5 comments about Heroes of Might and Magic V (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. Don't buy this. There's more accurate information online about HOMM5. This is the poorest Game Guide I've ever bought.



2. Overall the book is useful, but like most of Prima's game guides it is a mass of errors and typos. They really ought to consider hiring an editor.



3. With a complex game like Heroes you want some good fold out tables and charts of the different troop-types and heroes. You dont get that. The entire book is in black and white. Most of the guide is simply a walkthrough of the Campaign missions. Bleh. That would have been fine to include that but fans of this game want tables and charts in a readable format. Very unfortunate how bad this "guide" is. I regret buying it.



4. The game looks nice but except from the graphics nothing else has been changed from the previous version.You should by this game only if you missed playing heroes but do not expect much from it.



5. I read the reviews here and hesitated to buy this guide. So I went into a game store and looked at it in person. It had everything I expected it to have: monster descriptions, spell descriptions, ability descriptions, campaign walkthroughs, and even some stuff I didn't expect, like what all the "Week of..."s meant.
   
   It's certainly a grand improvement on what the game's rulebook gives you. Now I know in mechanical terms what items like "Battle Dive" and "Shield Bash" mean, and can use them properly--not hit a button and not know how the outcome was determined.
   
   I still don't know what a Crystal Dragon is yet, but maybe it will turn up. :)

1 comments about Book of Puzzles & Brain Teasers.

1. Personally I am only able to do the very simple to the simple brain teasers because of my lack of higher level problem solving skills. But this book is a good way to improve although it will take me a real long time to really get up there. I am not sure if this was worth the $10 price though.
   
   But this is a great book for smarter people who really look for a challenge and a way to sharpen their mind.

5 comments about The Middlegame - Book I : Static Features (Algebraic Edition).

1. These are wonderfully instructive books. Full games are used to illustrate specific points. If enjoy Euwe and Meidens's Chess Master vs. Chess Amateur, let these be your next books on strategy. (I suggest sticking with an author you like.) These are probably most helpful for someone rated between 1600 and 1800 USCF. (Never waste time on chess books that are over your head.)
   
   If you have trouble with the binding, search the web for the books in ChessBase format. They are encrypted, and the key is found in the books themselves. So once you have bought the books, you can read them in ChessBase at no extra charge.
   
   4 stars for the books, plus one for the files.



2. This book is outstanding if you want to get better at chess,
   buy both volumes of this book.
   Forget the opening until you've gone through this book.
   It may take some time to go through,but believe you me ,it
   we be more than worth it.



3. I guess classic is the right word for it, for better and for worse.
   it has quite an old attitude, before the modern chess (sacrifices are not even considered an option, if there is no immediate benefit).
   good for beginners (say up to 1700), but I think that's about it.
   
   you can see a remark on this book in the introduction of Watson's book:
   Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy



4. This book is a classic. It goes through numerous starting middle game positions that arise out of the different openings and explains the strategies of each middle game position before illustrating some representative examples. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes to learn more about the middle game.



5. (NOTE: For some reason Amazon sells te two volumes of this book--"Static" and "Dynamic" features-seperately. This review refers to both volumes.)
   
   Buy this book. It is well-written, instructive, and will help your rating. It is also... honest, modest, and civilized. With the reader's permission, I will explain these three less common features first.
   
   By "honesty" I mean that this book--by a world champion (Euwe) and a strong gradnmaster (Kramer) is obviously not the case of the world champion lending his name to the book and letting the other author do all the work. Clearly--as can be seen by the inclusion of many deeply-annotated games by Euwe (as well as by Kramer), he did a lot of the work himself. By "modesty" I mean that the book often includes lesser-known games that both Euwe and Kramer *lost*--as long as their opponents played in an instructive fashion. The authors don't try to make themselves look like invincible supermen; they only care about teaching the reader. By "civlized" I mean that the writing style is sober and to the point. The English translation (and presumably the original Dutch) is refreshingly free of slang and superlatives. So is the analysis itself: when the authors speak--for instance--about different pawn formations in the center, they note which type of formation usually arises from what kind of opening and how to play it, and give instructive games as examples. C'est tout. They do not include any waffle about "development" or "the center" in general as space fillers, explicit or implicit promises that if you only learn to play these formations you will become an expert/master/grandmaster/world champion (as some unscrupulous authors do), or games full of "!!" punctuations for moves that merely follow the correct general plan.
   
