2 comments about Cybersex: The Dark Side of the Force: A Special Issue of the Journal Sexual Addiction and Compulsion.

1. The book is a special issue of a mental health field journal concerning sexual addiction and compulsivity. As such, men in denial will, of course, instantly conclude that such professionals are biased.
   
   Online pornography is a growing social issue. As a psychotherapist, I am concerned about its surreptitious use in relationships by partners who deceive and manipulate their unsuspecting, significant others, permitting damage to the latter's self-esteem, confidence, and ultimately, destroying the meaning of intimacy. The articles contained in this compilation represent attempts at capturing the issue quasi-empirically via field data, providing conceptual and reality-based frameworks to both quantify and qualify the damaging effects of porn on people.
   
   I don't recommend this book for the non-professional as an initial reading source, but I would for those who would like to look the other way by dismissing the significance of porn. It might, therefore, be a good read for the porn user. Including his friends, colleagues, and parents, educated or otherwise, who may be disturbed at the choice of their loved one, but willing to dismiss its long-term effects on the person and the partners he hurts.
   
   Maybe it takes a village - maybe it's time to start speaking out when one knows that a loved one is contorting his thinking, attitudes, and behavior with the basest of acts.
   
   As researchers, the authors follow a codified format, presenting results of their findings, summary of pre-existing background knowledge, and discussion of their results. Given the paucity of research and the great disinclination to acknowledge that this problem exists, such a journal could exert positive influence by attracting attention, always the first step in a social issue.



2. "Al Cooper, Ph.D., is Director of the San Joe Marital and Sexuality Center in San Jose, California, and Training Program Coordinator for the Cowell Student Health Center's Counselling and Psychological Services at Stanford University.
   
   Dr. Cooper is a Certified Sex Therapist and Sex Therapy Supervisor, and is a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT).
   He is widely recognized as one of the leading researchers, authors, and experts in the growing area of Internet sexuality.
   He has been called the "Masters and Johnson of Cyberspace."
   
   ".....This groundbreaking examination of cybersex was originally published as a special issue of the journal Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity.
   It is a crucial resource for sex therapists, who until now had no rigorous study of the effect of online pornography on the patients they treat.
   
   It will also be of great interest to general marriage and family therapists who find themselves dealing with this issue with their clients, as well as others WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE INTERNET AS A SOCIAL PHENOMENON."
   [fron the book of the back cover]

No comments about Strike Commander: Official Strategy Guide.

5 comments about Medieval: Total War(TM) Official Strategy Guide.

1. In my humble opinion, I am tired of generic replicas of Microsofts real-time Age of Empires. Don't get me wrong they are very-good games, but that engine is totally overused. Every single game that comes out now is based on it. Thankyou to the Creative assembly for making a new engine that combines the best of turn based games and adds a realtime battlefield system. Shogun Total War set the stage for the very deep and much enhanced second installment Medieval Total War. The wide selection of campaigns and factions allows for hours upon hours of interesting (dare I say addictive) gameplay. I am truely looking forward to Rome Total War which will blow the competition away!



2. Strategy guides for video games tend to be... well, horrible. Particularly for a game such as medieval total war, a truly grand strategy game with vast scope and depth, strategy guides tend to be more the manuals that the game SHOULD have shipped with. That's because game manuals tend to be absolutely useless now-a-days. Total war, is an exeption in both cases.
   
   This strategy guide is simply a must-have for any true fan of the game. Sure, you can get by without it. The manual for total war is actually pretty good as far as video game manuals go. But the strategy guide expounds on every aspect touched by the manual and offers a more comprehensive look at the finer points as well as some aspects that are completely absent from the manual but are quite helpful.
   
