5 comments about Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. What can I say, my son loves it and plays it very often. His time has to be limited on this game or that is all he would do. Worth it's weight in gold.



2. Nothing long winded, Prima guides are great and so is this one. If you want to get the most out of your gameplay you can't go wrong with Prima. By the way, Super Smash Bros Brawl is so freakin' fun.



3. I bought this guide at my local gamestop for 19.95. Right when I got it, I tore open the packaging and read it from cover to back. I was happy and unhappy.
   
   I liked the fact that it gave you a heads-up on the items and assist trophies. It gave you some strategies and home-run and target strategies, also. This is almost the first half of the book! What they really didn't need, however, was a complete section for every sticker possible. That ticked me off.
   
   Now we get to the stage and character strategies. I really wanted a stage map of all the levels saying "hazard here" or "loose block here" or something. All we got were a few small photos and a layout of the level. It was kind of helpful but pretty much all it took into account for was the hazards an tiers.
   
   Charcter strategies, however, were spot on. I loved that section. It gave you a bio, their moveset, some strategies with them, their weight class and KO potential, and even what to expect when fighting against them. It rated the character on offense, defense, final smash, speed, throwing ability, and projectile. It also gave you an overall rating for them.
   
   In conclusion, I would buy this strategy guide for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I wouldn't, however, expect much from it or pay 20 bucks for this.



4. My grandson, for his 9th birthday, received a wide selection of gifts including new Wii games. But once he opened the Super Smash Bros. Brawl book he was totally involved. It was by far his #1 gift.



5. I don't buy guides that often, but this one was pretty cheap, and an official Nintendo product (well, it does have the official quality seal). Everything about the guide is very good, the quality of the paper, the high resolution pictures and everything is presented in a very beautifull way. The chapters aren't very structured, but everything you need to know about the game is there! Its a gorgeous collection of everything that's in the game. The only thing missing is the online strategies .... I would recommend it to all the Smash Bros or Nintendo fans!

5 comments about World of WarCraft Dungeon Companion, Volume 2 (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames)).

1. My husband uses all the while he plays. It gives you all kind of info on how to succeed at dongens. It also gives tip 7 tells you where you need to be at what level. He says its very helpful. He couldn't wait to get it



2. The WoW Dungeon Companion, vol 2 book is a great book to assist the average to new gamer in the different advanced dungeons of the Outlands. This book along with the vol 1 is a great collection of the instances you can run with groups. It is very helpful in understanding the different characters you will go up against in battle and overall must kill to get the loot they will drop. Plus it gives you great insight on the dungeons itself, how to position the group and where to go if you need a guide due to going in the wrong direction. The book also gives you the different types of loot certain bosses carry and that you can possibly receive if you defeat them. I would highly recommend this books to all along with the other book available on for the World Of Warcraft.



3. This dungeon companion is very comprehensive MOST of the time, some of the boss fights and trash pulls seem like they might be over simplified. Other than that, it's great to have and it's assisted me in alot of really tough fights. I suggest this to anyone who is really into raiding in WoW.



4. This work is an improvement over the first volume that covered the instances for the original game. The layout and text are more user-friendly (and easier on the eyes) plus it lays out the instances in the order in which you are likely to encounter them, as in from lowest-level to highest. The strategy tips for (most) of the encounters are also highly helpful.
   
   What prevents this book from being a top-rated work are the same problems found in the first one. For one, with Blizzard constantly updating content, not all the material in the book is current, such as adding or subtracting encounters in instances or lowering how difficult a particular encounter is. In addition, not all the instance write-ups really give detailed advice on how to defeat it or offer alternatives to what is given; the section on Dark Portal: Black Morass readily springs to mind. Finally, the book suffers from the same lackidaisical proofreading as the first one, with numerous typographical and spelling errors that simply should not be in a published work.
   
