5 comments about Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (PS2, Xbox, PC and GC) (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. If you have the ps2 version of this game do not get this book unless you are absolutley lost. Even then, think twice. It is written for the xbox and pc versions of the game, and it includes sidebars for the ps2 versions. Plus, the pictures shown are only for the xbox and pc versions, which will confuse a lot of people. If you have the xbox or pc versions, I give this book five stars. PS2 version, only 2.



2. NOTE: I have the PS2 version of the game, so I don't know how well this book works as a guide for Xbox and PC versions.
   For the PS2 version, though, as a basic walkthrough, it is certainly better than nothing, but I still feel like I was misled when the book advertises itself as being for all 3 platforms (Xbox, PC, and PS2). When I got stuck on one part of the game, I consulted this book and still couldn't get through it. I accidentally flipped to the next page and then noticed what the book calls a "PS2 sidebar." At first, I thought it was something extra for the PS2 version until I looked closely and saw that it began at a point just before the part that I was stuck on. It turns out that a completely different strategy is necessary on PS2 for that part than on the other platforms. A note on the previous page that says something to the effect of "PS2 users: See side bar on next page for this part" would have been nice. That's an example of how the organization of the book is lacking.



3. For those of you who do not have the time to work through this game, the guide is useful. But that also begs the question, "Why did you even buy the game in the first place?"...So instead of using the guide take your time.
   FOR THOSE WHO HAVE THE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!
   While playing Splinter Cell I figured out some cheats.Hit the F2 key and then type HEALTH,AMMO or FLY. They do the obvious.



4. This guide is racist against the PS2 version! Not only that, but I have played and beaten the XBOX version at a friends house, and uncovered that there are various picture faults and the text wording is somewhat poor. Not only that, but some directions for the XBOX version are wrong, several wrong for PS2 (DON'T tell me to look in the ps2 sidebar, because thats what I meant.) This may be the last prima guide I buy.



5. EXCELLENT PRODUCT AND A MUST HAVE FOR THOSE DIE HARD FANS OF TOM CLANCY. IT DEFINTELY HELPED ME OUT TO CONTINUE WITH THE GAME.

3 comments about Mechwarrior: Dark Age #6: Service for the Dead: 6(Book Three of the Proving Grounds Trilogy) (Mechwarrior).

1. Martin Delrio's Proving Ground trilogy does an excellent job at advancing the Mechwarrior Dark Age storyline. Not only does the story bring together some of the Unique and Limited Edition figures from the game, but it is interesting to boot. This novel, the conclusion of the trilogy finds Tara Campbell, Countess of Northwind and leader of the Northwind Highlanders, fighting to save Terra from the Steel Wolves, led by Anastasia Kerensky. Tara must deal with the rogue Paladin, Ezekiel Crow, an unbelieving Exarch, and the wily Kerensky. Paladin Jonah Levin of the Limited Edition Atlas figure fame is introduced as well.

   I appreciated the fact that Delrio included some character depth in the form of some of the Higlanders infantry; the three seargents, Will, Jock, and Lexa, are a nice reprieve from the "powers that be" residing on high and making decisions that could affect the entire Republic. Ezekiel Crow's character also is well-developed, and his fate within the Republic seems to have taken a turn for the worse, but makes for a much more interesting read than a Paladin whose loyalty belongs solely to the Republic.

   One thing that I would like to see is more development of One Eyed Jack and his mercenaries. We're getting hints of Bannson's game, but I'd like to see more direct focus on Jacob and his megalomanical schemes.

   Overall, though, this is a very satisfying conclusion to Dark Age's first trilogy. Hopefully, the success of this trilogy will induce WizKids to allow more of them as storyline development seems to proceed better when the same author has a chance to really go into the details without other authors slipping in books between with sometimes unrelated material.

   Looking forward to the next novel.




2. Overall, I loved the trilogy by Delrio. There were some impressive twists included in the books and I enjoyed seeing a trio of books devoted to the new Mechwarrior string.

   My main concern, however, is that the depth of each plotline as well as each battle is not nearly sufficient. It could just be that this is the first Battletech-genre writing for Delrio. The fight sequences were over way too quick and had some unrealistic results that would be hard to duplicate in the actual gaming scenario.

   I remember speaking with Stackpole about eight years back at a book signing and asked him why his battles were so accurate. He explained that he actually gamed them out and would rarely change the results of a battle. If a secondary character died, he wrote it into the story. The only time he would alter the results is if a main character integral to a plotline he was trying to write died.

   Also, while Delrio has some seriously wicked twists in his plotlines, the amount of development to each twist just doesn't seem sufficient. The chase scenes in the book could have been drawn out and the possible swerves could have been built up for an even more impactful result.

   Regardless, I am happy to see the franchise is back up and running. I understand that these books are the seeds for the depth and breadth of the upcoming epic books that will continue the new story.




