5 comments about Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Official Strategy Guides).

1. This product did not impress me at all. It was basically an extended game manual. Not to mention that the game is in a constant state of change.



2. I guess my main issue is with the way the book presents material. It doesn't give any hard numbers for feats or skills. On any given feat or skill it'll say something like "give small chance" or "gives small increase". What I want to know is, is it worth my time to learn that skill or feat. How much of a chance does it give? That's what I need to know. Half the book is on character creation and all the info they give is fuzzy. Not really useful at all.
   
   
   Also the maps are useless. They are there but they have no info on them. No markers on where people or places can be found. Aside from looking nice they have no function. You get better info from the in game mini-map.
   
   
   Professions and crafting are there but once again they're missing important info. If you want to make potion X this book will tell you what ingredients you need to make it. That's good. But the book doesn't tell you what potion X is or what it even does.
   
   
   All in all this book is good for some quest info. I had some trouble locating a few things in dungeons that had no mini-map. Sure, it had a quest marker but with no map I had no idea how to get there. So the book did help with those which is why it gets 2 stars instead of one. But that info can be found online for free.
   
   
   Don't bother with this book. We didn't even get an in game free item for it.



3. There's a lot of unknowns in Age of Conan: from the peculiar stat system to the actual numerical effects of certain buffs and skills. I purchased this guide hoping it would expand on the pitiful game manual -- suffice to say, it doesn't.
   
   Everything in the guide can be read from the game tooltips, and there's no in-depth explanations at all. Class descriptions are sanitised and mostly the same ("an excellent solo class, but don't forget to buff up before a fight blah blah"). The back of the guide even devotes pages to "maps" of hyboria that are simply screenshots of the game... just press the "m" key.
   
   A total waste of money, especially considering the massive patch changes that Funcom continues to implement.



4. This was sort of helpful in picking what class to play, but didn't really give in depth guides to anything.



5. This guide is incomplete, its a rush rush job with very little help full detail. Maps are blank with no important details.
   
   you can't get updates from the website either.
   
   Wait for V.2 of the book to be released.
   lvl 45 ranger
   Wishbone

No comments about Spore: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

2 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



2. The two books are excellent, and provide a link with two grandsons who live in Switzerland ...they have a copy and I have a copy so we read together over the phone

5 comments about Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide.

1. fast shipping, perfect condition, all around great, happy with my purchase. I know generic comment but I can't think of any other way to describe it



2. I found this book to be an improvement on the FF7 book. The directions are easier to follow, and it includes a lot of important information. I would have liked the names of the Cards to be easier to read - dark font on a dark background is too hard to reference for anything - and the beastialityairy was too hard to decipher. But that's a small point when you compare it to the failure to continue with the total coverage in the FF9 book. This book told me what I needed to know about the little things that I missed - the weapons, the GFs, the magazines (not enough room), and locations like the Islands or the Deep Sea Research Center. It was tremendously helpful. Still is.



3. As a long-time fan of the Final Fantasy series, it was with great joy that I intended to give a copy of Final Fantasy VIII to my niece. Given the intermittent access that she has to the PS2 at home, the strategy guide was a needed piece for the gift, else she completely lose her place between sessions. Imagine my horror when, a week before her birthday, the copy I had was destroyed in a terrible coffee accident...
   
   As guides go it's thorough and detailed; the included bestiary becomes of great use in the later game, when elemental weaknesses can be the key to victory. The maps are solid and clear and the step-by-step nature of the book makes it ideal for session-based play. She was thrilled with the gift, and I was thrilled with the promptness of its arrival.



4. "Okay....now what the heck do I do"? - a common question by those of us who are not "naturals" at games such as this. The graphics are fantastic - clear and detailed and the game play (though a little challenging) is relatively smooth but you are left with questions; as in "How the heck did that happen"? "Now what"? this guide will help you over those spots where you think you are going to be stuck forever. A wee bit technical at times but packed full with good information and tips, this guide will usually dig you out of the hole you have buried yourself into when you are on the play game level that I am.



5. This item is a great asset to any gamers collection. With great detail and tips, i would recommend it to any FFVII Gamer.

5 comments about Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide.