   So much for style. What about the chess content itself? The book is divided into a few large topics, each of them excellently presented. The first volume is wholly occupied with "static" features: pawn formation, material imbalance, etc. The second deals (first of all) with two types of "dynamic" issues--that is, issues that depend not so much on the *number* or *formation* of the pieces but on their *activity*: the initiative, second, attack and defense against the king.
   
   These issues are crucial to becoming a better chess player. What's more, Euwe and Kramer deal with the matter in severely practical style. They concentrate on the "problem-solving" issues players face: "when to exchange pawns or lock the center, and when should I keep the tension?" "what are the most important goals a defender must keep in mind?", "when I have two rooks for the queen, what should I do?", and so on. This is a far more practical way to improve than merely learning general strategic principles, since it connects directly to features of the common positions amateurs can actually recognize over the board in their actual games. In particular, the initiative is not seen as some mysterious, Grandmaster-only feature of the game, but defined clearly and distinguished from the *attack*--something amateurs very, very often confuse. How to correctly turn the initiative into an attack--a crucial feature of master chess that's utterly lacking from most amateur games--is dealt with in a particularly enlightening fashion.
   
   The latter sections of the second book is worth the price of both books all by themselves (without diminishing the importance of what comes before). They deal with two exceedingly important issues for amateurs: when and how to exchange pieces, and how to avoid the two most common strategic mistakes amateurs make (snatching material and premature attack) in a very enlightening fashion. Most amateurs know vaguely some general principles of the "exchange pieces when ahead in material", "don't grab pawns", or "attack only when ready" but there is a *lot* more to both subject than that. Read the book and learn.
   
   The only section of the book that may be a bit over the head of most amateurs is that of "style". In it, the games of various greats are examined in terms of their preference for positions with one type of feature over another (say, master X prefered piece activity to solid pawn formation, while master Y was best in positions with two bishops, etc.) The one problem is that the student better know VERY well what these elements of the middlegame are before he can begin to understand what preference for one element over another really means (I haven't reached that stage, myself.) That said, this section, as all the others, avoids superlatives (e.g., the "genius" of Capablanca and Morphy, etc.) in favor of concrete games and examples of their style.

5 comments about Modern Chess Strategy.

1. This is one of the first books any aspiring chess player should read. The book is basically a compilation of the classic texts by Nimzowitsch and Euwe, in a clear and readable style. It covers issues such as pawn structure, bishops vs. knigths, rook power, that are the bread-and-butter of every chess player. I am a researcher in Computer Science, retired from competitive chess, but I am still a strong club player (best rating: 2250 ELO). I read Pachman on my teens, and it had a very positive influence on me. Therefore, the earlier in your carrer you read Pachman, the better. When you advance to the ELO 2000 level, you should also read John Watson's "Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy" which is a very nice complement to Pachman's classic book.



2. In my chess development there have been three books which each caused a step change improvement in my game, this one on chess strategy, Averbakh's Chess Endings: Essential Knowledge and oddly enough a small book on combinations entitled "The Penguin Book of Chess Positions". Each of these books provides a compete introduction to an essential part of the game. I immersed myself into each of these books and emerged a much better player after each reading one.

   Pachman gives clear direction on learning to think strategically by dividing the book into two sections, one on piece play and one on pawns. He leads the reader systematically through each part by giving verbal generalizations followed by numerous examples from master play. In this abridged version, the editors used game fragments to replace some of the complete games found in the three volume version. I for one feel that the use of fragments does not detract from the educational aspects of the example games while enabling this book to be an inexpensive one volume version of the original. In particular, the chapter on rook play is superb.

   I first read this book twenty years ago and the concepts of this book have stuck with me. Every time I play a game in which I use a rook lift to deveop a rook outside the pawn chain, I have Pachman to thank directly.