   Overall, this book is an excellent reference for those who want to advance and succeed in the game as quickly as possible. Just remember to use other online references to supplement it for game updates and other perspectives on how to run the instances, or you may be in for a few nasty surprises.



5. I purchased the dungeon guide as a gift for my husband. It was exactly what he wanted as a WOW player. This guide gave fairly up to date information about the BC instances and bosses allowing him to get a decent preview of a dungeon before entering.

5 comments about Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. I compared this guide side-by-side with the one from Official Nintendo Pokemon Diamond Version & Pearl Version Player's Guide and the Nintendo one was much better in almost every respect. My main gripe is with the Pokedex, which has very little information. For me, this is what I really want it for, and so it makes a big difference. It should be noted that in both guides are for the leading up and including the Elite Four battle. After that, you need to get one of the National Pokedexs. Note: for the National Pokedex, go with the Prima one, the Nintendo Power does not have the locations where you find the Pokemon.



2. The only benefit of using this guide is that it's portable. It is vague and the page order doesn't exactly follow story order. The guide doesn't give any pokedex info, which IMO is the most important part of the game. Instead it focuses on general aspects of the storyline, contests, battling, and other parts of the game that are explained IN THE GAME.
   
   There is no reason to buy this book, instead, buy the second volume/pokedex of the guide. If you get stuck in these games, instead of wasting your money on this vague and confusing guide, go to Google and search for "Pokemon Diamond Walkthrough"



3. The good thing about this guide is that it tells you what to do. It also has tons of stuff in the back of the book like contests and where to find all items, HMs and TMs. I would never have beat the game without this guide. The bad things are that the pokemon trainers and their pokemon are not listed and the order of events are way too confusing. Many are out of order and some events should be listed toward the end of the book, such as "Unfinished Business". Overall: OK



4. Ok, I bought this guide and while it does tell you where to go and how to do things it is kind of hard to understand because you go back and forth between the towns in some parts of the game. It makes it really confusing use it when they are all put in sequence of town when you arent really doing anything in that town until later and then later it doesnt show up you have to look back and figure out where you need to go from there.
   
   The other main reason I bought this book was because it said that it had a full pokedex. I loved the good old days when a pokedex ment you knew the pokemons evolution levels and what level they would gain a new move. It would tell you what TMs that pokemon could learn and all that. This guide is not for you if that is what you are looking for! It basically just showes the pokemon and what page # to find them on. And that doesnt help either because it doesnt really tell you much about them on those pages either.
   
   So in my opinion this guide is somewhat usable but very confusing and doesnt give the right information. I would try nintendo power guides instead.



5. This guide is bad and lacks much information in the maps, they should've made it as good as the nintendo power version or not at all. I give it two stars because it told me where to go at one point where i was really stuck.
   
   Buy the NP version

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 XII Signature Series Guide.

1. I really needed the book in some kind of ways. I like to fill up all my duties and complete everythin to 100% in the game so i dont just play to finish but to have a good review at the end. I needed the book and it did helped me. Sometimes it just didnt make any difference but hey they wont write what u have to do step by step! its still a stategy game. Very fast delivery



2. I bought the guide to go with my other guides (collect them with every FF). This is one of the guides that are so incredibly horrible that I wish I hadn't looked at a single page. Final Fantasy XII has an amazing story. Too bad you can read the whole thing on page one.
   
   Every time you look up a boss strategy, the next page has the description of what happens afterward in big, bold text.
   
   If you want to experience the game, don't buy this, or if you do, save it for the second run through the game.



3. I've been playing final fantasty games for a long time and I was getting a little worried - because each release was getting worse and worse after FF7.
   
   FF12 is freakin' beatiful. Great battle play, great graphics, and great acting. You can play this over and over again and not get tired of it.



4. This book clearly and accurately guides the player through the games main storyline and through the many aspects of the this fun game. From tips on setting up gambits, side quests, hidden espers, bestiary, navigating the license board to full detailed maps of every area, this book has it all.