1. this was a really helpful book. It walks you through the whole gaming making sure you dont miss any objects or trinity marks. I didn't finish the game but that's probably from my poor video game skills and also because i got kingdomheartsII right b4 i finished kingdom hearts. The print is big enough for anyone to see and the maps were extremely helpful. I liked this strategy guide much better than the one for kingdom hearts II. It pretty much only tells you how to defeat bosses which is very helpful too but the first one is more helpful.



2. Really great guide! Again, I would be lost without it! Took me forever to beat because my disc went bad. So I borrowed a friend's. ^_^ It's not a hard game.... Just takes a little getting used to.



3. Everything is written and shown in an orderly fashion. It doesn't leave you confused. It leads you step to step through the game.



4. This particular volume in the Brady Games "signature series" official strategy guides, is well written and illustrated. The magazine as a whole is quite durable as most signature series guides are. It features a detailed walkthrough, a complete bestiary, 3-d model hand drawn maps, and an in depth look at sub quests and gummi ship construction, accompanied by rich illustrations. The walkthrough is very fluid, giving you a wink and a nudge without tedium, yet descriptive and concise enough so that you never miss out on anything. The boss battle strategy sections get just a bit more in depth. Rather than hand you a step by step on how to defeat a boss however, it discusses what the bosses are capable of, allowing you to formulate your own strategy. You'll appreciate that every sub mission and hidden secret are detailed throughout the walkthrough with instructions on how to complete them. They still have an in depth recap for your referance in the back of the guide, but the information is presented in a way that allows for the most fluid path without needless backtracking (unless the game requires it). In fact, the guide even goes so far as to offering a sticker sleeve and a chart so you can add stickers as you find hidden goodies! The Bestiary is comprehensive and easy to use for all ages, detailing enemy locations and common stats, in alphabetical order. This guide has few flaws if any at all. And Dan Birlew is a wonderful author that I trust when choosing guides anyway (other than the FFIX guide with that online code crap)I rate it a 5.



5. My nephew is really happy to receive this book. There was one part in the game that he could not work out so I found this book on amazon and I brought it for him. He can now fine the answers to the hard parts that are in the game.

5 comments about World of Warcraft Master Guide, Second Edition (World of Warcraft).

1. Amazaing book to start out with, includes everything you need to now about the game and even things that you dont. The book is so finley detailed with everything from your first dagger to level 60(70 if burning crusade) and soon to be 80



2. A seemingly good idea in concept, an unbelievably bad idea in reality.
   These guides suffer from a few issues, that ultimately make them a bad purchase.
   
   (1.) Obviously a printed guide for an online game, won't be up-to-date, but these guides are hopelessly out of date. This fact alone makes these guides a complete and total waste of money. If you really want a guide, buy the .PDF version from Brady's website or ask Amazon to carry the .PDF version. The .PDF version is updated periodically throughout the year.
   
   (2.) Due to the nature of all the games being released at any given time, there are lots of guides to write. Understandably they must be pressed for time. But these guides seem to have be so rushed that there are typos, incorrect information and missing information. Mistakes like these can make the guide unusable at times.
   
   (3.) Any guide will likely be used by newer players. They will need to find information quickly and easily. Whoever setup these guides doe not understand information design or the essential needs of a new player. Even if you skip reason 1 and 2, when you actually use the guide, you will likely be frustrated many times.
   
   [...]
   
   Save your money for other fun stuff, like WoW 60 Day Game Cards which amazon usually offers for a good price.



3. If you are looking for information or maps on Outlands - this is not the book for you. Burning Crusades was introduced well over a year ago and this book has not even a hint. If you have Master Guide one - stick with it for the lower levels - it at least has decent maps. If you don't have either then look it up on Thottbot - cheaper and more up to date.



4. My husband who doesn't read, reads this book daily. It really helps with the WOW game. If you play this game you will love this book.



5. The book had really great tips but the quest data and items need to be updated, the book wasnt really layed out very well, as every other wow book, but its the information that counts and it is helpful

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. Bought this as a present for my father who is a geography teacher and has just gotten into geocaching as a hobby. An excellent introductory guide to the hobby, easy to read and entertaining.



