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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. As numerous others have pointed out, print products age very quickly when related to an online game. If you are serious about raiding, skip this and download/install Atlas Loot Enhanced and Deadly Boss Mods. Read up on bosskillers.com and get the phat lewtz. This product is superfluous but nice if you want to read while offline i suppose.



5. Our guild was preparing to start raids in Kara and we needed information on how to fight the bosses. None of us had ever been in there, except maybe to replace someone for a boss fight. This guide has helped our group get a complete clear. When someone suggests doing something else other than the guide it seems to fail most of the time. The successes we have had were when we followed the advice in the guide. This is a great guide for all of the instances with burning crusade including the heroic dungeons. A HUGE Help! I highly recommend.

5 comments about Everybody Needs a Rock (An Aladdin Book).

1. I teach 6th grade and one of the things we learn about is rocks. I bought this book based on the reviews, but after reading it I felt compelled to write one too. I try to get my students excited about rock collecting. This book is so simple, yet so inspiring. It begins by saying "I'm sorry for kids who only have tricycles, bicycles, horses, elephants, goldfish, three-room playhouses, fire engines, wind-up dragons and things like that - if they don't have a rock for a friend." It then goes on to list 10 simple rules for finding your rock...not just any rock. A rock that you will keep forever. The rules include where to find your rock and remember "You should choose your rock when everything is quiet. Don't let dogs bark at you or bees buzz at you." The book concedes, "Don't get a rock that is too big. You'll always be sorry. It won't fit in your right hand and it won't fit in your pocket. A rock as big as an apple is too big. A rock as big as a horse is MUCH too big." This is the perfect book to get your rock collectors started and excited about geology.



2. I bought this book for use in an early childhood classroom for 3 to 5 year old children, and the children and I just love it! It's a relaxing story to use and lends itself well to a variety of themes and activities. I wish I had this one when my own children were small. They would have LOVED it!



3. Thank You Byrd Baylor. I teach a class of adults in recovery. This book has a wonderful message. Everybody in the class chose a rock that appealed to them, a discussion presented inspiring feedback, that was meaningful. Nature has a way of touching our hearts. Nature has a way of growing our spirit.



4. I just got a FREE copy with my Cheerios box! I LOVE this book! I laughed with my 10 year old as we read it, and I will make my 13 year old son read it and we shall reflect on our rock hunting days of old in our beloved Tennessee creeks... :) I want a hardback of this book!



5. I bought a copy for all my g'kids. I love rocks and loved reading the book with them. Everybody does need a rock and kids need to be shown how to appreciate finding the right one.

5 comments about Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players (Advance Player).

1. 
   I was constantly breaking even before getting this book on online poker sites. After reading it, I took nearly all of the guesswork out of my playstyle and recently just bought a new guitar entirely with winnings.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who already considers themselves decent at poker and already has good intuition as to spotting how others play to determine what they have... or don't have. This book will not probably help you with those things. This book is best for those who are already good at poker but either have their game strategy wrong or off a little.
   
   The best part of this book is it makes it much more easy to spot poor play from other people at your table and thus allows you to profit hugely from that.



2. I really am not a fan of the reviews, but I feel that I have the obligation to recommend this book because if you read it, you will understand better the others players' game, and the best of it you'll get a big edge over them.



3. Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players is simply the best single volume study of Hold 'em as it is played today that I have ever read. It is endlessly informative, rich in detail and illustrations, complex in its treatment of complicated concepts, and insightful in every important way. It omits nothing of any importance to the game.
   
   The book begins with a consideration of general starting hands requirements, adjusted for playing style, position, etc., and follows through on the play of each, as well as general considerations for each type or class of hand, and its relation to the innumerable factors impacting expectation or the play of other. Once this analysis is dealt with, Sklansky deals with a whole series of more individual or isolated cases or concepts and miscellaneous topics. The important details considered are too many to list here; Hold 'em played well is an enormously complex game, and Sklansky addresses it from every angle.
   
