1 comments about Spider-Man 3 Signature Series Guide.

1. I had purchased this with the idea that it would help with my Game Boy Advance SP Spiderman 3 game, but it doesn't. It helps with Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo WII, and Computer Entertainment Systems. I plan to get a Playstation 2 soon so hope it helps when I buy Spiderman 3 for that. I gave it a 1 because it's not what I needed but was given the impression it was, and I don't have the ability to rate it for the systems it was published for.

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.

1 comments about Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. This is a good game guide covering most of everything you would want to know about the game, as you would expect.
   
   I found an error in the specific level at which an ultimate weapon enhancement item is to be purchased. I dont specifically remember it, but here are all of them:
   
   Pristine Lightstone in Library Tower for 2000
   Oozing Orb in Silver Cathedral for 3500
   Rune of Anguish in the Kiln for 5000
   Orb of Suffering in City Slums (South I think, before proceeding to the Grinder) for 7500
   
   Overall, if you want to enjoy playing the game knowing all secrets, I would recommend buying this.

1 comments about WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 Signature Series Guide.

1. Delivery was quick. The manual is in good condition. It was a little bent and wrinkled in the back but, it was like new otherwise. I am pleased with the purchase.

3 comments about Everquest II: Kingdom of Sky (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. Excellent guide to be utilized. Specially the quests details at first few levels in the island. Also, the hints for each profession and the spells associated. I keep looking at the details in this guide from time to time.
   Alnari - Level 35 Wizard.



2. While there is a huge number of game players, there are few good books to help you play. This is better than the original edition. It includes many of the changes made by the game creators since the earlier release.
   
   Pros - This is the best book published for starting players of Everquest II. (Unfortunately, perhaps because of copyright laws, it is pretty much the only definitive book on Everquest II.)
   Cons - mentioned by other reviewers. In an attempt to be artistic, the authors of the book created colorful maps. Unfortunately, the map colors make it more difficult to find anything on them because of the low contrast between the type and the graphics. (This is even worst in the Prima Official Atlas.) Don't these people know many players play by the light of their monitors?



3. Very easy to follow and very clean and uncluttered. Gives you a good hint at what to do, and where to go, without being a spoiler. For me, a weekend gamer, a must have.

5 comments about Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid.

1. An entertaining little book with some good suggestions for improving your crossword puzzle solving skills. A bit too much self-promotion for my taste.



2. Hey, if you like to work crossword puzzles you're gonna love this book. You will not only be thoroughly entertained, but you will learn a thing or two in the process. Newman's enthusiasm is contagious even though I was already quite passionate about the subject to begin with. Maybe even fanatical. But if I wasn't before reading Cruciverbalism, I probably qualify as a full-fledged fanatic now because I've experienced a distinct improvement in my solving skills thanks to a few insider tips from the master.
   
   Check it out. You'll be glad you did.



3. This work is marred by unexpected self-aggrandizement and mean-spiritedness. In the first chapter, the author lets us know he was able to beat competitors to win three major crossword competitions in a row. He also tells us he was brave enough to attack, in writing, Eugene Maleska, then crossword editor of the New York Times. Dr. Maleska's approach, and one of his apparent flaws as Mr. Newman sees it, was to encourage and use many crossword clues based on classical and obscure references, including Latin words, rather than the more pun-oriented wordplay, and contemporary references approach used by most modern crossword constructors. There is some irony that Mr. Newman's book is titled, "Cruciverbalism - A Crossword Fanatics's Guide..." rather than simply "Crosswords - A Fanatics's Guide ..."
   
   Word play and current references make crossword puzzles accessible to a wider audience, while less common "academic" references often inform and educate. Thus, it is appropriate to contrast and discuss each of these approaches, and consider if one approach is always more appropriate and desirable, or if both should co-exist to appeal to different audiences, or to the same audiences at different times. However, Mr. Newman's comments are not just a reasoned explication and evaluation of these two construction approaches. Rather, his attacks are ad hominem, and appear to reflect a strong and extended personal animosity that has continued even after Dr. Maleska death in 1993.
   
