5 comments about Command and Conquer Red Alert, Strategy Guide for PC Cd-Rom Version.

1. A great book for any red alert player. With it I have completed soviet missions, and nearly completed allied missions



2. The ONLY problem with this book is the maps arn't in color but I don't mind. This book has everything for the game. I beet the Solviet and got to level 13 on the Allieds (until it got stolen). It's the best book



3. I'M JUST A GUY NAMED STEWIE I LOVE TO SING FOR EXAMPLE:MEOW!MEOW!MEOW!MEOW!MEOW!MEOW!MEOW!MEOW! MEOW!MEOW!AND ANOTHER EXAMPLEIS:LA!LA!LA!LA!LA!LA!LA!LA!LA!



4. As gaming guide for bellaonline.com, I spend a good portion of my time testing games and reading the strategy guides to see if I missed anything. I *love* Red Alert as a game, but this book doesn't quite do justice to it. The maps they give you are pretty hideous, and the descriptions they give of the solutions to missions are often extremely vague. I realize it's hard to do a walkthrough for a game like this, but there are usually methods that work very well for a mission, and they simply don't give you those details. The first 60 pages are wasted on troop reviews! I like their tip system, and feel they were on the right track ... they just didn't quite get there.



5. Did you read the title to this review? Good, now you don't need to buy the official RA strategy guide - that's all the good advice it offers, other than absurdly obvious things like "Don't kill the friendly medic" and "Avoid the flame turrets".

   If the whole guide was full of examples like those two, it might be worth buying for amusement factor. But no. Those 240 pages aren't just awful, they're uncreatively awful. The mission walkthroughs give you no specific strategies and are indistinguishable except for the maps.

   This book also has pep talk. "Give 'em hell, commander comrade comrade commander." This is a STRATEGY GUIDE for crying out loud! I don't want to hear about how we need to give 110% and there's no I in Team. But then, since there isn't much offered in the way of good tactics, maybe this guide could be seen as a self help book rather than a guide.

   The list of units and structures was copied from the instruction manual, unchanged except for:

   -the addition of unit stats that would be useful except they're incomplete
   -the insertion of the phrase "eh, comrade?" in key places
   -larger font and spacing

   Okay, the maps. The maps aren't bad (I don't see why people want them in color; it would be pretty, sure, but would make the book cost three times as much and wouldn't help any). I liked the maps because I got to see what was going on in all those areas you aren't able to explore (aha! so there was a bunch of snow there!) and because I got to see the computer's starting forces (not that that's useful, I just liked to see them). They also had some use in forming my own strategies.

   This is the worst strategy guide I ever read. The best strategy guide I ever read, somewhat ironically, is the unofficial RA guide, superior to this one in every respect except for the maps.

3 comments about Mario Party 4 Official Strategy Guide.

1. The Mario Party 4 guide is filled with descriptions and tips for winning the many mini games. Having it definitely makes playing the game more enjoyable, especially if you have limited time to play.

   Strategy guides are a great idea for parents with kids who like to play video games but don't like to read -- definitely helps with reading...... and spelling. :)




2. The cover looks "Wow! This guide must be really good!" but the game is already simple enough. This guide is like a blank peice of paper. But the game gets
   Levels: B-
   Graphics: A
   Sound: A-
   Fun Factor: F- and beyond



3. While Nintendo hasn't released any guides for the Mario Party games series, third party companies have cashed in on the plumber, and his list of board games. The guide for Mario Party 4 really is no acception. Brady Games made a very simple guide that tells you about all the challenges and games to unlock. It is very descriptive, and details all of the hidden stars and challenges that can be unlocked. For some, they might feel this guide isn't a must to buy, it really details everything you need to know about how to beat the game, and make Bowser's party into a nightmare in the story mode. This is a great help, for Mario Party 4 owners.
   
   Book: B

4 comments about The Official Duke Nukem 3d Strategies & Secrets (Duke Nukem Games, No 3).

1. This book was a great help to me when I was playing Duke. This guide shows and explains how to get out of each level and also shows secret areas! If you've ever been lost in the levels of Duke Nukem 3D before, this book is the answer!



2. This guide is very usefull for to Duke Nukem 3D Gamer(not Atomic Or the PAK version). The book had all the secrets to each level and episode; good for people who want to master it. However if your a begginer, it tells you the basic and simple parts of Duke,his ego, and his enimies. Gives you a Map guide of the level and path to beat it. Gives hints, tips, and demos of other games by 3D Realms. however, the book can be hard to understand a bit for younger or less educated people. Still, a great book for a great price. get this book if you want to know how to MASTER Duke Nukem 3D!



3. The Game Book for Duke Neukem 3D is the bomb! It has all the stuff you need to finish the game without missing blasting a thing! If you want the total experience of Duke's adventures, buy this guide!



