No comments about Official Strategy Guide for Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice.

5 comments about Pokemon Yellow (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. Very helpful indeed. The pictures weren't so great but I got through the game fine. In record time I might add.



2. It is a very helpful guide. it helps you through pokemon yellow, red, and blue. It is well written. it also is made for: pokemon red, blue, crystal, gold and silver. it is also made for other games.



3. I love this because Pokemon Yellow is my favorite game.



4. I purchased this guide after losing the original one from 3 years ago. I found this one much more detailed and a lot more helpful. Instead of flipping around pages to find which Pokemon is caught where then flipping to another page to find out what HM's and TM's it can learn, you can get it all on the page for that Pokemon. Thanks again for another great book.

   Sincerely, Eileen Caprio




5. its super buy it the best

5 comments about SimCity 4 (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. This is highly technical, but not very helpful. It doesn't give you any ideas on how to build a better city. Read it if you've never played any SimCity games before, but otherwise, try out the tutorials first before you spend money on this book.



2. This manual is a very weak and nearly completely useless manual for newbies trying to tackle the scope of this complex game. The game itself is challenging enough but this manual only scratches the surface of what needs to be done in order to run a successful city. A dissapointment. The Simcity 4 "Rush Hour" expansion pack though corrects many of the mistakes of this older manual.



3. Everyone in our family LOVES Sim City 4. It is addictive. But while the game interface may be fairly intuitive, the strategies and tips that help you build really big cities can be elusive. This guide gives you all the details you need and gives many useful tips for taking your simulation to a higher level. The book is well organized into chapters on getting started, modes of play, zoning, finance, utilities, transportation, education, rewards etc, and finishes with multiple city play, business deals, disasters, landmarks and even cheats; however, this book does not offer help with the Rush Hour expansion that may be included with your game, so there is no help on driving the many vehicles and their accompanying missions. I also found that some of the things I especially wanted to learn about, like monorails, were not included, so there must have been subsequent changes to the software. Stil this book has been very helpful. There are lots of pictures, though they are a bit fuzzy.
   
   I would recommend this book to someone who wants a handy list of the many details needed to step up the gameplay.



4. i got this and its helped me out tons and now iunderstand the game alot more!



5. If you are serious about learning to play Sim City 4 Deluxe, this is your key. Great insight to the game's inner workings and idiosyncrisies. It allows you to cross reference and find the answer to your questions as the arise without having to read it cover to cover before starting the game.

No comments about Game Feel: A Game Designer's Guide to Virtual Sensation.

5 comments about Grand Theft Auto 3 Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Strategy Guides).

1. Before I go into the review, what you have to understand about the game is that most of the missions have more than one solution (which is one of the best things about the game.) If you think that the guide will give you the only, or even the best, solutions for the missions, you will be disapponted. Besides, the fun part is to come up with your own unique solution, and to learn from your mistakes.

   That being said, the book offers some great things. The maps were very helpful, especially for finding rampages, hidden packages, weapons, and other goodies. Also, in certain missions, where getting around quickly is a must, the strategies included maps of where to go and how to get there the most quickly.

   I did notice a few bits of wrong information (such as, what time the BF Injection Buggy would be available,) but overall, it's a worthy purchase. Just don't buy it thinking it will solve all of your missions for you.




2. Grand Theft Auto 3 is a fun game to play. It's not as great as Vice City, but it is still one of the better games out there. But, unlike Vice City, which I enjoyed reading about, GTA3 isn't as much fun to read about. The missions are fairly simple, and there are multiple ways to complete them, so the guide isn't the end all be all that it is in games like Metal Gear. You do get good desriptions of weapons and vehicles. And what I find most valuable are the maps to the hidden treasures, rampages, bribes, armor, life, etc. If you are having trouble completeing the game because you can't find all your hidden treasures and rampages, then this guide will solve your problems.



3. What can I say. I bought Vice City & the guide before I bought GTA3, the VC guide is really great with lots of info, cool pictures, & lots of helpful stuff.

   This one isn't, it is really that simple.