5. I'm adding a positive review here as a special educator for parents whose children play video games. Buying game guides for your kids is a good way for them to spend time reading and analyzing information. Buying guides is also a way for you to see what your children are playing. This game and the guide have some very educationally advanced concepts that you can take advantage of, if your child happens to want to play this game.
   
   Final Fantasy XII has a nomenclature that is based on many cultures around the world, and many languages. You will find culture and words that are Japanese, Irish, German, Sanskrit, Arabic and English. These can be found in names of characters, the espers (big monsters that help the game characters attack), maps and locations in the game, magic attacks, even weapons. All of these have names and descriptions that are based in many cultures around the world. Explore these with your child!
   
   Have your child describe to you what is happening in the game and explore the guide to get more depth. When your child revisits a location in the game, have them go around and talk to the people in that location. What are the people saying? For example, as the empire begins to amass for the war against Dalmasca, what are different townspeople saying? What are their interests?
   
   Doing the reading of the speech in the game and interpreting it by speaking aloud to you are ways to improve language use, expressive language skills. Reading improves receptive language. This guide has a lot of world history in it that can lead to many kinds of discussions, without you needing to actually play the game.
   
   There is nothing offensive in this game, and everything to be gained by reading the guide and discussing the languages and cultural historical details the game developers have written in.
   
   One good activity to explore with the help of the guide is the Bestiary, which is a list of the monsters in the game. The list actually contains pages of stories and myths. So, as your child captures various monsters, they will get a page about that monster, but also more pages that contain unrelated mythical stories. These stories are worth collecting and reading. You won't find these in the guide, just the list of the monsters. You have to catch the monsters to get the pages of stories. One of the best stories is the one you get by defeating the Garif hunter in the Greensnake area of the Ozmone Plain.
   
   On top of this, your child will likely play the game longer and get more time in, making the game purchase a good money buy. Eventually you can resell the game along with the guide, which adds value to a game resale.
   
   Everything to recommend! I have a child with a speech and language disorder and games with their guides have really improved his ability to process language. He is an honor student now, and good play like this has added to his reading.

2 comments about World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal (World of Warcraft).

1. I have been playing WoW for a long while and am a huge fan of the whole setting. This book fits in really well into the WoW universe.
   
   I highly recommend this to both serious WoW fans and newcomers alike



2. I have read the majority of the Warcraft books and I believe I like this one the least. There is practically no tension between Alliance and Horde. The entire book is pretty much one sided with no real retaliation from the Horde faction. It was pretty much just reading the how Alliance slaughtered the Horde in every way over and over again.

5 comments about Mario Kart (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. Mario Kart Wii is definitely a big game. Without a doubt one of Nintendo's biggest games for its system. Mastering the game is easy without a guide as it is, but if you actually find yourself wanting to pick up a guide for any reason at all, this is actually a good one. I've been fairly critical of Prima Guides in the past. In the past I've often noted that their guides are usually incredibly disorganized leading to the guide being unreasonably thick. The Mario Kart Wii Guide gets it together. It's very well organized and detailed guide that doesn't have a ton of page flipping to be done. This is one of Prima's better guides. With their guide you'll be able to speed through all of Mario Kart Wii's courses, and you won't have to worry about slowing down either. It's the perfect companion.
   
   It wastes no time jumping into things. The first thing it talks about is all the different ways to control the game. After that it jumps into all the different modes and all the basic stuff about the game. As with most guides, it's stuff you probably don't really need to read up on, but it's there if you need it. There are some good tips here though. If you've been playing Mario Kart for a long time, none of these advanced tips will be new to you.
   
   The guide then talks about all the power ups. This section is also pretty helpful. It tells you all about the items and even gives off some great tips on how and when to use them. After all the items, the game goes into all the different racers and shows you all the stats for all the karts and giving their own commentary. Also in this section it'll show you some of the natural disaster you'll encounter throughout the courses.
   