3. SERVICE FOR THE DEAD brings THE PROVING GROUNDS TRILOGY to a close, if not a conclusion.
   
   The novel breaks from the loose format of the previous two books; rather than spending time further exploring the character of Tara Campbell (who, truth be told, was quite well fleshed out in the earlier books), it picks the plot up right where Truth and Shadows left off and runs with it.
   
   Northwind is no longer the battlefield; this time, Anastasia Kerensky is headed for Terra. And with The Republic's force reductions, Terra's defense forces alone won't be enough to stop the Steel Wolves. The battered Northwind Highlanders must rise to the challenge once more, defending not their own world, but the capital of the Republic.
   
   While the basic premise seems plausible, the book relies on a chain of coincidences to drive the plot forward; characters make dumb mistakes, and do things they probably shouldn't have done, with little or no thought put into them. Tara Campbell is the main victim of this; she doesn't think to bring an extra copy of the evidence against Crow with her, and when challenged by him she accepts the duel rather than focusing on the Steel Wolf threat.
   
   In the end, SERVICE FOR THE DEAD is a middling conclusion to the trilogy at best. It ties up the immediate invasion-of-Terra plotline, but stops there; it doesn't tie THE PROVING GROUNDS together. So while the first two books were quite good, SERVICE FOR THE DEAD is unfortunately something of a letdown.

5 comments about Silent Hill 4: The Room Official Strategy Guide (Signature).

1. I recieved the item, quickly and well packaged...The item was in overgood condition as claimed by the description...I was very satisfied...thanks again



2. I found this guide to be very helpfull. I was stuck on several parts, and this guide helped me through. If you need help with this game, get this guide!



3. You must have this book if you wish to do this game like any Silent Hill or Resindet Evil Game you have to have the book or you will be LOST



4. Recieved my purchase really quickly and with no problems. would buy from this person again.



5. Goes into deep detail on the game. So very very worth it. Tells you all about the hidden things in the game. worth it if your a collector or need help in the game.

5 comments about Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Official Strategy Guide.

1. Overall I would say the book is very complete. I have found very little about Warcraft III that was not answered in this book. This book has two parts.

   The first part is the game play detail. This part provides details such as damage, armor, range, hit points for every unit and building; a "tech tree" for each race; and details about the special abilities of the heros. This part is essential for any serious player.

   The second part is a pure spoiler for the single player missions. It gives every detail about the missions including: items, enemies, power ups, and tactical strategies. This part would be most useful to younger players or those who are new to strategy games.

   I personally do not enjoy the single player game nearly so much as the multi-player game. I have owned the game for 6 months now, and have not-yet finished the single player game. Conversly, I have played over 200 online games.

   I would recommend this Strategy guide to two types of people: those who are serious about developing a winning strategy (using the first part of the book), and those who are new to strategy games and may have trouble completing the single player missions (who would use the second part of the book).




2. Bought this for my husband for Christmas. I couldn't believe how nice the graphics and color were. I personally can't stand these games because they take so long to play (it's solitaire and Mah Jongg for me), but my husband called me over just to look at it, and it's pretty neat. Guess I won't be seeing him for another 6 months while he plays it...



3. Grading just on the basis of a guide, this book would have received 5 stars easily. The failing in this case is not in the guide, but in the game: Warcraft III is not sufficiently difficult to justify spending hard-earned money on a strategy guide. There are certain missions that one may get stuck on, but after trying again once or twice, most players should be able to figure out each mission's 'trick' strategy and beat it with relative ease. This applies even to hard mode, which, with the exception of a few missions late into the third and fourth campaigns, is not very hard at all.

   That said, this guide is a walkthrough, in every sense of the word. It tells you what structures/units are available (and, most importantly, which ones you should use), shows you the entire map from overhead complete with a suggested path to follow, and what pitfalls need avoiding on a certain missions. After I had beaten the game several times on my own, taking a look through the walkthrough I noticed several ingenious strategies or shortcuts that I had never thought of that would have saved me a few hours of aggravation. And of course, it gives you a fairly good summary of unit tactics and general strategy, such as scouting, creeping, etc. to use on Battle.net. Like most guides, however, this one is not designed to make you the perfect B.net player, so most of the in-depth strategy and tactics must be gleaned from websites such as warcraftiii.net

   It is an excellent guide, so if you have the money to spare and need a quick way out of that inanely annoying mission you're replaying for the 30th time, this is a good buy. But if you can stand a little trial and error, I doubt you'll need help to the degree to which this book offers it.




4. This guide is excellent for getting through the single player campaign missions. The information about each race and their units is very detailed. It helped me through some tuff spots in the game and showed me more I can do than what I already knew. The only downside is the lack of multiplayer tips and tricks.



5. This is a good strategy guide, it really helps your game once you get into the tougher missions by helping you to find things you most likely would have never found without looking at this. I give it 4 stars because it would have been really worth the buy if it was in color, its hard to see the pictures, but aside from that, its a great guide for only 10 bucks. Really good to have if your new to the game and havent beaten the campaign yet.