3. This book is a compact version of three-volume set of Pachman's original work. For many decades after WW II, he was known as one of the leading chess theorists. For this set of books, there are:
   Volume 1: about piece plays and exchanges.
   Volume 2: about pawn structures and the center.
   Volume 3: about attacking on the wings, where one has superior position like pawn majority or weakness and subjected to a minority attack. (How Yin-Yang can chess be?)
   I found in a local library the first two volumes, and like them very much. For some time, I had a few chess books. In the openings, I have: Horowitz', Korn's and Fine's. For the endings, I have Fine's. I also have Tartakover's 500 master games. I could not find any GOOD books about theory in middle games. Then I got the books of Chernev (Most Instructive Chess Games...) and John Love's (Positional Ideas...). They teach about the middle games. Love's is good but not enough details, and I could not follow the logic (arrangement) of Chernev's. Finally I found this impressive work of Pachman. I know I must have Pachman's books in my collection. One day, I found at a local used chess bookstore these books. The curious thing was I here found only the last two volumes. I grasped them at once and knew that my collection was still incomplete. A few years ago, I found this compact version of Pachman. I got it, knowing that in this book the new editor dropped out lots of games. I agreed with other reviewers, Pachman took great care to select good games for his books. The new single volume book lost some of its value. It is still good enough to carry to a tournament as reference book, however to fully appreciate Pachman's effort, only the complete 3-volume set can do its justice. I plan to get the first volume to complete my collection, and the compact one is for reference.
   The arrangement of Pachman's work makes lots of sense. For tactical (easiest) chess, the piece play has the dominant roles as we see sub-1500 players often do. At the super-1800 level, the players begins to play positionally (more difficult), work with pawn structure and center more. After that, if both players are at higher level, they will work on the dynamic elements (most difficult): space superiority, square weakness, development lead, positional sacrifice, etc.
   Of course, this superficial opinion is from my only sub-1700 level, for sure the higher rank reader will think differently.
   This book was written in the pre-Fischer and Tal era, so the games didn't have much the dynamical aspects of the late 20th century chess. Even so, the theory and application of Pachman's work still find its characteristics in Nunn, Burgess, Karpov, Kasparov's chess and writings.



4. This isn't a fireside reading book on chess so you better have your chess board out to understand what is being said.
   I found it rather difficult to read and for the average player I would recommend Ward Farnwsorth's "Predator at the Chess Board" which has more detailed explantions in writing instead of diagrams.



5. Ok , the word is in . This is without a doubt one of the best books on middle game and chess strategy . If you are one of those players who thinks what to move next (and I was one of them) read this book and you will play chess beautifully and effortlessly . The only other book that may rival this one is My System by Aron Nimzowitch . My System is difficult to understand . Compared to it , I think Modern Chess Strategy is much simpler to read (concepts are very deep) and a better book as it discusses pawn structures in depth which is essential to understanding chess . Here concepts are presented clearly with examples . If you buy My System you need to buy Chess Praxis which is a practical demonstration of My System . For Modern Chess Strategy , only this single book is sufficient . Seriously , I cannot describe in mere words the greatness of this book . You have to read it to believe it . 5 stars -- Best of the best .

3 comments about Opening the Bidding (The Official Better Bridge Series: Improving Your Judgement).

1. Opening the Bidding (The Official Better Bridge Series: Improving Your Judgement)
   For twenty years A.Grant has promoted the silly idea that any 13 point hand is worth an opening one bid. She refuses to recognize that some of those points must be based on primary honor cards, A and K.It is absurd to imply that a hand based on only Q's and J's plus a few distribution points should be opened.
   
   It s easy to prove with computer simulation that opening a hand with no A or K will result in a failed contract more often than not, when partner holds 12 or 13 points and will bid for a game contract in four of a major
   suit.
   
   All of the old masters of bridge, such as Goren and Kaplan, advised students that an opening bid should have at least two quick tricks, which come from combinations of A,K and Q. But Grant fails to tell her students or readers this elementary fact of hand valuation. The concept of quick tricks does not appear in any of her many books.
   
   What little,if anything, that is new in this book is not worth the cost.
   As a bridge teacher I would not recommend it as a primary guide, only as supplemental material when they have learnt the most basic rules of hand valuation, because it has a lot of good examples and tests.
   