   The Drivethrough is the best part of the guide. This is where it covers all the courses. It begins with an introduction and then gives you some speed tactics. Each course also has a map whre it shows you a route to take (which is meant to be used for Time Trial). Showing you where to drift and where to boost. The maps themselves are also very detailed, also pointing out where some of the hazards are and noting them. Each section also details the disasters on the course and even talk about ghosts times. When it comes to the Time Trial, they also make it a point to show you exactly when you need to boost and they'll tell you exactly what you need to make some of harder jumps or take some of the harder shortcuts.
   
   Just the same, on the maps are two types of call outs. The first are for the course itself. These are numbered callouts that tell you what to do when you reach that point on the track. It's stuff that's meant to be used for Time Trial but a lot of it also helps out when going through the cups too.
   
   The second is the simple "A" "B" "C" formula that worked in several of Nintendo Power's older guides. Where you see those on the map you can turn to the proper letter and read about what to do. These are for Combat Tactics in the race. The guide also shows you where some of the shortcuts and secrets of the courses are, and it'd be great to use. Using the Speed Tactics and Combat Tactics together helps you to get ahead in a lot of the races.
   
   Finally, there's a brief mention of mirror mode. For the most part almost all the same strategies apply, you just have to remember that it's mirrored.
   
   There's also a good deal dedicated to the battle courses. These are just handy tips you might want to use throughout the game.
   
   The final section of the guide is dedicated to helping you unlock all the game has to offer. It's done in a checklist fashion so that you can note what you have and keep track of it. It's great stuff.
   
   Prima's guide to Mario Kart Wii is a very good guide. While Prima has had some bumps in producing guides for Nintendo in the past, Mario Kart Wii shows they can do a good job. There's no wasted space, the screenshots are clear and the maps are detailed. This is an incredible guide for Mario Kart Wii.



2. There is no doubt about the success of the Nintendo Wii. With games that have shown the test of time like Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo has really shown its strength. Sadly though, they've stopped making strategy guides last year, and chose to let third-party companies like Prima, make strategy guides of their own. While Prima has made some guides that were adequate like Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy, they just haven't shown the best peak. For Mario Kart Wii, which just came out for the Wii, has a strategy guide of its own that Prima has made, and this one does a much better job than the other ones. This Mario Kart Wii guide takes on each and every tidbit for fans of the Wii. The guide shows you maps for each of the 32 different tracks like classics like the Bowser Castle from Super Mario 64 and new courses like the Toad Factory, and tells you how to unlock hidden gems like unlocking hidden characters like Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy and Dry Bones from the classic Super Mario Brothers 3. Each bit of help is well shown here. If you are in the driver's seat and own Mario Kart Wii, than this would be a great buy for you. Helping you with the need for plumber speed.
   
   Price: B
   
   Maps & Displays: B 1/2+
   
   Easy To Read: B 1/2+
   
   Overall: B



3. Not much to read in here that you couldn't find out for yourself after playing the game.



4. Main Review
   _______________
   
   After Nintendo stopped making guides, they left making guides in the hands of Prima. Prima has not done well with this, especially in guides for games like Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl.
   
   However, then the almighty David Hodgson, who writes many awesome guides, wrote the guide for Mario Kart Wii. And the first thing I want to say is: Welcome back, Prima.
   
   There may be one or two minor problems in this guide, but it's almost perfect! If you remember Nintendo Power guides for previous games, they had the numbers (numbers and letters, in this case) that correspond to the tips later.
   
   That's what made Nintendo Power guides so great. Now, Prima borrows that idea, and does it as well as Nintendo did it.
   
   The guide starts off with a simple introduction as well as easy-to-read lists of controls for all different types of ways to play the game.
   
   Next, is the Basic Info, which might be useful to Mario Kart Newcomers, but won't really do anything for veterans. It's still there if you need it, though.
   
   Next it has a list of the items and a few other basic things.
   