   Mr. Newman has, to me, the ill-manners to note that after Dr. Maleska's death he, Mr Newman, was assigned to edit Dr. Maleska's puzzles. To quote Mr. Newman, this is what the phrase "spinning in his grave" was invented for.
   
   During Eugene Maleska's tenure at the New York Times he produced irritation and anger among some solvers and many constructors, not primarily by his approach to crossword construction which many disagreed with, but more by his notoriously sharp rejection letters to crossword constructors whose work he would not accept. An earlier perceptive reviewer told Mr. Newman to "deal with it"; I agree. Mr. Newman's obsession with Dr. Maleska, and the author's self-promotion, fatally damages what should otherwise have been an outstanding work.
   
   Some reviewers here refer to the author as "Stan". Whether they already know him or not, its clear many folks hold him in high regard. Additionally, the book carries a short endorsement from the current and widely respected NY Times crossword editor. Thus, this work appears atypical of Mr. Newman's attitudes and relationships in the crossword world.
   
   The author is clearly in the top tier of crossword solvers and constructors, and very well versed in the business side of crossword publishing. This work already contains some quite fascinating anecdotes and stories about crossword solvers and constructors, discussion of solution strategy, as well as some interesting history about the growth of the U.S. crossword interest/obsession. Its list of 100 essential words for crosswords puzzles is excellent. If the egregious personal attacks and egocentric references could be removed from any later editions, and the work expanded -- the relatively small format, page count, and margins make this almost more pamphlet-sized than book-sized -- to include more for Mr. Newman's clearly outstanding knowledge of crossword solution strategies, history, construction, and the crossword business this would be an exemplary work for crossword enthusiasts.
   
   The often stated, "It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It" applies here. Mr. Newman's stories and anecdotes are frequently informative and often fascinating. Rewritten with less animus, this would be an exceptional work. Unfortunately, in its current state, it reflects an inappropriate pettiness, and contains so much vain and boastful writing that it cannot be highly rated.



4. I emerged as a new solver after reading this book. Highly educating, esp Chapter Five "Pulling Back the Curtain: The Hidden Rules of the Grid". I also loved the tips on how to get Saturday-savvy. D'oh! Now I understand why the top-row words are always consonants-concentrated. I also learned a lot from the author's explanation on the high occurrence of the Quartet letters (E, R S & D) at the bottom row. What a great REDS idea.



5. An interesting book for crossword lovers and fanatics alike!
   
   I've had a strong interest in crossword puzzles for years now and after playing some related word-games, I've recently begun to wonder about the crossword puzzle construction process. So it was with this in mind that my curiosity became tweaked when I saw Newman's book "Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life on the Grid", available on amazon.com. So I bought it and its turned out to be a good purchase.
   
   The book in quite short; only 140 pages long and is divided into six chapters.
   
   The first chapter deals with Newman's ongoing 'annoyance' with the late Eugene Maleska editing techniques as Editor of the NY Times Crossword in the 1980s and 90s. I've noticed some other reviewer were somewhat taken aback by this 'assault' on Maleska, but after reading this section, I think I can at least appreciate Newman's point of view. It was Newman's disagreement with Maleska's methods that ultimately lead Newman into his strong affiliation with crossword puzzles.
   
   One chapter deals with the history of crosswords and yet another gives some background as to how Newman got into the crossword puzzle business as a lifetime vocation.
   
   The real meat of the book resided in the three remaining chapters. Here we find several topics of interest...
   
   1.)what puzzle constructors think about when constructing a grid; i.e. the basic rules. What's allowed and what isn't.
   
   2.)100 commonly found 3 and 4 letter words (that are at least 50% vowels) and make up significant number of the short words that surround the main themes.
   
   3.)There is one section called 'Hidden Rules of the Grid' that is an extensive list of the different categories of clues that constructors use when building a puzzle e.g. quips or quotes, foreign words, starters and enders, comparatives, fill in the blanks, plurals, hedgers, rivals...and many more. Each category is accompanied by a brief explanation and examples .
   