   Sklansky's writing style is very dense. He does not blather on about his personal experiences, drop names, or chat; he instructs in the style of a particularily dry math or statistics professor. He is direct, thorough, and exhaustive (sometimes exhausting). You will not read this book in one sitting and become a professional caliber player. You need to play, then return to the book and read much of it again; upon doing so the reader will find, again and again, that now he finally really understands some new concept. It is a work of extremely subtle and complex analysis.
   
   Nobody playing Hold 'em for money today can do without this book.



4. This book is extremely good for gaining a solid foundation of Texas Hold 'em. I read it on and off for around 6 months and realized that while I learned some valuable lessons and picked up important bits of information I need to read it over and over again to truly take in everything that is being said. For me it is like a good movie that you see once and figure you saw it all only to watch it again and pick up something new, then a while later watch it again and see even more that was missed.
   
   I highly recommend this book for students of the game. This is essential reading if you want to compete seriously. Even if you think you know it all and the book makes sense, read it carefully and understand that many serious players have read, re-read and learned significantly from this and the other classics. It will help your game.



5. Primarily for LIMIT HOLDEM not for no limit (which is my prefernace). This wasn't clear in the descriptive text.
   Excellent for Limit PLayers, but essentially a very different game than "NO LIMIT". For No LIMIT POKER you can do alot better than this.

4 comments about Against the Giants: A Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Huge pack (D&D Miniatures Product).

1. I haven't reviewed anything in awhile, so I decided to review this product because it has a few things worth mentioning. First of all Against the Giants is a great product for the price alone. Come on, a huge pack for under $20. You can't beat that. I also loved several of the huge miniatures like the Elder White Dragon and the Flame Titan. I have to admit, though, that I believe the Elder White Dragon is far better than the Red Dragon that is the key piece in this set. What is up with that? Another thing is that the miniatures team seems to be having some issues and I feared that the quality of this set would suffer from those issues. It didn't, but I bought it with skeptisism nonetheless. Either way, Against the Giants can be worth your money as long as you get a few pieces that you really want.



2. Let's first start out with the good about the set, which outnumbers the bad. First of all, a lot of the new minis are very good looking, especially the ones that make use of the clear plastic. Noteworthy minis include the Angel of Vengeance, the Blazing Skeleton, Doresain, the Ghoul King, the Death Titan, the Fire Titan, and others. Another good aspect of the set is that it adds epic play back into the game. The product is moderately priced, being fair in my opinion, if you buy it here or somewhere else for less than its retail price. The cards keep their fairly good layout and sharp appearance with the new epic cards being a mustard color rather than a maroon one. Its an odd choice in colors but it works. There are a lot of neat ideas in this set, many of which I hope get carried into other sets.
   
   Now on to the bad. The first bad thing is the large amount of repeats this set has. While they are slightly different, there are repeats from other sets like the Boneclaw Impaler, the Elder Red Dragon, the Xorn Ravager, a third Owlbear incarnation, another Roper, and many others. Another thing is the fact that there are no dragonborn in this set that are not rares, making players who are seeking a dragonborn mini to have to get lucky, buy many packs, or spend $$ on singles. Lastly, the paint job on a lot of the minis are terrible (Storm Giant Thunderer is abhorrent). Plastic is still lower quality than some older sets.
   
   If I could I would have given this product a 3.5, but I can't so I am giving it a 4. The product is generally solid overall, but many of the aspects of former sets that made them truly good falls short here.



3. First of all, sorry for my poor english, I'm from Brazil
   Second: I don't play Miniatures Game, I just use the miniatures for my RPG sessions... and the players love it...
   This set of miniatures is very nice... but I was expecting more from the "huge" ones... I bought 4 boosters and got 2 carrion crawlers, 1 huge worg and 1 blackroot treant... and almost never I will use them in my games...
   The smaller are so beautiful and useful in RPG sessions that it compensate in all aspects the problem with the "huge" miniatures...
   I reccomend this set just for the large, medium and small miniatures... don't expect too much for the big ones...



4. Well it has been a while since the DDM had a huge set so it gets a couple stars for that. It doesn't rate any higher because of printing error and the fact that a good portion of the set can't be used in normal 200 point warbands.

No comments about Luxury One-Skein Wonders.

5 comments about Real-Time Rendering, Third Edition.