   Finally, we get to the meat of the guide. There's a guide for every course and this is how ever course in the drivethrough is set up.
   
   The first two pages contain the map of the track as well as Tactics for Time Trial Mode on that track. There are also course hazards and occasionally a coll little "Look at Mii!" box on the left.
   
   Next, they have notes on Laps 2 & 3 on Time Trial as well as their best time and how they acheived it. Then, they hav the guide for the Grand Prix. Finally, every drivethrough ends with the Mirror Mode Map.
   
   After the drivethrough is the guide for Battle Mode. Finally, they have easy-to-read lists of all the secrets in the game. Don't forget there's a poster included.
   
   If you get it from a store, it's around $20 (in the USA), but it's worth it, defenitely!
   
   Pros
   ___________
   
   - Easy to read maps.
   
   - Easy to read lists.
   
   - Organized basic section.
   
   - Full drivethrough for all modes.
   
   - List of all secrets.
   
   - Poster included!
   
   Cons
   __________
   
   - A bit unorganized.
   
   Grades
   ___________
   
   Maps: A+
   
   Walkthrough: A
   
   Setup: A-
   
   Overall: A



5. My wife and I have never played any of the Mario Kart games before, so this was new to us. We really enjoyed it! It was a great deal of fun, and about the only complaint is that it is so addictive as you try to get that 1st place finish to open new screens. Get it, very good fun.

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

1. This book could have been better written, I have seen a website that has more information on quests, crafting, classes. This was nothing more then a waste of $25. Good game, lousy book. Bradley Games should know better then publish junk like this.



2. The only thing i use this book for is to see what abilities i get for each player and spells and feats, other wise this book is no help at all, of corse the game is an mmo where it is constantly changing the world.



3. Ok so I read a lot of guides and most of them are help even for mmos at times. But this one is useless.
   
   Lets start with the characters page. After coping ghe skills and feat descriptions iut of the game they explain the class in about half a page. Yep all the skills,armor,and strategies all in half a page. next they well cover the first 20 well and r about done there. the crafting section is junk and so r the maps. you can find better guides right of the forums which r free.



4. 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.



5. 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.

5 comments about Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide, Playstation Version.

1. really helps with the game when you get lost or if you want to find the hidden things.



2. My husband had this book with his game and used it alot. However...he forgot to put it up and our 2 yr old son got ahold of it and he had to get a new one!



3. This guide is great, it covers everything in the entire game. It even arrived 2 days earlier than expected!! Definitely worth the money.



4. Finally playing out FFVII to learn the original story. This walkthrough is a helpful guide through the complex world of Midgar, Shinra, Cloud and party, Chocobos and monsters. Loads of technical info help equip Materia and items, weapons and accessories properly.
   The relatively low resolution of the Playstation game is a difficulty present generation gamers need help with (like me). It is sometimes hard to tell just what is going on when the charachters look like they are Lego people shooting pixels.
   At times I found the walkthrough maps dense, too dark, and filled with letters and numbers not easy to relate to a legend.
   The sequence of your wanderings is essential for a coherent story. This walkthrough pays close attention to this need and has allowed me to experience the memorable encounters and hi-res scenes recently recreated in Advent Children so well.
   This walkthrough is already dog-eared and worn though I'm barely halfway through. I'm sure it will have served me well to the 'Final' boss.



5. I bought this guide first of all as a Final Fantasy series fan and in second place to get all my game could provide. I just find the guide pretty complete, I got to know some summons I never watched before. Overall is a very useful resource if you have the game or just to have an item of FF series to collect.

5 comments about World of Warcraft Programming: A Guide and Reference for Creating WoW Addons.

1. I just got this book and love it. Very useful coming from a novice programmer with no knowledge of LUA programming. It's a very thick book over 1000 pages and well written. The book is written by a few authors that have created some very nice and complex addons. Between the book and their website anyone can pick up programming in WoW. If anyone wants to write their own addons in WoW or just learn to modify some that they use, then this book is a must have.