4. Grand Theft Auto: Popular, violent, and in need of a strategy guide. A very good strategy guide that gives details about weapons, characters, general tips on things like police and shooting. It gives pictures and good advice on all 73 main missions and the side missions like Taxi Driver and Vigilante. It also gives maps and details on where all 100 packages are. The only flaws are it seems slightly dated with money totals and mission names being different. The other flaw is that the hidden packages are on a map from the game. The problem is the only in-game map is a small circular one in the corner of the screen. Overall, this strategy guide will help you out but you can probably beat Grand Theft Auto 3 without it.



5. This is a review of this product: Grand Theft Auto 3 Official Strategy Guide for PlayStation 2. Amazon may display this review on the page of another version of this product, for which this review may not apply. After reading this review, please click on the link so that you can be assurred that the product this review applies to is the same one you thought it was for.
   --------------------------------------------------
   
   This is one of the worst Official strategy guides you could ever buy. Sure it covers all of the missions, but some of them are not covered any more fully than what you get from playing the game itself. It briefly covers SOME of the side jobs and non-mission tasks, but an Official guide should cover ALL of them! There is no detailed information on the Rampages and Unique Jumps, and the Hidden Packages are only covered with a map and short sentence. Some of the other reviewers here go into detail about the deficiencies of this book, so I really don't need to say much more. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE GOOD REVIEWS THIS BOOK RECEIVED, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DESERVE THEM.
   
   I own this guide and the one released eight months later for the PC version. Although the PC guide is smaller (but much thicker) and in black & white (there are color maps in the back), it covers EVERYTHING (except cheat codes) about the game and with much more detail. Even if you own the Playstation 2 version of the game, you'd be better off buying the PC guide. The only difference gameplay wise are the controls mentioned in the book and a few little things like rewards for some of the vehicle missions.
   
   To wrap this up, here is an excerpt from the author in the Acknowledgement's section of the PC guide: "Beyond the satisfaction of playing the game a few more times, I was even more delighted to add features to this guide that I didn't have time to include in the PS2 guide. And with Tim Cox's phenomenal assistance, as well as his passion for the game, time was no longer the enemy. We are proud to bring you the most comprehensive Grand Theft Auto III guide in existence." So, that explains why this guide (PS2) sucks. The author was rushed to complete the book, in time for the release of the game, no doubt. Right there in black & white the author of both guides tells you that the PC guide is the most comprehensive guide, and thus the best one. (I have no idea if the X-Box Double Pack guide is based on the PS2 or PC versions, so proceed with caution when getting that one.)

5 comments about iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual.

1. This is the book you really want if you use iMovie at all!



2. If you're a heavy user of iMovieHD and iDVD, this book is a must. Most questions that users have about both software can be found in this manual (though he doesn't read like a boring manual). Pogue not only provides all the how-tos for learning the software, he also helps you troubleshoot problems that will crop in movie and DVD productions. There's hardly no aspect of either software that I didn't find covered in this book.



3. Very informative AND entertaining! If you feel you are even the least bit interested in breaking into digital film making this book is fantastic. I have been using iMovie for several years now and have a camcorder. However, I thought this book might help me kick things up a notch. It certainly will. I have only gotten through the first fifty pages, but I've already learned enough justify this purchase.
   
   When I first received this rather intimidating 450+ page book I thought I would use it mainly for reference. Well, that was before I started reading it. Now I find it hard put down. It is very well written and arranged by areas of interest.
   
   This book is great for everyone, from beginner to expert. It will undoubtedly prove to be a very valuable reference book in the future, but for now it's a great read.



