understand, and put together in a helpful, comprehensive manner. You will enjoy this game even more with this valuable resource.



2. There is no getting lost in the game with this by your side. You'll always know what you need to do next.



3. Helped in some complicated situation, very good quality for a book, in color,i received it very quickly with the other final fantasy book that i had ordered. very good product



4. This guide works great for me. Easy to find the more obscure quests and items.



5. The item is exactly as described. It shows everthing needed to beat the game easily. Great on showing all bonus features too.

5 comments about Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. As mentioned in other reviews, the Maps chapter was omitted from the actual printing.
   To make it clear, for people who have purchased the book and made this discovery, that chapter is available for download on Prima's website page for the book.



2. First let me say that the omissions noted by the other reviewers are correct. A detailed index to the quests would be helpful. I've have had to thumb through the various quests within a general category to find the side quest I'm solving. Once you are on a major category, like the Mages Guild stuff, the manual trundles right along, quest after quest, and you can follow them in order as you proceed, with no need for an index, just a book marker. The trick is to stay off random side quests that someone in the game requests. Just say no. Stick to the main categorical quests and the manual can be your best friend.
   
   If you get duped into a solving a random quest while solving individual quests under a general category, there is plenty of online help for locating random quests; one site provides a detailed world map. My old friend google helped me find them.
   
   So, why buy this laboriously-written manual?
   
   First of all, it's beautifully illustrated, well-written, and almost devilishly detailed. To locate a random quest - I should have said `no' to the bugger -- I go to a website which is nicely indexed, and follow the walk-through. Usually, the Prima version when I find it is more complete and helpful than the on-line walk-through.
   
   The world map the game itself provides (Play Station 3) is helpful, as well as its individual maps. The game provides pointers on the map to follow and also on its compass when your role-playing hombre is trudging through hill and dale.
   
   From my experience, I have found the manual well-worth purchasing. I recommend buying it, and am giving it five stars.
   
   Someone put tons of work into this manual, a work of love, and should be financially compensated, this at the very least.



3. This book provides helpful maps and walk thrus for all missions. It's easy to use too so if you get stuck on a part of the game it won't take you long to find the answer to your problem. It was well worth the very reasonable price I paid for it.



4. Just yesterday I received my copy of this Prima guide from Amazon. I've not had much time to look at it but I did want to mention right away that my copy does indeed have the missing maps that some buyers did not get. When I ordered the book I went ahead and downloaded and printed the missing pages from Prima's website, but this turned out to be unnecessary!
   
   Maybe I got lucky, or else they've corrected the mistake and the newer editions have all the maps.
   
   Can't comment on the content just yet, but the book itself is beautifully illustrated and of high quality.



5. This is an excellent guide and I would like to point out my book does have the map section printed out at the end of the book, awsome!

5 comments about Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots Real World Training.

1. This book is what I was looking for and did not find in Bruce Williams'Flight Simulator as a Training Aid. The authors are Real Pilots who have painstakingly incorporated their vast experience into a very readable and often entertaining soup to near nuts FSX-based teaching tool. I have been using the book for the last three weeks in preparation for a ten day intensive IFR training course. The proof of the West Cummings book's success will come with my flying pudding a few more weeks hence when I get checked out. I get the feeling I'll do ok which will be in no small measure due to the comprehensive and well organized approach taken in the book.
   Hightly Recommended for real or simulated piloting.



2. I've had all the Microsoft Flight Simulators since 1985 and have always winged it when it came to flying. That works but I never really knew what I was doing. I think this book is the best I've seen so far in helping one to learn to fly with the reasons why. Links to downloadable files are an extra bonus that expand the contents. The author also ties his content in with the lessons in the Simulator Program. Very comprehensive coverage.



3. My opinion is anybody who gives this book less than five stars is REALLY hard to please or has some pet peeve they can't turn loose of.
   
   I have spent (wasted in many cases) lots of money and time on GA training books in the past and ignored this one for quite a while as "just another book on flying." When I saw the price drop below $20, I decided to take a risk. Wow! This could be the best training book I have every bought. I hate to be dramatic about that but honestly, I probably have fifteen books of this nature and this is the clearest, most well laid out of any of them. I love the way the authors bring FSX into the training as yet another tool to help you practice your technique. The online material (especially the films) are very helpful too. It is obvious these guys did not write this book because they are "professional authors" but because they really do love flight training.
   
   This book is a labor of love and you would do yourself a disservice by passing it by.