2. I'm going to get right to the point. This book is great. It does exactly what it claims, and nothing less. It's a perfect introductory guide to geocaching, but I'm sure experienced cachers can gain something from it also. It is informative, well written, and purposeful. I also would like to pmention that it is the official guide book of [...], the company that runs [...]. Lastly, I would like to point out that the only 2 bad reviews of this book that were posted at the time that I'm writing this are from someone that didn't receive the book in the mail and therefore is angry at amazon (why they take it out on THIS book, i have no idea), and some PhD in psych that cant even read a map (she admits this in her post)... go figure. In closing, I am very satisfied with this book and am glad that this is the guidebook I chose to help get me started with geocaching. Happy Hunting



3. Excellent book! Lots of information delivered in a very understandable way. If you're a novice to Geocaching and want to quickly get up to speed buy this book.



4. Geocaching 101
   
   Arrggh, I'm tired of dragging my butt out of bed at 5:30AM, rushing to a thankless job, and punching a time clock. I want to sleep in, have exotic fruit for breakfast and wash it all down with rum. After lounging in my hammock, I'll head out with my crew, capture a ship, and finish in time to enjoy one of those cool, tropical drinks with the little umbrella. What other job can you hang around a boat all day with guns and booze, and make tons of money? I mean, other than war profiteering, or politics. I want to be a modern day pirate.
   
   There are those who scour the globe today in search of treasure, using only a compass as their guide, in a hunt where X no longer marks the spot, but it seems they prefer the term Geocacher. Geocaching is a modern day treasure hunt in which participants search for hidden caches using coordinates and a GPS device. The caches can range from small to large, and the treasure found inside isn't in the form of doubloons or pieces of eight, but small trinkets like baseball cards, Matchbox cars, or prizes like gift certificates, event tickets, or even cash.
   
   Geocaching combines "geo" for geography and "cache," a term used for both hidden provisions and in a more modern sense, data stored on a computer. Combine them and you have one of the newest and hottest outdoor activities around. Hey, how do you legally tap into an outdoor game that has a government budget of more than half a billion dollars? No, what your uncle is doing with that cable box and a coat hanger to get WrestleMania(tm) isn't legal.
   
   The goal of geocaching is to locate hidden treasure from latitude/longitude coordinates found on websites such as Geocaching.com or handed out in passbooks at geocaching events like the one upcoming in Wellsboro on May 16th, 17th, and18th. While most caches are a hidden watertight box, this event sponsored by the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce* is set up with "Virtual Caches." It's the destination, not the booty, that's of interest, bringing you to historic sites, beautiful vistas, and a wonderful view of nature. Nothing is traded except photos and the experience. Each of the caches can be driven to, with some requiring only a brief walk.
   
   I talked to Charlie Messina, the driving force behind Wellsboro's new event. Charlie began geocaching in 2003 as part of a Boy Scout camp program. He developed and ran orienteering events** and felt that geocaching would allow a new program to be added with minimal expense. "The program was a huge success, and added a new level of enjoyment as we searched for hidden caches and found great outdoor locations we would never have found. In basic terms geocaching is a high-tech hide & seek. Anyone with a GPS unit and a basic understanding of how to use it can enjoy an outdoors adventure. It is great fun for the entire family"
   
   If you've recently received a GPS unit, and you've been wondering what to do with it, check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching by Jack W. Peters. The book is comprehensive. It covers what geocaching is (sport, hobby, excuse to go outdoors and play with electronics), what you need to have, what you need to bring, and techniques for geocaching. It covers a good bit more than the basics with tips on how to get more accurate measurements from your GPS unit, search techniques like the cloverleaf and triangulation, and how to speak the lingo.
   
   If you are looking for adventure, a fun family activity, or just another way to appreciate and explore Tioga County, grab your GPS, a compass, some trail mix, and remember not to spend too much time staring into the receiver's screen. You'll miss the beauty of the natural surroundings, and you might crash and spill your tropical drink...
   
   *Information on the Geocaching event is available on the chamber's website www.wellsboropa.com . Registration is only $3 and takes place on the Green.
   
   **Orienteering is a competitive form of land navigation. The object of orienteering is to locate control points by using a map and compass to navigate through the woods.
   Kevin Coolidge works at From My Shelf Books on Main St. in Wellsboro. Check it out at www.wellsborobookstore.com



5. Comprehensive and easy to understand. This book will make your initial foray into geocaching a lot easier or will provide interesting insights for those who are more experienced at the sport. But mostly for the novice.