4. I had recently started using a Mac at work, and suddenly I was put in a position to work with video on the Mac. Mr. Pogue's other books had been very helpful to me as I began to learn my way around the Mac, so I thought I would pick up this one to help me with my video work. I was very glad that I did. You see, iMovie HD has tools that help your movie look professional, but the iMovie HD help files are very tedious to go through. There is a great deal of referencing, cross-referencing, and nothing is smoothly laid out. This book is another story, as it is very well laid out with clear instructions and illustrations. It is very long, but since these applications are powerful, it would be expected that any clear explanation of them is going to require some space.
   What is particularly good about this book is that the author doesn't assume you are a professional video author, and he spends part one of the book helping you learn how to shoot videos and shares tricks that will make you good at it. Part 2 is dedicated to iMovie, and shares not just how to use the application, but the little extras that will make your video special - transitions, effects, titles, captions, and even how to work with sound in your movie. Part 3, on finding your audience, was another unexpected treat. There the author shows you how to move between iMovie and Quicktime, and how to post your movie to your phone and to the web. Part 4 of the book is on iDVD. I particularly liked the chapter on iDVD secrets, where the author shows how you can use AppleScript to customize iDVD itself.
   It's hard to believe that a year ago I didn't even know how to use a Mac, and now I am quite the fan, especially when it comes to multimedia applications. I notice Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:
   Part 1: CAPTURING DV FOOTAGE
   1. The DV Camcorder
   2. Turning Home Video into Pro Video
   3. Special Event Filming
   Part 2: EDITING IN IMOVIE
   4. Camcorder Meets Mac
   5. Building the Movie
   6. Transitions and Effects
   7. Titles, Captions, and Credits
   8. Narration, Music, and Sound
   9. Still Pictures and QuickTime Movies
   10. Professional Editing Techniques
   Part 3: FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE
   11. Back to the Camcorder
   12. From iMovie to QuickTime
   13. Movies on the Web - And on the Phone
   14. QuickTime Player
   Part 4: iDVD5
   15. From iMovie to iDVD
   16. iDVD Projects by Hand
   17. Designing iDVD Themes
   18. iDVD Secrets
   Part 5: Appendixes
   A. iMovie HD: Menu by Menu
   B. Troubleshooting
   C. Master Keyboard Shortcut List



5. After several trips to car shows with my husband, I had lots of beautiful photos sitting in iPhoto ready to print. I thought a DVD would be more useful and enjoyable for him, and tried to make a DVD project - NOT! Having already used The Missing Manual books, I promptly went out and bought this one. Great choice, as it filled in the blanks and gave me lots of ideas also. I am a photographer, not a tech person, and am pretty clueless when it comes to creating projects on the computer.
   
   This series suits me perfectly and the book is highly recommended - with the aid of the book I sat down and promptly made a beautiful DVD, with lots of lovely effects, great music, and best of all it was easy. My husband was very happy with his DVD and watches it often.
   
   The manual is clear, concise, easy to read and enjoyable. Unlike so many texts, it is not dry or overly technical. Anyone can make a great DVD easily with this reference. Next project - a video. Ready.....

3 comments about Video Games & Your Kids: How Parents Stay in Control.

1. I wish this book was available 10 years ago when a whole generation of children were beginning to play video games without guidance and professional advice was just not available.
   This book is very well written, and it addresses a topic few people are really aware of : Video games addiction.
   The book not only explains the biological and phsychological issues related to this addiction, but it also offers insights and guidelines to parent young children and young adults as well.
   I highly recommend this book to any parent raising children in the cyber age.
   Thank you to the authors for sharing their professional experties desperately needed for so many parents.



2. Who would think a book about parents staying in control of video games and kids could be a page turner? Well, this book written by Cash and McDaniel is just that. Extremely informative, practical advice and so readable.
   
   Joy Rome, M.A.



3. I would strongly recommend this book, particularly to parents of young children who are playing video games. It details how gaming can become a serious problem and what steps to take to prevent it from happening. We have a 16 year old who became addicted to a game called World of Warcraft. If not for our own experience, I would have thought that the consequences of too much gaming that the book talks about are exaggerated, however, they are NOT exaggerated, as our child suffers from almost all of them. I wish I had this book 5 years ago. It is the first that I am aware of to address the growing problem of video game addiction.

5 comments about Exploiting Online Games: Cheating Massively Distributed Systems (Addison-Wesley Software Security Series).

1. This book is a must read for anybody interested in online games or software security. Non-technical readers can skip over the detailed code for exploits, and will still gain an excellent overview of the problems that online games face. Those interested in understanding the problems in detail will undoubtedly enjoy the code as well.
   
   One of the main problems discussed by the book is that online games include a lot of game logic on the client side to provide a responsive and enjoyable experience for players. However, the problem from a software security perspective is that attackers can modify the client-side logic to change some of the rules of the game to their advantage. Of course, client-side trust issues are a widespread problem in software, and are not limited to online games alone. The book discusses many other problems with online games (and massive distributed systems in general) as well.
   