   4.)The penultimate chapter discusses several useful tips as how to improve your solving abilities, but only if your intensely interested and willing to spend some time and considerable effort to do it.
   
   5.)And finally, on the last 2 pages there are a couple tips on how to approach the more difficult 'Sunday Stumper' puzzle. With regards to items 1-4 above; I was vaguely aware of them to begin with and not truly surprised to see in this book. However, these last hints were something I'd never considered and would be very useful as an approach to solving harder puzzles.
   
   Conclusion:
   Although this book was not exactly what I was looking for, it was enjoyable and interesting to read. I was really looking for some useful ideas as to how to actually construct the physical puzzle itself. The main part of this book deals with how constructors think about tinkering with 'clues' to make an answer range from very easy to 'a revelation in the science of word-play'; and it succeeds famously in this regard.
   
   R.Nicholson
   
   P.S.
   In my meager attempts to construct even the simplest puzzle, I became acutely aware of just how hard it is to get even a corner of a puzzle to meld, let alone an entire grid. I've even consulted computer crossword puzzle makers, put in a couple of witty phrases that I want to use as my theme; the result, the program whirled for a long time and in the end came up with nothing usable. So my admiration (and some degree of jealousy as well) has increased for these cruciverbalistic heroes, since my humbling experiment with CW construction.

3 comments about Grand Theft Auto 3 Official Strategy Guide for PC.

1. Okay for anyone who thinks I may be writing an overly kind review, refer to the one I wrote for the Strategy guide for the PS2 version of this game! Needless to say I was somewhat underwhelmed by the book written for GTA 3 for the PS2.

   HOWEVER!!! Everything that I conplained about and I mean EVERYTHING that was wrong with the PS2 version strategy guide was addressed and fixed in this version. Apparenly the guy who wrote this book played GTA 3 a lot and it showed in the incredibly detailed and powerfully enthusiastic manner in which the book was written. Where one map would have done okay as in the firt book, he gave you several, all with different colors and excellently labeled icons!

   His depiction of mission levels including the Off Road missions (which by the way were all but completely ignored by his predecessor) were written with precision and step by step, easy to follow directions.

   One example of the differences in the two books:

   Hidden packages map: THe first strategy guide for the PS2 gives a map of each island and a little icon corresponding to the package location, and on the adjacent page a shore sentence telling you where each one is.

   In this new book, there are not only maps and FAR MORE detailed explanations of the packages but little thumbnail screenshots showing EVERY package in it's "in game" location! Talk about going the extra mile!!!

   While the first attermpt at a strategy guide is more of a glorified hints and tips manual that reads as if it were slapped together after the author went through the game once or twice quickly at most, this book is a bona fide walkthrough of every single facet of the game.

   Oh and if you are buying GTA 3 on PS2 and not on the PC? BUY THIS GUIDE ANYWAY! Forget the PS2 version's guide, trust me! You just have to get used to the differences in the control scheme is all. But you will thank me for it later on. Hey if you need the control buttons, the game itself comes with a manual!

   In short, while the PS2 guide did have its very limited usage, it becomes all but completely pointless in light of the bigger, better and far more enlightening strategy Guide that was written for the PC, and again this is true even if you only own the PS2 version and have no intention of buying the PC port of the game!




2. I never have the PS2 version of this book, so I can't compare both version. Just wanted to ammend extra to Dr. Paul C. Graviano reviews, and personal point of view as I never seen the PS2 version.

   This book is great, however, I still spotted many mistakes that should be fixed. Some of the hidden packages on the map are marked in wrong location. One of them is on the pier, when I went there but couldn't find it, actually it was on the OTHER pier further up. Some of the hidden packages discription & screenshots are misplaced. Don't rely too much or totally on this guide, use your imagination. it will be much more fun.

   I use this guide to help me to locate hidden packages, rampages location, unique stunts, secrets and path for checkpoint-to-checkpoint missions. Which is very handy as reference.

   Map arrangement could be improved, I hate to flip for description at the back of the page everytime I needs them. It would be better if the map placed on the left page; description on the right page.