4. As strategy gaming host for bellaonline.com, I have to read through quite a number of pitiful walkthroughs. This one is a great exception! The book is extremely well laid out, with clear, easy to use maps, tips and techniques. The instructions are all dead on. But best of all, the book isn't written assuming you're 2 years old. It's written with a fantastic style, with humor and knowledge all mixed together. I was extremely impressed, and this has stayed on my shelves while other books were tossed out long ago!

2 comments about Bastards & Bloodlines: A Guidebook to Halfbreeds (Races of Renown).

1. Having enjoyed their Master Class books, I decided to give one of the Races of Renown books a try.

   Now, my understanding is that Green Ronin is prohibited from using any race-related material already published by Wizards of the Coast, so I avoided the books on orcs, whom I already know quite well, and drow, who I scarcely ever use, and went for what promised to be the most original book, this one.

   This book really is original, providing some unique half-breed races, along with balanced rules for creating you own halfbreeds, either as races or templates. A few of the half-breeds use rules that make them a little to easy to abuse, particularly the Wyrd, an ogre mage/elf cross, but for the most part they're fair and balanced and, most importantly, playable.

   There's only one real flaw with this book, and that's a definite trend towards a lot of nature-focused half-breeds, combining various fey creatures with various woods-friendly humanoids. The results are always interesting (I have a player who now wants to play a woodwose), but perhaps a trifle repetitive. Since I generally run a very nature-focused game, I don't have a problem with it and the book doesn't lose any stars.

   The feats and items sections are interesting as well, providing rules for making new race-specific items along with a few new examples, and feats that take advantage of the mixed heritage of the book's races.

   The prestige classes are adequate but, in my opinion, underpowered. Since they only take up a scant eight or nine pages, again, the book loses no marks with me for this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look at the Green Ronin web-site and see if any other books catch my eye.




2. I absolutly loved this book. I've always loved "half-breeds", so when I saw this book I quickly bought it. I wasn't dissapointed. The art was great (with the exception of Makbin), the writing was wonderful and it also offered quite a bit of "crunchy" parts as well.
   
   Pros:
   The layout was wonderful and the writing was well-written and interesting. Though not as entertaining as a novel, I enjoyed reading this book- it was interesting and well written. The art is also great, if slightly comic-booky in style. The races written up are interesting, albeit strange and exotic- but that's the way I like them. The info on half-breeds in society is helpful. All in all it's a great book, but...
   
   Cons:
   As the previous reviewer stated, quite alot of the races are crosses between nature friendly humanoids and nature "monsters". There's also quite alot of elf half-breeds. The races listed are also extremely exotic and strange- so if you don't like bizaare stuff then this book isn't for you. I was expecting stuff like orcs/dwarves and that sort of thing, not things like halfling/blink dogs, elf/naga or elf/giant eagles. Still, I was fine with that-I loved it actually, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Bastards and Bloodlines still has some or the more "normalish" half-breeds, too, though.
   
   This my own personal pet-peeve, but it seemed to me like alot of the half-breeds parents got together, had a baby, and then seperated and abandoned the child to one of the parent races. One of the reasons that I love half-breeds is that the idea that two unlike races can fall in love and marry and have a half-breed child is interesting and has great story and roleplaying oppurotunity. A treant that fell in love with an elven druid and worked hard to win her heart, overcome elven resistence and established an area to ensure peace for their children and their lives is much more interesting then "a treant and an elf have a baby and then abandon each other and their child".
   
   Still, this book is great, and has very little flaws.
   
   Art: 9- the art in this book was great, if slightly comic-bookish. I dislike Makbin (one of the artists) but otherwise the art was good.
   Writing: 10- it was extremely well-written, with very minor flaws.
   Playability: 9- if you ever need a resource for half-breeds, this is the book for you. One of my players begged for me to "magically change" his half-elf into a Decataur, they loved it. I've also dropped in a couple Half-breed NPC's in the campaign, and they made the game much more interesting and fun.
   
   All in all, a great book, and if your even remotely interested in half-breeds, this is your book- buy it now!

4 comments about Romancing Saga Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames).

1. Though the game Romancing Saga isn't the best made and can be confusing and frustrating at times, this guide is a must have if you really want the game. It provides everything you need to get from the beginning to the end in the easiest possible way, and is clearly categorized for ease.
   
   Firstly, it describes how to start each quest in the game, as well as finishing those quests as successfully as possible. It has maps of every dungeon or city and the required proficiencies needed to get the most out of these areas. It tells you where to recruit the best characters, and how they will progress during your travels. The appendixes are also great, especially the tempering section, showing how to make the better weapons.
   