   If nothing else you'll want to shell out the money for this simply for the unit specs. The guide gives you a detailed look at every unit in the game (this guide predates the expansion pack though, so only the original units are shown). This is a GODSEND! You get the exact combat values for each unit, along with information on how to effectively use each unit type. There's also a nice look at the TW combat system and how it works to use these numbers, as well as bonuses and other modifying factors such as terrain, woods, etc etc. If that wasnt enough they also take a look at morale and all the variables that play into it. This is pretty detailed and nitty gritty (hopefully they didnt leave stuff out!).
   
   Now anytime you fight a battle you thought you had in the bag and lost for reasons unknown you can take a look at the intricacy of the TW combat system and find out why! This is a game that NEEDS a strategy guide as there are many complex elements and strategic and tactical variables. Things like morale, command, vices and virtues, weather, terrain, fatigue, weapons, armor, formation and more can greatly impact the outcome of a battle. Remember one things that seperates TW from an RTS is that even a group of lowly peasants (the weakest unit in the game) can defeat a group of Royal nights (the strongest) if other factors are just right (I've seen it happen myself). That's what makes this game so amazing and so deep - and that's why u need this book if you ever REALLY want to know the game well (the game itself only gives you very vague ideas of a unit's abillities EX "strong charge, weak defense").
   
   There's also some nice walk throughs for the historical battles, some useful tips, a full list of vices/virtues and thier effects, a list of titles, a quick overview for basic strategies to playing each faction in the full campaign, and some other goodies.
   
   Could it have had more? YES! I would like have seen a more comprehensive look at the combat system and an indepth assesment of each unit in addition to the stats. Also the tips and tactics are pretty simplistic. They could have gone into a much better analysis of battle tactics and formations. They never go as far as they could, but as strategy guides go, this is one of the better ones. Kudos to Brady Games for thier work and one can only hope the upcoming guide for "Rome: TW" from Prima will be as good.
   
   I also reccomend you go read Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War" And either "On War" or "The Principals of War" by Carl Von Clauswitz. These will help you improve your tactics and generalship greatly as the designers made the game to mirror many of the real world concepts laid out in these works.



3. I orderd this guide two weeks ago only to be advised that it is NO LONGER Available. Seems to me they ought remove it from their list.



4. If you are going to buy this book, do yourself a favor and do not buy it from either of these rip offs selling the book for almost $60. It is not worth the price. The original list price is around $19. I don't know where these sellers get the audacity to try to charge people more than 3X as much.
   
   Look around, you will be able to find it for a much lower price. Also, there are several sites online that I have seen that have this book printed in its entirety so that you can print it out if need be. I repeat, If you buy from anyone who wants to sell for over the list price on a strategy guide, you are getting ripped off.
   
   ...and sellers, you should be ashamed of yourselves.



5. The tactical information was somewhat helpful, but the unit stats had so many typos and was so poorly organized, I can't rely on the information to be helpful. I don't think they editors reviewed this with the game publishers before this was sent to the printer. Not worth the money!

1 comments about Myst : Strategies and Secrets.

1. A great book that leads you thru Myst without giving you the answers. It keeps the game intersting, but gets you thru those tough times when you would usually pull your hair out. Like having a good friend that knows what their doing. A must have for Myst.

No comments about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (THE WIND WAKER: OFFICIAL STRATEGY GUIDE).

No comments about Constantine (Prima Official Game Guide).

No comments about Pitfall 3D, Official Guide (Bradygames).

1 comments about Video Poker Mania!!.

1. The authors give the reader a comprehensive understanding of how Video Poker machines are programmed and how they function. They also give three strategies for optimum play which are excellent guidelines for conservative players to those willing to take higher risks. Their advice on play is good common sense.

No comments about Onimusha(tm) Blade Warriors Official Strategy Guide.

1 comments about Children in the Digital Age: The Role of Entertainment Technologies in Children's Development.

1. Although one of the earlier compendia on the subject, this is a worthwhile read for people interested on how media interacts with youth and family life. I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Review articles, essays, and original studies helped me in my research for my own self-help book for parents raising and preparing kids in a media-rich world.