   However, the paper quality is kind of bad, which can easily peel off. And due to bad maps arrangement, causes too many flipping front and back vice versa, the pages actually peel off from book, and I actually forget about the main portion as I only need the map ;)

   If you are buying this book, make sure you get it stamped before start reading.




3. i used this book cause there is no way i would have been able to get a 100% on the game without it. I started using it for all those secret things that are hard to find. I worked out great and i now have a 100%

3 comments about The Rough Guide to the PSP 1 (Rough Guide Reference).

1. I bought my PSP a while ago and love it, but never explored beyond the basics. I've bought a couple other Rough Guides in the past and liked them, so I thought I'd check this one out, and I highly recommend it. It feels like I have a whole new PSP. I spent all day yesterday loading movies and music onto my PSP, and now know how to really use it for wireless web browsing. Lots of stuff. If you have a PSP, check it out.



2. I am new to the PSP and was looking for a guide which goes beyond the instruction manual which comes with the unit. The Rough Guide to the PSP fits the bill, it is a great reference guide and explains how to use the PSP in a easy to understand way, it also goes beyond the basic operation of the PSP. The authors give plenty of ideas of where to get additional inforamtion, I can highly recommend this book.



3. As a newbie to PSP - this was a definite MUST HAVE - really shows you what the PSP is capable of, and how to do it. Clear, concise, easy to understand. I feel like this $$ was well spent.

2 comments about Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. This guide won't be that helpful for PC users, since it is based on X360.
   The game is actually very hard.



2. i have heard people bought this strategy guide for the PC version. This is a 360 version. that cleared, the info in the guide help you plan your movements and has great specs on the weapons. many dont like it because it dos not tell you how to beat the game. to that i say. than what the fun of beating the game!

3 comments about Official Nintendo Power FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE Player's Guide.

1. This guide contains a wealth of information for the game, as well as a handful of larger versions of the original Amano artwork. All of the jobs have their abilities laid out in easy-to-use charts, there are full and useful maps in the back, and it's certainly much kinder on the eyes than a FAQ. These few things, however, are its only strong points.
   
   It unfortunately falls into the trend of strategy guides that only present bare minimum information for a topic. For example, one of the last pages has a chart listing all of the Blue Magic spells available, but only lists a single creature for each spell. This despite the fact that sometimes three or four enemies have the capability to cast a spell, and the one presented in the chart is not always the first that will allow a character access to the spell. There are charts for every spell in the game, though the chart lacks the level of each spell, making planning job ability swaps a bit difficult.
   
   The layout isn't always especially great, with information that would seem rather important(such as the jobs unlocked at a certain point) being hidden in a tiny list or piece of a larger paragraph in most cases. Jobs and spells are listed with page numbers, though in my experience most of the pages referred to have nothing at all to do with the sourced material. Also, for some reason the screenshots for most pages must have been placed with the wrong resolution, as most are muddled and distorted.
   
   As a personal preference, which I can't exactly hold against the book, I would have preferred to have a bit of variety in the boss/enemy tactics. About halfway through all of the boss tactics basically degenerate to "Use your strongest summon and the Samurai's Zeninage ability." Thanks? Even the hidden bosses list that same tactic. It would have been nice to have more than two short sentences of advice for a battle that the guide describes as the hardest enemy in the game, or to have tactics for more than one of the game's multitude of job abilities. Even a section with interesting suggestions for job/ability combinations could have helped liven it up a bit.
   
   All-in-all, this is a decent guide if you really desire a lot of nice visual aids and the most basic information on the game. Outside of that, it is a book marred with problems that simply should not exist in a finished professional product.



2. but if you do not want to print out an entire book, from an online site, then this would be helpful.I found myself having to visit forums and print some important, strategic information that was lacking in the guide. Annoying. Never did find some of the information ANYWHERE. One would think that it should be in an OFFICIAL guide.I agree with Falchieyan's review.



3. The guide is good, with nice screenshots and helpful hints for getting items. I couldn't have gotten through the game and collected the things I did without it. But, it is short on detail, and for a novice player--like me--it can be very frustrating.