1. This is not a book of algorithms on computer graphics methods. Instead, it is a comprehensive high-level survey of rendering techniques for making the graphics appear to occur in real time. This book has a very academic tone to it, and with the exception of chapter 3 which is on matrix transforms, it has precious few implementation details. Some reviewers have called it a successor to Foley and Van Dam's classic text, but I find this misleading. That book is primarily about computer graphics techniques, and is not that concerned with real-time issues. The bibliography of this book is extensive and impressive, and if you are doing research on the subject it is probably essential, especially if you are interested in the subject of virtual reality where real-time presentation is a must. However, if you are just looking for pseudocode or more "cool effects" to insert into a game or graphics program you are writing/programming you would do best to look elsewhere.



2. I acually read this book cover to cover theres alot of information in the book and its a great book to refer back to. Its really good as a companion with OpenGL. theres some directx stuff in it too but there seems to be more with OpenGL references.



3. Real-time rendering is a perfect resource to bring always :) with you and read something about this world.
   
   I find it really useful and elegant and complete



4. The primarily reason to buy that book was reviews. There is no CD and no examples. So if you are a developer and want to see some code or examples, do not waste money on it. I think I am the only one who gave this book 1 star. This makes this book absolutely meaningless.



5. Must-have for anyone who cares about real-time rendering. It will save you a lot of time -- trust me

5 comments about The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design.

1. Though I've been mostly interested in writing for animation and comics, while playing video games I questioned who came up with it's stories. Many games have little to no stories and focus mostly on mindless entertainment...which isn't always a bad thing. But some video game stories really touch the viewer (Half Life 2, Final Fantasy, Bioshock, etc. come to mind.)
   
   On a whim I bought this book and have enjoyed it immensely. Both the authors provided much more than I was hoping for. Both are seasoned game writers/designers who have worked on many games you know, and are still working on games. Stuff like UNCHARTED - DRAKE'S FORTUNE, CRIMSON SKIES, PROJECT ORIGIN, and FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY - THE GAME. These guys know what they are doing.
   
   The book breaks down not only how to write for games, but what that entails, hardships you will find along the way (both with writing and people), they provide sheets you can fill out to create your own game bible to pitch. And as an added bonus they occasionally have writing exercises to help you hone your craft or understnad a point better.
   
   Leave no stone unturned and that's what these two have done. It has my highest regards! Buy it and truly educate yourself.



2. As a screenwriter, I wanted to dive into the challenges of writing for video games as I believe that it is the future medium of choice for storytelling and entertainment. Taking the advice of the many other consumer reviewers before me on Amazon, I bought this book and I haven't looked back since. It is very complete and helpful covering almost every aspect of game design and writing, but more importantly, how writing for games is a totally different craft than writing for film or literature, and how to tackle the many different challenges involved. The book takes you into the psyche of an average gamer and deconstructs what they're expectations are, and should be.
   
   I believe it helps greatly to have some storytelling experience, preferably screenwriting, to make the most use of this book and to understand it better. Otherwise, you might feel a bit confused and left out if you have never written narrative storytelling before.
   
   A great book for noobs and pros alike!



3. From what I've read, this book does a good job of covering many aspects of general game creation and can be used as a starter for ideas, especially for its price tag.



4. The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design balances the artistic and the technical sides of writing smoothly. The incorporation of writing exercises throughout coupled with examples in the back allows the fledgling writer to evaluate their own writing compared to the author's. The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design starts with basics for an beginning writer, continues with the nitty gritty of game specific writing, and finishes with a valuable look into the business aspects of writing for video games. Over all The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design is a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool for the first time writer and a great resource for the veteran as well.



5. I'm a would-be game developer and this book really gets you into how to add story elements to your game. It tells you what make good story elements and how to balance them against the needs of the game.
   
   The book is filled with practical tips and exercises. Definitely the best book I've read on the topic.

5 comments about The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack.

1. This is a classic set, which includes mini size of the book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite. Essential for any serious student of the occult, magic, gnosis, and of course the tarot.



2. This is the best, basic set to learn with and to carry anyone until they find their personal style and a set (or sets) that speak to them.