   Pros and Cons:
   + Detailed character listings
   + How to start and finish each quest, plus the rewards given
   + A weapons, armor, and item section
   + A map section that not only tells where all the secrets are, but also what the shops in each city carry
   + A section for the class system
   + A small bestiary
   - The maps could be included on the page of the quest
   - Another strategy guide introduction, basically what can be found in the book provided with the game
   - Doesn't separate the quests very well, just numbers #, and since the game is non-linear, the # of each quest never follows the order you'll follow
   
   If you have this game and want to enjoy it, pick this guide up. It will help you get to where you need to be the fastest without having to go through all the extra garbage in Romancing Saga.



2. This guide can be a pain but believe me it helps in this game it keeps you focused when you might be ready to throw in the towel because you don't know what to do, where to go, or who to see.



3. Has everything that you'd expect from a walkthrough, although the guide isnt layed out in the easiest way to follow. Weapons and items are listed, but when to utilize them without wasting the resource isn't. All and all, the strategy guide will cover all the main elements ... but the player will have to play through again to know how to best utilize everything.



4. This guide reveals a lot of information that I've had trouble trying to find on the net, and also it has a more detailed organization than the average online FAQ.
   
   Romancing SaGa is a very deep game, and developing a party efficiently and getting the most out of the game almost demands the aid of a guide. Tempering weapons, learning the official order of the event quest ranking, and developing job classes are all explained in this useful guide.
   
   This guide gives a bio of each character including starting stats, a run through of each quest and who can or cannot take it, maps, items list, and bestiary. Romancing Saga is a game that is not linear, however, some quests must be completed in a certain order or with certain people in your party. The guide is very helpful, outlining all the possible quests.

2 comments about Mortal Kombat 4 Official Fighter's Kompanion (Official Strategy Guides).

1. this strategy guide is one of the best mk 4 strategy guides out. It reveals all the fatalities, etc., and all the stuff the other books have, but this one gives you the secret characters and their moves, something even the official nintendo guide doesn't have. If you want to master this game, buy this book.



2. This is a great book if you want to know all of the secrets and codes for this game. It not only shows all of every characters moves and codes but also gives fighting strategies.

5 comments about Final Fantasy X-2 Limited Edition Strategy Guide.

1. First of all, it is well worth it to buy this package if only for the artbook. It has artwork from both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, including pictures from the FMV sequences in both games and all of the dressphere costumes for Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. You get one out of three covers on the strategy guide, but a good thing about that is that all three pictures are in the artbook, so if you didn't get the character you wanted on the cover you still get to have their picture. The package also comes with a 2-sided poster. The strategy guide itself includes a guide to getting the secret perfect (complete) ending to the game, which you will not be able to get on your own. Everything you get comes packaged in a folder that has the picture of Yuna on it from the game disk. This collector's guide is a must for any final fantasy fan, it is really really pretty and the guide is very helpful for unlocking the full story of Final Fantasy X-2.



2. I rated the guide by itself 3 stars, because it's mediocre.
   The art book is fantasic though! I would buy it solely for that.
   A poster comes with it too, one side of the 3 girls in their mascot dresssphere, and the other side has information about 3 dressspheres. I would have preferred something better for the poster...it's kind of bland.



3. The art part of the book is outstanding. Beautiful. Can't say enough good things about it.

   The hint book half leaves a good bit to be desired. The print it tiny. The clues are confusing. The information is incomplete. You'd be better off just using the first part (about the dress-sphere and garment grids) and the last part (about the mini-games) and forgetting the middle part.




4. Ok, I have had this book for a long while now and am still working with it. Granted, there is not much difference between the regular and collector's edition strategy guides, but the art book makes it worth it. I bought it specifically for the art book. The guide is great, but I just love the art book. Because I loved this one so much, I bought the Limited Edition Strategy guide for Final Fantasy XII, and I love it just as much, the artwork is just as amazing. It may be pricey, if you can still find it, but it is well worth it if you are a true fan. I just wish they would do this treatment with a re-release of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, and X strategy guides. We need to get on Bradygames about that.



5. Good product. Thorough strategy guide, and has a good art book that comes with it. Plus both of the books are put together in a nice decorated cardboard covering.

2 comments about Delta Force 2 Official Strategy Guide (PC GAME BOOKS).

1. This book really covered everything from your firarms to your team members. Also it was so simple to follow what the text said. It gave me full satisfaction



2. this seems like a very good book because the game dosen't come with directions

3 comments about Blood Omen 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. Another awesome Prima strategy guide! This book provides a nearly flawless walkthrough for the entire game and, although most of it was pretty simple to figure out, the guide came in great use for those really tricky sections of the game. Also the guide provides info on every item, so you won't miss anything in the game. A must companion for the Playstation 2 game!



2. One of XBOX's best only behind Halo and Max Payne in my opinion



3. One of XBOX's best only behind Halo and Max Payne in my opinion

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.