4. I got this book and was amazed! It is a huge book and has everything in it. I have only started and this book has all the details and covers pretty much everything you need.



5. I think based on the reviews below - you get the drift. Those reviews speak for themselves (and the book). I don't need to repeat every thing noted by the other reviewers. It's a great book and I learned more than I would have ever thought.
   
   Don't let the 800 pages scare you off. The diagrams and the tutorial flights are just awesome. I have been flying MSFS since way back in the early days. The interest over the years has come and gone and I would skip a version here and there... then FSX hit the market. I since have turned this interest into a full fledged hobby. Everything from a TrackIR, Matrox (3 screens), Rudder pedals, yokes,good PC and a full set of navigational charts and IAPs - I thought I had it all together and knew everything there was to learn. What I found out from this book, I had barely scratched the surface. What I was missing was real world knowledge. This book has tied it all together and has made my hobby seem almost as authentic as the real deal. Now I can go any place at anytime in any aircraft.
   
   Great great book! Do yourself a favor and invest the tiny expense (relative to the rest of this hobby) and enjoy. Remember, it's all about the journey and not the finish line. Soak up the knowledge that these authors have penned for your simming pleasure!
   
   If you would like more information or would like to discuss simming in general feel free to contact me at fly-bman2006@hotmail.com
   
   Bman.

4 comments about CRISIS CORE -FINAL FANTASY VII- Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature Series Guides).

1. When it comes to crafting Final Fantasy guides, Bradygames has a shaky history. They have a few hits but also a few misses. Luckily, the Crisis Core guide doesn't miss. It still suffers from some of the follies of previous guides, but at least its a helpful tool in many respects.
   
   The guide begins with an introduction to the storyline and then quickly jumps into the characters section. This brings us to the first and quite possibly only major problem with the guide, there are tons of spoilers almost from the moment you open it. The characters section explains more than it should about some characters. While it's nice that it refreshes your mind on some tidbits of Final Fantasy VII, it also gives away a bit to the plot of Crisis Core. There's nothing major here, at least.
   
   After the characters section we get into the game basics. If you're confused on anything in Crisis Core, this guide does a great job of explaining and helping to understand the system of the game and it does it without wasting too much time. It's a well organized section that hits all the important points. On another note, the biggest attraction in this section is easily the coverage of DMW. If you're confused in anyway about this new unique system, the guide explains it very well.
   
   Afterwards we get into the meat and potatoes of the guide. The walkthrough. This is where the guide has that major hit coming to it. If you don't like spoilers, this guide is full of them. The walkthrough is divided into chapters, and at the beginning of each chapter the guide feels the need to explain the situation. While it avoids spoiling a few major plot twists, it takes away some of the fun. There are also spoilers throughout the main text of the walkthrough. So far, there's nothing incredibly major, but there is enough to spoil some of the fun of the game.
   
   Otherwise, the walkthrough is almost perfect. At the beginning of each chapter they give you a step by step run down of what it is you'll be doing throughout the chapter and then explain it in more detail throughout the main sections. The walkthrough is extremely organized and has maps to go along with it. The maps are too detailed. They were pulled straight from the game itself, but they do point out the location of items, save points etc. They also have some fairly good boss strategies listed here. In short, if you really need a leg up, the walkthrough helps out.
   
   When the walkthrough is finally done with, there is a huge section dedicated to the missions in the game. Each mission has stats for the enemies, a brief description, a map and a strategy. Since missions are fairly small and straightforward, there's not much to say here, hence, the mission strategies are pretty short and small, save for the strategy for Minerva. While the mission section is helpful, there's quite a bit of page flipping in navigating it
   
   Then we get into the Materia section. There's a breakdown of Materia fusing here, which can really help players out, and there's also a breakdown of each and every Materia. This is also a nice lead into all those charts that are pretty much standard in every RPG guide.
   
   The Bestiary is fairly detailed, but much like the missions, will require a huge amount of page flipping. Thankfully the basic stats you need are provided for monsters int he walkthrough because the bestiary is also not in alphabetical order like it is in most RPG guide books. Rather they're divided by their families. Chances are you won't need the bestiary at least, but it's there in case you do
   
   And after all this detail, we finally get into all the bonuses and secret goodies of the guide. The secrets chapter entitled "23 Wishes" serves to not only tell you a couple of secrets, but let you in on a bit of trivia as well. There are potential spoilers here, but once more, it's nothing too major. There's also an expansive art gallery if you're curious, as well as a doubled sided foldout.
   