3. For those interested in Tarot, no matter your level of experience, this deck and book pack are a great value. However, those with less than perfect vision may wish to consider other similar items instead, or may even want to purchase a seperate book and deck. The book included with this pack is in EXTREMELY TINY print making it difficult to read.



4. As a beginner of Tarot reader and a stranger to the western culture, Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck is more friendly and easily to get start.
   I even brought two Decks, one for playing and the other for saving.



5. I found this product to be exactly what I was looking for. It has very beautiful pictures on the cards and is the appropriate size for handling. I would recommend this product to anyone.

5 comments about Patternmaking for Fashion Design and DVD Package.

1. This book is just what I was looking for. Now I can design what I want to make and this book can show me how to draft the pattern. I love it.



2. I find this book very informative. It contains info on every aspect of making clothing. I do not think that this book is expensive for the info it has in it. I have spend hundredths of dollars on books that where a waste of money, this book is worth every dime. Len



3. i never received my item because they were sending it to the wrong address and i guess someone took it. They then promised to give me a refund which i haven't recieved yet either but it's only been a couple of days. I hope i at least get that back!



4. The best book for learning pattern making and as a reference when you are working in the industry!



5. I am a fashion design student and this is my favorite book ever for pattern making. I strongly recommend it to anyone serious about pattern making and design.

5 comments about Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy Gift Set.

1. This series is very similar to Lord of the Rings, however it has many things that are not found in Lord of the Rings. The descriptions of places and people are detailed in the effect of what we would notice in real life. There are some good and unique points in the story line but the characterizing is too similar to Lord of the Rings to suite my taste. But if you have read Lord of the Rings, you will see some similarities that may make this series not quite as interesting as others that are more unique. But I think this series is worth the read.



2. The basic storyline, although not particularly inspiring or memorable, is entertaining and absorbing. To their credit, the authors have attempted to give their world color and texture and have likewise attempted to give some depth to their characters. Unfortunately, they aren't really good enough writers to pull it off. Descriptions of places tend to be gaudy, garish, and implausible. Their effort to create emotional depth in their characters manifests itself in gross, oversimplified ways, resulting in unbelievable, one-dimensional characters. For instance, the hero of the series, Tanis Half-Elven, struggles with his mixed parentage. Okay, well and good. But the authors failed to give him any other personality traits, so Tanis' responses, to everything from being attacked by a dragon to be offered a cup of tea, are limited to absurdly overblown fits of racial angst. A for effort, C for execution. Similarly, the dialogue between characters is unfailingly forced, contrived, and comically melodramatic. At times, I find myself wondering whether English is perhaps not the authors' native language, as they seem to frequently employ words which don't fit the context, suggesting that they either don't understand the meanings of the words they're using, or simply have adolescent stylistic tastes.
   
   Still, I've come to realize that one cannot expect Tolstoy in the fantasy genre (although I keep hoping that one day a serious writer will undertake it). And, for a trash novel, it's makes for a decent read.



3. Let me start by first outlining the conditions under which I endeavoured to read the Dragonlance Chronicles.
   Relatively recently I developed an interest in the Fantasy Genre and thus decided to explore its various sub-genres; immerse myself in Fantasy's myriad "worlds".
   So, having done some preliminary research on the internet, and diligent perusing in my local Borders bookstore, I came to appreciate the fundamentals of the genre: Sword & Sorcery Vs Epic Fantasy; the 1960s and 1970s Vs the 1980s; biblical length trilogies Vs Short story masters etc etc.
   My introduction into fantasy began with Stephen Donaldsons 'Chronicles of Thomas Covenant'. The first trilogy, though controversial and much debated by the genre's enthusiasts, I found to be superb. Soon, however, the intricacy and scope of "Epic" fantasy faded into the pretentiousness and monotony of unnecessrily LONG books.
   Having felt that I had strayed too far in one direction, I next turned my attention to the other end of the spectrum.
   Fritz Leiber's 'First Book Of Lhankmar', though extremely well written and undeniably witty, rang too hollow for my taste. Robert E. Howards legendary 'Conan' stories, though hinting at something amazing in numerous stories, I found too "pulpy" nonetheless. I tried reading 'The Lord of the Rings', and twice got halfway through, but I just couldn't finish it.
   At last I came to understand what it was I wanted out of Fantasy fiction:
   1) I wanted a world I could immerse myself in, withouting drowning in unnecessary details.
   2) I wanted a darker, more realistic treatment of characters and characterization.
   3) I was willing to follow a trilogy or long series, provided that each successive novel was not a repeat of the original.
   