   There will no doubt be reviewers disagreeing with my old fashioned ideas.
   They should be prepared to demonstrate with computer simulations that hands with no primary honor cards can be opened and yield game with only 25 points together.
   
   Stig Holmquist



2. This book was interesting for reading about the Rules of 15 and 20 but, aside from that, was somewhat disappointing. Even tho I'm an experienced player, I expected at least a small number of things to be mentioned either that I didn't know or hadn't correlated but, aside from the Rules mentioned earlier, that didn't happen. I was basically disappointed with the book. If you were a beginner or moving into intermediate territory, it would be a different story. Unfortunately, I bought the book before it was released and didn't have the benefit of ANY reviews or I doubt that I would have bought it.



3. Great addition to her previous books. Audrey Grant knows how to present the material so it's easy to learn.

No comments about Pathfinder #4 Rise Of The Runelords: Fortress Of The Stone Giants (Pathfinder; Rise of the Ruinlords).

5 comments about Earth Knack.

1. This book is well written and encourages the reader to be an active participant in the process of discovery (or re-discovery, as the writers may contend). The book is cleverly illustrated and fun to read, offering a wealth of information I have not found in any other sourcebook on primitive skills. I found myself jumping off the couch to venture outside to collect plants for dyeing fabric. Later, I used the description of how to make cordage from native plants found right in my own backyard. I would stongly recommend this book to anyone interested in practical, hands-on, primitive skills.



2. I know Robin and Bart and enjoyed both their book as well as the excellant Earth Knack School that Robin runs . Both their school and this excellant book focus on hands-on. If you fully intend to learn the skills your ancestors used to keep alive this is THE BOOK. Filled with outstanding drawings that guide you through each skill in a step by step fashion Earth Knack points the way and leaves it up to you to take the path.



3. I took an Outward Bound Course, and Bart was the Instructor. He was a very intersting man, so i bought his booy, which was just as intersting



4. If you are looking for a book on basic primitive living skills you will find a goldmine of information in Earth Knack. The broad range of areas covered include making fire, making cordage (from vegetable and animal sources), making tools, tanning, flintknapping, making dyes and colors, baskets, bowls, pottery, food and cooking, soap, music, and clothing.
   
   Each chapter provides everything you need to know to complete a couple of projects of that genre but is hardly a thorough treatment of the subject. For example the food and cooking, animals, and getting dressed sections each could easily consume two or three books and there are many on the market that do. What this book provides is a thorough introduction to the skills and the ability to develop confidence by going through several projects.
   
   Although most areas are not covered in detail, some areas are covered better than any other book of this nature I have seen. For example, fire, cordage, baskets, buckets, and bowls are all treated in detail. It contains an unusually good section on flintknapping and an excellent section on making fire. While the techniques are mentioned in other books this is the first one I have read that provided sufficient information to figure out what you are doing wrong if it doesn't work. For example the first several times I tried to create a fire with friction I only created a glazed effect on the wood. This is the only book that mentioned what caused it and what to do about it.
   
   For anyone wanting a broad introduction of all the basic skills of primitive living, Earth Knack is a highly recommended book.



5. I bought this book for an urban outdoorsman, and he was most appreciative when he got into some of the pre-tech problem solving.

2 comments about Checkmate!: My First Chess Book (Everyman Chess).

1. In my first week of the fourth grade, the teacher announced that everyone in the class was going to learn how to play chess. She believed that it was the best game to be incorporated into an educational scheme and she was right. We all learned and certain times each week were set aside for games of chess. It was a very popular time, as playing any game was preferable to doing other things like spelling and writing practice.
   I am in complete agreement with this philosophy, firmly believing that everyone should learn to play chess. This book is an excellent way to start, which is what you would expect, given that Kasparov is considered the best chess player ever. He starts with a description of the pieces, how they can move and their power rankings. From this, he sets up the game and explains the basic goal of the game as well as the algebraic notation used to represent the movement of the pieces. Kasparov uses a series of situations to illustrate problems, such as how to force a (stale)mate from a specific orientation. Solutions to these problems are given at the end and many of them are nontrivial. You are really required to think hard before finding the answer to some of them.
   Basic strategies such as classical openings, defenses, the pin, a skewer and back rank mating options are covered. The illustrations are very high quality and it could have been used as the textbook for my fourth grade class, where I first learned how to play. Adult beginners will also find it an excellent way to learn.
   
   Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.



2. I have been researching for months to find a good 'starter' book to begin a chess club. I have searched online and made many stops at book stores and even asked many questions. Some of the books out there are excellent, but the cost was a little more than I wanted to spend as I am starting the club for homeschoolers and wanted to do it more as a ministry than a money-making enterprise.
   To me, a great technician doesn't always translate to a great teacher. No doubt Kasparov was the former, but after reading this book he is definitely the latter as well. I believe it is an excellent book for beginners and even intermediates will find clear and colorful information here. It is also fun to read (a great quality especially for young people). The contents are:
   1) the basics
   2) the pieces and their moves
   3) notation
   4) winning and drawing
   5) more about the pieces
   6) tactical play
   7) checkmate
   8) opening play
   9) endgame play
   10) solutions to puzzles
   11) glossary
   
   For my needs it clearly achieves a 5 star rating. It is an inexpensive way to start a club or even to teach children. Not only that, but I will be teaching my wife tonight using this very book.
   Thanks Gary!

3 comments about The New York Times Easy Crossword Puzzle Omnibus Volume 3: 200 Solvable Puzzles from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Easy Crossword Puzzle Omnibus).

1. I frequently do crossword puzzles and am always buying the New York Times Easy Crossword Puzzle books. This one is really disappointing, it has many of the same puzzles as The New York Times Crosswords for a Lazy Afternoon : 200 Easy, Breezy Puzzles
   . It was a waste to spend money on this book when it has the same puzzles as the other book. It sucks to open up to a random page and have the puzzle be exactly the same as one I have already done. I wanted an easy crossword book, that just makes it too easy.



2. I felt compelled to write a review because the only other one gives it 1 star because it had puzzles from another book!
   
   The puzzles in this book are well done, easy but not too easy (I've only finished a few alone). The book is well made and sturdy and holds up well in the bathroom where we keep it.
   
   If you are looking for great puzzles to work the mind and don't own every other crossword book by Will Shortz this is the crossword puzzle book for you.



3. The NYT puzzles start out easy on Monday and grow progressively more challenging through the end of the week. This is a Monday-Tuesday book of puzzles.

4 comments about The Forge of War (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Eberron Setting).

1. I love the Eberron setting but this book was not only boring but nearly useless. It gives lots of background but not much for actual play dynamics.



2. If You want to run a campaign set during the great war this book is great. It does contain information on how to run flashback games, and time travel games for players in an ongoing Eberron Campaign. This book is good Fluff for people interested in the great war, or having your characters actually tied into the great war sometime in their past. So, for what it's worth I liked it. It won't do me much good in the game I'm running currently, but if I ever start a new Eberron Campaign I'll probably use the info provided here to help players get a better background for their characters.



3. The reading is a good story, gives a lot of great depth of the 5 Nations.
   It doesn't give tactical maps, or advetures. I was hopeing for a Hack&tactics game to come from this book, but no maps. Still a good read, and an entire history on the national relations of the 5 nations.
   The opening artwork is worth it alone, a vast Karrnath Zombie army in full charge against a Brelish Warforged army. Too cool.
   Unless you are going back in time, or really, really deep in international relations, its not neccisary to run Eberron.



4. I recently got into Eberron, and have snapped up quite a few of its (generally very high-quality) sourcebooks. I'm the type that takes Amazon reviews into consideration, though, so "The Forge of War" wasn't one of my purchases, because of its very low rating.
   
   Recently, though, someone in my gaming group picked it up so that they could add a little more flavor to their war veteran character. "A quick glance" quickly turned into borrowing it for the next week, because I found this book really interesting.
   
   The Forge of War is divided into only four chapters, but what they do, they do very well.
   
   Chapter 1 is called "The Course of the War". It reads almost like a history book on the Last War, detailing important events. Jarot's death and Karrnath's plague are obvious examples, but specific battles, such as what really happened at Shadukar, are also here.
   