1 comments about Myst: The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games Series).

1. Sometimes you get really stuck on a game. You've tried everything, and you are getting so frustrated that the game is no longer enjoyable.

   Other times, you're the resident expert on a game, but friends keep pestering you with questions which begin "How do you get past the...?"

   This book is the answer to those problems - at least as they relate to the game Myst. Clear and concise, it gets you past the place where you're stuck and lets you go on enjoying the game.

3 comments about Tomb Raider Chronicles: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. This Guide is really good. If You see it you should definitly buy it!



2. I can't wait untill I find it but it will be an awesome book because I've played the game



3. I ordered this book Jan.4 2002 and still have'nt received it.........what's up with this??????????

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide To Gambling Like a Pro.

1. This is the best book on gambling I have read. It is written in simple and easy to understand language. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more on gambling.



2. I've read a lot of the newer, and easy to read Gambling books in the past two years, and being that this is a second edition, I can tell that a lot of other gambling authors have read this one too! This is the real deal, folks, and the simplest, clearest and most enjoyable gambling book for novices and even regular players to learn from. I read it and started winning more. Don't bother with the others. They're just cheaper - and you get what you pay for!



3. I am a neighborhood gambler only, but some of the guys I play have been playing for years. I'm not exactly an expert yet, but thanks to this book I am not embarassing myself anymore (not with cards anyway). I used to rely on getting the other players drunk, but now I only need to get them partially drunk to win.



4. I laugh at title of book. I do not think I am "Complete Idiot" but I don't think that is author's mean. They mean that even idiots is able to be great, successeful gambler with information from the book. I agree with that because I was so-so gambler before and now I win better.
   The book is very funny and clever. All the author are expert in gambling different gambles- poker, blackjack so on. So I learn from masters.
   Still I don't gamble too much. It can be dangerous to my money. But when I want fun time, can gamble a little and win a little too. Try it!



5. This was a little bit dissapointing, I thought the title suggested that I was an idiot for purchasing and in hindsight, I think I was !

5 comments about Command & Conquer Red Alert 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. I think I am the only adult who has written a review for this book in the Amazon.com website. I don't think kids would need to read this book because they seem to find out everything about the game just by playing it for hours on end! Well, I enjoy real time strategy games too, but can't afford to spend the same amount of time as my younger colleagues on them. This is where Prima's guide comes in. It provides a quick overview of all the elements of the game, walkthroughs for all the missions, and some general strategy tips, exactly what is needed in a 3rd party manual. It is well-indexed too so I can find what I need quickly. The manual is fairly small, but this is because the game is not so deep as some others, like Age of Kings for example.



2. Hey guys, howz everyone doing? Well I brought this book a week or so ago becuase I'm in love with the game, and it really is a good book. Although I've done all the missions several times without the help of the book, it certainly gave me some good tips. If your a RA2 nut like me you won't need the stratigies but they're still fun to read! Colour photos would of been nice but u can't have everythiung I suppose! Cpaw ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



3. This book was useful to me and, possibly, you in many many ways. First off, walkthroughs for all solo missions and stragy for multiplayer. Second, unit and building reviews. Third, FAQ's and many other secret and helpful pieces of info. Get this book.... It's worth it.



4. I picked this book up when I purchased RA2, and 3 hours after buying it, I returned it. This book is useless for anyone that can play and be successful at a video game. And for those of you who can't, it's called a trainer and it lets you make the game much easier and go by quicker. This is a book is a bomb.



5. This game is a great game, if you like the cold war!!!<br /> It has a lot of varieties!!

2 comments about The 7th Guest: The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games Series).

1. This book is one of the best I have ever seen. I only wished I had picked it up when I still had the chance. If you plan on playing the 7th guest and not having this book right at your side.....I hope you are planning on devoting your life to this game...cause it will take you that long. This book also gives you information you can't get anywhere else. This is one of the best, well thought out, in-depth books you will ever (not)find. The walk thru's are detailed and easy to follow. A must have for any serious gamer.



2. Don't waste your money. The point of a "puzzle" game is to solve the puzzles using your brainpower. Strategy guides in general are more helpful for strategy-style games (SimCity, etc). In this case, itis just giving you solutions.
   Besides, it's not really necessary. The Game is NOT that hard to play. Anybody who says you'd have to "devote your life to it" must not be trying very hard at all. I completed the game in a reasonable time span and still replay it from time to time.

2 comments about Star Wars Bounty Hunter (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. I do not normally buy game gides but for Bounty Hunter I thought it was good to have one. It is very well written and it includes all the secondary bounties. If you have Bounty Hunter, and would like to beat it, you need to get this guide.



2. I do not normaly buy game guides but for Bounty Hunter I needed something to look at. This guide is very well written and includes all the secondary bounties! If you have Bounty Hunter, and want to beat it, get this book.