   Overall, this is a great companion to Crisis Core, as long as you keep in mind that you're getting a few spoilers along the way. If you can deal with that, you've found the perfect guide. If you can't, finish the game before investing.



2. I hope you don't mind, but with Cloud Strife's latest barrage of dotty refrains, I can't resist the urge to make a few cynical comments. What follows is the story of how Cloud can be so rich in the rhetoric of democracy and yet so poor in its implementation. I insist that it can be safely said that I could do without his throat-cutting rampages. I don't just contend that he would love to see me suffer from stress, frustration, and defeat; I can back that up with facts. For instance, if his blanket statements get any more predaceous, I expect they'll grow legs and attack me in my sleep.
   
   If Cloud is victorious in his quest to brainwash the masses into submission, then his crown will be the funeral wreath of humanity. How do you think he will get his hands on all of the incriminating documents about him that I have in my possession? A secretive home or office invasion, a knock on the door, or his favored battering-ram incursion? This can be answered most easily by stating that he has stated that laws are meant to be broken. That's just pure exhibitionism. Well, in Cloud's case, it might be pure ignorance, seeing that to get even the simplest message into the consciousness of what I call heartless, foolish prima donnas it has to be repeated at least fifty times. Now, I don't want to insult your intelligence by telling you the following fifty times, but everybody is probably familiar with the cliche that lying and cheating is second nature to Cloud. Well, there's a lot of truth in that cliche.
   
   As I make no claim to be an authority on the subject, I defer to the judgments of an Oxford University professor, who has observed that Cloud is terrified that there might be an absolute reality outside himself, a reality that is what it is, regardless of his wishes, theories, hopes, daydreams, or decrees. If society were a beer bottle -- something, I believe, that Cloud holds in high regard -- he would indeed be the nauseating bit at the bottom that only the homeless like to drink. I want to take up the all-encompassing challenge of freedom, justice, equality, and the pursuit of life with full dignity. I want to do this not because I need to tack another line onto my résumé but because if we foreground the cognitive and emotional palette of his confused-to-the-core scare tactics rather than their pathology we can enter vitally into Cloud's world. Why do we want to do that? Because if Cloud truly wanted to be helpful, he wouldn't glorify the things that everyone else execrates. Lastly, the longer Cloud Strife wears the mask of adversarialism, the harder it is to remove.



3. When looking for a guide you look for a few things:
   1. Be able to find things that you may miss if you don't look everywhere closely
   2. Help you get through the game quicker
   3. Help you achieve 100% on everything
   4. Good tidbits that helps you play better and enjoy it more so you don't have to keep restarting from game overs
   
   Well this guide has all of those. The guide helps with all the missions, and gives insight to the game. Much recommended



4. I played the game all the way through 2 times before I got the guide. I was glad I did because it explained how to unlock missions that I couldn't figure how to get unlocked. I shows where all the Items are during the mission... Which is a big help not to waist time running where you don't need to go. There we're a few mix-ups in the mission parts, like where there are barriers that wern't marked and some that were marked that wasn't blocked.
   
   My first guide that was shipped from amazon was damaged but not during shipping. I contacted amazon about this and they had a replacement out in no time free of charge. Great service... Great guide... AWESOME GAME!

5 comments about Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide, Playstation Version.

1. This book was a bit of a challenge. There are some times when it helps and a lot more when it doesn't. I would like to know when the Limits increase, how to learn more Enemy Skills, and about Chocobo breeding. This book doesn't cover these things. It gives you a walkthrough, the plot and some battle tips, but not much else that you can use. (As soon as I figure out how to change the stars, I'm putting it down to a 2-star rating.)



2. it is an excellent guide, but sometimes is hard to understand and it does not have any directions on how to get where you need to go.



3. really helps with the game when you get lost or if you want to find the hidden things.



4. My husband had this book with his game and used it alot. However...he forgot to put it up and our 2 yr old son got ahold of it and he had to get a new one!



5. This guide is great, it covers everything in the entire game. It even arrived 2 days earlier than expected!! Definitely worth the money.

1 comments about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. This is a Prima Guide, so one expects it to have some errors and oversights. In the past, one could always turn to Nintendo Power for higher quality guides, but now that the NP guides are no longer made, we're stuck with Prima. This guide is a good example of why I never have liked to buy Prima guides.
   
   Let's start with the good news. The Dungeon pages in this guide do list info about things such as item and level restrictions. The color coding for different sections of the Pokedex is nice. Also, this guide does have a full Pokedex complete with numerical lv. 1 stats, however, it does NOT list every place that the Pokemon can be found (it only tells one place), and the footprints (useful for the Sentry minigame) are not listed either.
   