   So, having read the 'Dark Elf Trilogy' in its entirety (Forgotten Realms), I decided to give 'Dragonlance' a fair chance even though
   a) The cover art I found to be quite off-putting.
   b) I was worried the books were more for children than adults
   and
   c) I have a great dislike for all things elven and dwarfish.
   
   I must be honest, I only got halfway through the first volume of the 'Chronicles','Dragons of Autumn Twilight', before I just couldn't go on. The reasons are as follows:
   
   1) The characters are terribly mono-dimensional and cliche beyond description. Consquently the dialogue, in which it must be said the story drowns, is as captivating as watching drying paint. I became so adept at predicting EXACTLY what a character would say that I began to wonder if or not I was psychic.
   2) Cliches, cliches, cliches. The story died of cliches.
   3) It seemed as if Hickman and Weis deliverately tried to make the story as trivial as possible. But, there is a clear difference between banality and light-heartedness. The authors simultaneously sell this book as Epic and grand, yet they emphasize the happy-go-lucky nature of the characters and plot.
   
   In the final analysis I must advise against purchasing the 'Dragonlance Chronicles'. This book is not for adults. End of story.
   
   Thankyou for your time.
   



4. I've been reading fantasy for 30 years and gaming for 25 years, so I'm not sure how I made it so long without reading what I thought was a classic fantasy series. I don't know if my expectations for these books were too high, or if I waited too long to read them and they're oriented towards a younger audience, but this is some of the most disappointing writing I've encountered in quite some time.
   
   I really wanted to like Dragonlance, but the writing was incredibly simplistic and most of the characters too one-dimensional. Time after time, solutions to problems simply appear out of nowhere. It's not quite deus ex machinas, but it's close.
   
   Perhaps I've been spoiled by the intricate plots and rich characters of Robin Hobb, George R.R. Martin, and Robert Jordan, etc., but I almost didn't make it through. I did finish the trilogy as the storyline does improve a bit towards the end, but, with the benefit of hindsight, I wouldn't have chosen to read them.
   
   As such, I can only recommend Dragonlance for younger fantasy readers or those gaming in the Dragonlance world.



5. The trilogy starts ok, a band of friends meet together after a long time and plundered into a long and hard fought adventure.
   The story is good, the characters at most are very lame, i will go from the worst:
   1. Laurana - The most beatiful, wise, brave, good-hearted , lame and boring character. Turned from a spoiled baby princess to a hard fought warrior that beats multiple life expierienced veterans on the field of battle. Unlike Kitiara who grew up by the sword, laurana is the next door girl, other than go shopping for Tanis, i wouldn't make any mention of her.
   
   2. Tika - Ok, she started good as a simple barmaid, i could have accepted that, but suddenly turned to a fierce gladiator that OGRES from all over Ansalon fear. Soldiers train all their lives to excel in their combat art, how come a barmaid who wash dishes manages to survive so on the combat scenes other than cower behind the more expiuerienced warriors?
   
   3. Fizban - Ohh please, ohh come on, if i would see him, i would turn to takisis for mercy immediatley. If you are not funny, dont be ridicilous.
   
   The best characters are Raistlin which remained true to his character and realistic view, tas and flint for their funny addons and sturm which i really felt sorry for due to his stubborn ideals and lonliness And Kitiara of course which described as a good villain and trained soldier.
   
   The charcters that were ok are Tanis who is quite common, riverwind and goldmoon are ok, they dont bring too much to the story as being ordinary people.
   
   The first book was easy to read, fun, other than some nuisance from laurana and fizban, it turned out to be very fun and funny with Tas and Flint as the best characters there.
   
   The second