   This book has at least two advantages over many other software security books. Firstly, it should appeal to a wider audience that includes millions of online game players, thus increasing general awareness of software security issues. Secondly, it does not shy away from providing full source code for actual exploits, which should help software developers better understand what their software is up against.



2. I really appreciated the detail the authors went into in order to explain how to pull off certain exploits. It was obvious that they had really tried them all hands on.



3. I thought the book would contain more about FPS cheating and less about WoW. It's 90% about WoW. I don't work on an MMO so I got bored fast.
   
   Not a horrible book, but not great either. I preferred Hoglund's Rootkit book since it had more generic approaches to subverting win32 processes.
   
   If you work on an MMO, you should probably pick this one up.



4. By the way, you can read more in my book . . .
   If you want to know more, buy . . .
   Discuss further in my book and every other book printed by my publishing company . . .
   
   This book is a mess of poorly explained code snippets and self promotion. Also, it focues 90% of its hacking on WoW. If you don't know anything about World of Warcraft, then you will be completly lost. I have /timeplayed 1000 hours, so I could follow all of the WoW references, but unfamiliar readers will not understand large parts of the book.
   
   Half of the work in this book is just cut and pasted from code scattered on the internet. If you don't know C++, how to exploit the Windows OS, or modifying memory, these walls of code don't make much sense.
   
   This is the first book I have ever returned. The constant self promoting and lazy cut and paste code just frustrated the hell out of me.



5. Online games are, as the term implies, video games played over the Internet. Many of them have associated online communities that reach well beyond the closed world of traditional single-player home games. The most popular, World of Warcraft, boasts more than 10 million players worldwide.
   
   While the world of online gaming is built to entertain, its creators and players fight the same IT threats as business-oriented networks. Today's 12-year old who is hacking World of Warcraft simply to cheat at the game could, in a couple years, be targeting corporate networks to more nefarious ends.
   
   While the game attackers' goals are different, this book demonstrates the lengths to which they are willing to go to access a system. Those tactics are likely forerunners of software and network security challenges to come in other online arenas.
   
   In Exploiting Online Games: Cheating Massively Distributed Systems, authors Greg Hoglund and Gary McGraw offer a look at those threats. The book's 10 chapters provide a comprehensive overview of everything from game hacking 101 to reverse engineering.
   
   The authors explain in depth why and how online games are a harbinger of software security issues to come, and manifest some that already exist. They describe how gamers have created billion-dollar virual econ-omies, how to build a bot to play a game for you, why players cheat, and even how game companies invade players' personal privacy.
   
   Most important, the authors describe how game creators overcome a security issue only to have it defeated by the hackers. Sound familiar? This never ending "Spy vs. Spy" scenario is obviously frustrating to the game creators and underscores the critical importance of building effective application security into the fabric of the game.
   
   Both Hoglund and McGraw have written extensively on the importance of software security. The sooner you and your software developers read their most recent book, the better off your software infrastructure will be. Your software is critical to your organization; protect it as well as the gamers do.

1 comments about Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture.

1. A thoughtful, in-depth look at sexuality in the gaming world. Is it so very different from Las Vegas? Advertising? The voyeurism of movies? Do these things shape us or are they a manifestation of our collective urgings? Mr. Brown has a way of holding up the mirror to our most private selves and in allowing us to provide that answer, keeps us from retreating to an earlier comfort zone. Well written, as is most any offering by this author.

5 comments about Kingdom Hearts II Limited Edition Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides) (Official Strategy Guides) (Official Strategy Guides) (Official Strategy Guides).

1. This is the ultimate gift for the ultimate Kingdom Hearts fan. Not only is the back cover customized with a beautifully glazed image of one of Sora's four forms, there's also an extra character booklet that gives you even more detailed information on every single character within the game. To top it off, the entire package is neatly stacked in a stylistic cover case.
   
   This makes for a great gift and the price is absolutely worth it.



2. I bought this for my son 15. y.o. He already had the same book but hisone is the better one I guess, well he LOVES it and cant put it down! So I am very happy with my purchase!



3. This is the best biggest guide to any game I have ever bought, I love it! I read it just like a book, it is so awesome!



4. Very informative, has lots of detail, comes with many extras. Must-buy for any Kingdom Hearts fan.



5. My teenage son was thrilled with this book. It has a sleeve and is just not a regular book. We could not find this in Canada, and only found it here.