   Now for the bad news. The data sections (from the quiz at the start of the game to the item tables) are not alphabetized, a fact that makes the tables needlessly hard to use. The item tables do not list the selling price of items. There is no list of Wonder Mails so you can get the Pokemon exclusive to each version. Don't expect to find suggested partners for each starter, either. The Dungeon overview pages will not tell you what items to expect to find in each dungeon, so you either have to guess or keep your own notes. The basic strategy info on Pokemon moves from each Dungeon is pretty useless. While the info is true, I think most Pokemon fans already know this. I would have much rather seen level ranges of Pokemon within the dungeon and a list of items found therein (as well as rarities), instead of useless info about the moves of Pokemon in the dungeon. Also, I dislike that the Recommended Path for the game was placed in front of the the Game Mechanics section. It would make more sence to place it between the Game Mechanics and Walkthrough sections, making it harder to ruin the story for yourself when you flip to the Game Mechanics section for a particular piece of info.
   
   In short, my advice is to skip this guide and print off a decent walkthrough from a free site. This game has no significant maps, and the only grapical data you might actually need (the footprints) is absent from this guide anyway. With the non-alphabetized data sections, those who own this guide will likely find themselves printing off needed info from an online walkthrough anyway.
   
   A side note for those who don't know what a game guide is (and think that perhaps it is a book about Pokemon for kids to read): A game guide (a.k.a. Strategy Guide) is a publication that is supposed to tell everything about a game. It is useful for choosing strategies and completing every aspect of a game, but it is not a story book. It is more akin to an Atlas or Encyclopedia and is typically used as reference by serious players. While it does require some reading skills, it is only useful to those who have a copy of the games (which games also require reading skills).
   
   Signed, Pamela

No comments about Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides).

5 comments about Grand Theft Auto IV Signature Series Guide (Brady Games).

1. As others have stated, Game Guides have drastically declined in quality in recent years. Some seem to provide good information but appear to be printed on home computers, whereas some have excellent appearance, but lack desired information.
   
   This book applies more to the second category. I made sure to flip through the pages before leaving the store to make sure none of the pages were crimped or blurry. What I saw was a very cleanly printed book, void of unnecessary images or intrusive background images. Game content is provided with clear and explanatory side bars and sub-plots. The information is very neatly presented and is very easy to follow.
   
   However, readers will become discouraged when they begin searching for particular information regarding side-quests, extracurricular activities, non-player characters (your "friends" in the game), etcetera. The Table-of-Contents only shows the core missions of the game, along with the necessary "side missions" that grant 100% completion. There is no index, making it very difficult to find what you're looking for. This is especially frustrating when you're flipping back and forth through pages while mumbling "Well I know I saw it in here SOMEWHERE..."
   
   There are no appendices or any other breakdown for all the other content (and trust me there's a lot of it) that GTA IV provides. This book focuses on "how to beat the game and get 100%." If you want to find easter eggs, hidden content, or just that typical, cool stuff that GTA has always provided, you'll probably have to sit near a computer and employ creative search-engine strategies.
   
   Also, be advised that though the game documents the Achievements for the Xbox 360 system, it offers no advice on how to earn them.
   
   I'm glad I got it for 20% off by buying it with the game.



2. i tried it and im returning it i just dont like it. but i do like the prior gta's.



3. Just got the book today after i have completed about 20% of the game. This guide is pretty interesting as it gives you tips here and there but like other reviewers, i find it rather disorganised. Not having the list of cars is definitely disappointed.
   
   The plus points are the tips that are inside which is very informative for busy working class people who just wants to get to the game main storyline.



4. amazing guide thats all i can say... dont beleive other reviews , this will help you get to the top in the right way, at the begining at the game the magazine wasn't usefull at all but then when you get to the middle missions you will really need it because there are some mission whether (nico)'ll choose who kill and how you should be friends with, and other bunch of cool stuff so you dont have to repeate mission over and over again... this magazine help me a lot , also it gives you the flying rats ubication map.a poster with nico very nice.A+++



5. This guide is good enough to help you get 100 percent, but don't expect anything great. You frequently have to flip back to the table of contents to find what you're looking for, as info is seemingly randomly scattered throughout the book. It's as if the guide was rushed and not edited at all. Also missing is a detailed car list that I got used to in past guides, and it'd be nice to seem them all.
   
   Regardless, it's still a decent guide.