No comments about The Sims 2 Apartment Life: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

5 comments about Kingdom Hearts II Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Signature Series) (Bradygames Signature Series) (Bradygames Signature Series).

1. This is a very good strategy guide. It has loads of infomation for all the characters as well as all the villians. You definately need this book to play the game.



2. I was a fan of the first Kingdom Hearts Guide, but this on is completely lacking! it does not offer information to help you along in the game, it merely tells you what you already know!
   
   waste. of. money.



3. She got the game also and says it helps out a lot especially with this type of game.



4. This guild is really good at letting you know certain things you need to know to get along in the game.
   
   The chapters are kind of weird, though, you'll end one world and need to do an in-between episode, but they wont dedicate a page to that episode, there will just be a new world section and that's all. So be sure to pay attention to in-game dialouge, and small tid-bits they add to the last page of a world section.
   
   One of the only real problems I've had with this guide is that it's fairly large, but doesn't have a very good binding to it, so it falls apart. I've treated my book very carefully and made sure not to be rough, but it still lost a few pages in the begining and in the middle the pages are starting to disconnect.
   
   Other than that, it's a fairly good guide.



5. my 12 & 13 year boys were obsessed with this game. after getting the strategy book they both completed the the game.

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

1. 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.



2. 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



3. 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!



4. I bought this guide expecting nothing more than info. But, alas, the guide is a PIECE OF ART itself. It has every detail of the game pretty neat presented and even has a art gallery, a poster, and so on. Eye candy I must say.



5. There are two main things that determine if I'll buy a strategy guide: Do I care about the game enough to go for 100% completion on everything, and would it be easier for me to achieve that if I'm looking at one book rather than clicking around between four different guides online? My other concern is, if the book isn't helpful, will I at least get lots of pretty pictures of my favorite characters? The Bradygames Guide's touted poster and Art Gallery section were definitely factors in my decision to buy.
   
   If you're going for 100%, this guide will get you there, but I gave it a modest rating because I found the information poorly organized. As I was mid-way through my second play-through when I got this Guide, I've only used the walk-through for the end-game, and I found myself flipping pages more than I should have to. The Bestiary section is neither alphabetized nor indexed, instead enemies highlighted in the walk-through are listed with the page number they appear on in the Bestiary. So far I've found the sections dealing with Accessories, Shops, and Fusion Items comprehensive. The Materia section is also good at detailing how and or/where to get specific Materia. The leveling up section left one of my questions unanswered though, and that is HOW to level up Materia. Their explanation would have you think it's completely random, whereas my experience is that the more you use a particular materia, the more likely it is to gain a level. Since there's an invisible Experience point counter for Zack, I assume there is also one for Materia.
   
   The Missions section is very good, giving all the necessary information. Unfortunately, I have found one annoying mistake in this part (a mistake repeated elsewhere in the Guide when referring to this), and that is that it incorrectly gives Fire as the second spell you need to cast on the Magic Pot in Mission 10-2-3. (It should be Fira.) Otherwise what I've read of this section seems great.
   
   On the "pretty pictures" front, Nomura's illustration of the cast (not the one seen in the game's save screen) alone made the book worth it. There are also beautiful high quality CG renderings of the characters scattered throughout. However, the poster was disappointing: as the reverse is the Materia Fusion chart, the need for a long composition gets us a picture of Zack looking over his shoulder, the Buster Sword being the focus. The Art Gallery likewise was anticlimactic; space devoted to NPC's and gadgets could have been put to better use, and should have avoided inclusion of production art of settings already placed elsewhere in the Guide.
   
   Lastly, me being the huge FFVII geek that I am, I was perhaps more disappointed than newcomers to the world of FFVII by inaccuracies in the Characters section. The biggest of these was that it says Tifa met Cloud during the events of Crisis Core; even if you haven't played the original FFVII, events later on in CC let you know this is not the case. That this assumption is restated elsewhere in the Guide makes me wonder if the writers truly are the "fans" they profess to be in the Introduction, and about the accuracy of info relating to characters who debut in this game.
   
   Long story short, if you like playing with a book to guide you, go ahead and get this if these deficiencies don't override that desire.