2. Full disclosure: I helped author Chapter 14, the chapter on AddOn Studio for World of Wacraft, but did not receive compensation for it.
   
   There's no question in my mind that this is the definitive book, dare I say the Bible on World of Warcraft programming. If you're a developer who is brand new to Lua, you'll find the first couple of chapters that introduce Lua coding structures a breeze to read, but you'll definitely appreciate the attention to detail for Lua's unique Table data structure which is heavily used in addons and can be confusing for Lua newbies.
   
   In addition to learning the fundamentals on Lua, you'll also learn how a Warcraft AddOn works (anatomy of an addon chapter), how FrameXML files work, and you'll also apply that knowledge to build a fully-functional custom unit frames addon from scratch.
   
   The build-from-scratch model is perfect for someone who want to know and understand everything involved in building a real-world addon.
   
   You'll find plenty of coverage on topics that you won't find anywhere else, like how to build custom graphics/textures, a topic that is either altogether ignored or barely represented online. If you're an experienced addon author, you'll also learn quite a bit from the coverage of best practices and advanced topics (state headers, secure frames, etc)
   
   Finally, the API documentation is *huge* and is arguably the most detailed API documentation every built for Warcraft.
   
   Bottom line: If you want to learn how to build a Warcraft AddOn, save yourself time, energy, and frustration, and buy this book.
   
   This book is *required reading* for contributors to AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft.
   
   Dan Fernandez
   Project Coordinator
   AddOn Studio for World of Warcraft



3. I'm a game designer who's currently just getting into Lua scripting, and of the 7 or so game dev books I've bought recently this book is EASILY the best. It's useful for ANYONE working on WoW Addons, and also a great buy for anyone learning Lua scripting.
   
   Unlike most of the game dev literature I've seen, this book totally avoids wasting paper on descriptive waffle that is obvious to anyone who plays games (and everyone who makes games does, or should).
   
   For beginners - The introduction to scripting in Lua is MUCH easier to digest than any of the Lua-specific tutorials online, or 'Programming in Lua'.
   
   For experienced scripters or mod-makers - There are over 600 pages on reference, so even if you've got nothing to learn technically, it's still a worthy buy.



4. Wow. Now this is a gem of a programming reference. The bar to writing tech references is really low these days, and as a result there are lots of tech books on the market that are really empty and only end up giving you one or two useful concepts.
   
   This is not one of those books.
   
   I just got my copy today, and my initial impression was how impressed I was by the thoroughness of it. This is a reference that will be of use for people of all skill and experience levels. The opening chapters provide a great introduction to Lua itself, then Lua in the context of WoW, and then hold your hand through creating your first addon, before diving into more complex concepts such as programmatic UI creation and state headers.
   
   I'm the author of a number of high-profile WoW addons, including Omen and Chatter, and I can honestly say that this is a book that I'll actually use - and I don't use many references. Gentle enough for the new programmer, but meaty enough for the experienced. This is one that will be of genuine use to anyone interested in modding WoW, or understanding the WoW mod UI system. This is a genuine, stick-it-on-your-desk, mark-it-up-and-dog-ear-the-pages reference that you'll use for as long as you're developing addons.
   
   Of note, this is actually a reference that may be of use to people embedding Lua in their own software projects. It dissects WoW's implementation of Lua, and how it ties into the user interface, and explains a lot of concepts that may be of use to people looking to use Lua in a non-WoW context. It's certainly not a reference on embedding Lua in your own application, but its explanation of WoW's implementation is a fantastic reference point.
   
   If you have any interest at all in addon development, get this book.



5. This book actually kept me up at night reading it. It was very informative, without being too bland. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to program or is an expert programmer and doesn't want to dredge thru mpq's or multiple websites to create an addon; it's not only a good place to start but has everything you need to make your own WoW Addons afterwards.