   There is no "crunch" here, no statistics of any kind, but knowing what level fighter General Horacht was really is besides the point. (There are some nicely done maps illustrating the changing borders, though.) This is about the "course of the war" quite literally, about the battles that were fought and the motivations behind them, the ups and downs that shaped the conflict, and kept it going for a hundred years.
   
   If this kind of information is at all interesting to you, then you'll really enjoy this chapter.
   
   Chapter 2 is called "A Guide to the Last War". If Chapter 1 details the stage on which the war played out, then Chapter 2 is about its various players. There are over thirty entries here, and there is plenty of crunch sprinkled amongst them. For example, the "Armies of Cyre" section goes into Cyre's overall military structure, general tactics, a specific elite company, and both a hero and a traitor that emerged from it.
   
   In contrast, the House Jorasco part is more about "fluff" and less about specifics, explaining the House's involvement in the War, from the whispers of its beginning, to their place in the very middle of it, to their current standing, now that it has ended. The entries have very different information in them, but both convey what they're meant to- the role their specific faction filled in the Last War, large or small, good or bad.
   
   Overall, it can all be useful knowledge, but some entries are definitely more interesting and/or detailed then others.
   
   Chapter 3 is called "Heroes of the Last War". In my opinion, this chapter would have made more sense laid out in two shorter ones, one for background information and one for tools (spells, gear, etc.). I understand why they did it this way, since more then any other chapter, this is for the PCs to read, but it's still a little jarring to go from, "Here are some of the physical or mental scars a soldier might have" to "New spells, cool!"
   
   I love the first half. Chapters 1 and 2 are a wealth of information, but a wonderful stage and fascinating supporting characters are still just backgrounds for a campaign in which the PCs star.
   
   It seems like an obvious question to ask, "How did the Last War shape YOU?", but there's a really detailed answer to be found here. This (first half) is 100% fluff. It's about giving your character an Eberron-specific (which is to say, a Last War-influenced) feel, whether that's a Deserter, an Officer, or a Refugee. These backgrounds have different personalities, motivations, behaviors, and even languages, and they are outlined here. It's also about the "Scars of War", such as flashbacks, mood swings, or missing limbs.
   
   Whether it's a PC or even an important NPC, there are a wealth of interesting ideas on how to roleplay a character affected by war, whether that's in Eberron, Forgotten Realms, or your own homebrew world.
   
   The second half of the chapter is all crunch. It details new spells (for artificers, assassins, bards, clerics, druids, duskblades, hexblades, paladins, rangers, and last but not least, sorcerers/wizards), new armor and shield properties, new clothing, new warforged components, and a goodly amount of powerful new artifacts.
   
   An interesting new concept is of "Heraldic Crests", shield-only effects gained when the shield portrays, and the shield-user is dedicated to, a specific Lord, Order, religion, etc. I also liked "Standards" (flags), which benefit allies within 30 ft of the standard-bearer, as it really seems like a magic item that would've developed in response to field battles.
   
   Finally, there are also several pages on something called "Teamwork Benefits". They're not feats, but through a combination of roleplay ("The team has to train together to gain these") and crunchy bits (requirements for all team members plus the team leader to have skills ranks or feats), they're a way to put a concept like "teamwork" or training into D&D terms, and it works pretty well.
   
   Lastly, Chapter 4 is called "The Last War Campaign". It ties all the information in the book together nicely, applying everything from the last three chapters; the war, the soldiers, and the player characters, into a game and a campaign.
   
   There is information here on the different directions a DM can take in using the material, such as a game set during the Last War, a "flashback" style game, or even a time travel game, in which the PCs have the opportunity to change history.
   
   Besides detailed advice on how to run these types of games, there are also specific "Campaign Arcs", which are basically mini-campaign summaries, such as you'd find at the start of an adventure, but without the actual adventure afterwards. They're nice for illustrating the concepts brought up in the book, and there are some decent ideas that could even fit into an existing campaign, for a little Last War flavor.
   
   I wrote this review because after looking at the book, I had to buy it for myself, and I didn't really feel that the reviews currently here give a good idea of what it's about. This is definitely a roleplay/background/ideas book more then a stats/rules/crunch book, so if you're looking for the latter, you could very well be disappointed. As for me, I give it 5/5 stars, and feel that it does everything it sets out to do nearly perfectly.