4 comments about Fun with GPS.

1. Think 'GPS' and what comes to mind? Usually in-car navigation systems - but there's much more to GPS and ordinary users may find these devices can be attached to about anything to be use for interesting results. Maps and photos come with each outlined project for hobbyists, athletes, drivers, teachers and more. Use GPS devices to track and map activities, or in a treasure hunt, or to GPS a model airplane's abilities: there's a lot a GPS device can accomplish, and Fun With GPS covers it all.



2. Do you remember when a GPS device was expensive and heavy and only to be used for serious work? The inexorable progress of Moore's Law has laid that low. So along comes ESRI Press with this lighthearted book by Cooke. Outreach to the young masses. He talks about fun and cool things you can do with a GPS transponder. All the things we never had.
   
   You might wish to thumb through his suggestions. See if any catch your fancy. Or, if you like these ideas, try also looking up the magazine "Make" published by O'Reilly. It has the same freewheeling spirit seen here.



3. During a recent flight, included with my carry on luggage was a copy of "Fun With GPS", a relatively new publication from ESRI press by Don Cooke. The author is the founder of GDT, recently acquired by Tele Atlas, and has an extensive resume, including having played a key role in the creation of TIGER.
   Jumping right in, the book provides the reader with an introduction to GPS along with a useful primer on mapping and the proper use of a GPS. The "meat" of the book is really from Chapters 3 onward. This is where Cooke provides numerous informative, educational, and interesting examples of real-life uses and applications of GPS. Even better, each example explains (in detail) a fun use, detailed instructions, photos/images, useful web links, and interesting commentary.
   
   Particularly useful (and educational) small sections devoted to mapping, GIS, accuracy, and GPS concepts & terminology are included. After all, simply capturing and storing GPS coordinates is hardly of use, particularly to the layman. It's the understanding of the data, along with integration of maps and/or GIS that really makes GPS fun! A particularly interesting and "bang on" quote from the book that really struck a cord with me... "GIS really does put the fun into GPS". My take... indeed it does!
   
   So who should buy or read Fun With GPS? If you happen to be one of millions of users of a GPS or a GPS-enabled mobile device then you'll no doubt find this book to be a valuable addition to your library. Can the book provide specific examples that apply to your lifestyle? Likely so since numerous specific examples and applications of GPS uses have been provided. These include:
   Geocaching
   Degree confluence chasing
   GIS/mapping
   Ice skating
   Hockey
   Skiing
   Racing (auto)
   Hiking
   Sailing
   Polo
   Camping
   Golf
   Rowing
   Sky diving
   
   If you happen to have a hobby included above then Don has provided a detailed example application of how you will find GPS to be useful and fun.
   
   Finally, the heart of the book comes in chapters 2 and 8. Chapter 2 offers an awesome primer on mapping. Cooke uses the free ArcExplorer GIS data viewer from ESRI and the complimentary (and free) DNR Garmin program from the Minnesota DNR as the focus of a tutorial on using your GPS data with a GIS without spending a dime. Both programs are totally free and detailed instructions for use have been provided to get you up and running and help get your GPS data off the device and used within a real application.
   
   Chapter 8 is devoted to the use of GPS in schools and in the community. Interesting sample uses focus on the use of GPS by a museum to track visitors, mapping of a restored cemetery by grade school students, and even how to write your name with a GPS track log. Students attempting any of these sample projects will no doubt get a great introductory education to mapping and geospatial concepts, but will still have some addictive fun with their GPS as well... they may also even solve a community problem or address a local conservation issue.
   
   Fun with GPS is truly a fun read. I admit, I have a dusty, 2 year old Garmin somewhere on my desk, however, it wasn't until I read this book that I had much interest in turning it on! I plan on locating a geocache in the near future and I also plan on capturing a degree confluence or two!
   
   [...]



4. This is a spectacular book that treats GPS with a light (and fun) touch without any sacrifice of technical substance. Though aimed at beginners, GPS savants will find it equally useful, both for elegant insights as well as ideas on how to teach others about GPS. I teach land navigation and regularly consult this book for inspiration regarding new ways to keep the material fresh in my classes.

5 comments about Diablo: The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games Series.).

1. This book is very helpfull with Diablo. The most helpfull thing about it is the shrine listings. This book also helps alot to get through the single player game very well. It list all of the items (even unique and enchanted) and lists their stats too. In short, this is a very helpfull book for playing Diablo.



2. biadlio was a wonderful romantic comed



3. I love it, but i have a queston how do you get a trainer(AHH)? E-mail me at sportschik83@yahoo.com



4. This book is a good one to become proficient at this classic role-playing game. It's key info is needed to quickly defeat Diablo. I wrote this review after winning Diablo as all three characters; swordsman, archer, and sage, over 6 months as a single player. Diablo won the 1996 game-of-the-year by the computer mags and is phenomenal game that one grows to appreciate its complexity as you get better.

   In a nutshell, Diablo is a first person shoot-em-up game against 19 classes of enemies. Diablo stays interesting as the 16-playfield layouts change for each game and the 1000s of creatures have a complex variation of personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. The first 4 levels have sprawling layouts of Dungeon rooms; levels 5-8 have Catacombs which are smaller layouts of rough rock walls; levels 9-12 are Caves with large excavations and meandering streams; and the final 13-16 Hell levels are laid out as interstitial quadrangles. The game play is a nice blend between isometric 3D visualizations, character animations and sounds, and multimedia video clips.

   With this book, playing success is an exercise in developing strong Diablo problem-solving skills. Initially looking on the Internet for Diablo cheatz which were few as its a legacy 6-year old game. What this book provides is info and strategy that can help you defeat the myriad of creatures and quests. My book has become a much thumbed, reread, indexed, and enhanced with scrawled notes on how to defeat them.

   For example, I found that the easiest character to win was the Rogue archer-woman and won Diablo in 3 games, as archery is a distance scenario. The next easiest character to win was the Warrior swordsman, completed in 5 games, mainly because of hand-to-hand combat experience as a kid. The most difficult character, of course, was the sage Sorcerer, which took me 9 games to win because of the myriad (26) magic potions that need to be mastered. This book gives you an informal discussion and tables of characteristics without all the trial and error. Although it discusses general tactics, it is weak in overall game strategy and specific tactics on specific minions.

   This book provides details on the power of weapons and armor and strength and weaknesses of enemies. It also covers the 17 special Quests quite well. The author writes in an entertaining prose and presents key info is in complex tables. I found that Blizzard's production release of Diablo v1.04 and internet update download to v1.08 was very stable and reliable on a P5/233MMX, Socket7 PCI mobo TX chipset, ATI Rage PCI video, 64MB RAM, 52X CD, 10GB HD, and SB16 running Win98SE.

   The book is divided into 10 chapters including the making of, but has no index or glossary, which is a serious beginner's omission as the game's jargon is voluminous. There could have been a List of Tables too. And these tables could have had summaries or group breakouts so that the many character(s)(istics) are better organized. The screen shots could be larger and less dark. I bought it at a local used bookstore and the game at a garage sale. Of course, certain key subjects and data tables had erroneous or omitted information.

   Each game is saved in the game folder as single_X.SV, where X is 0 to 9; ten games max. Thus create a historical archive subfolder and keep old and partially played games there. Second, game files vary from 200KB to 3MB. So burn game files onto a CD, email, or save on a Zip to impress friends and foes. Finally, do judicious saving for replaying level(s) that eventually went sour. Use the keyboard Ctrl+Alt+Esc to toggle to Windows for making notes and performing file maintenance.

   To win maximize building experience points and accumulating gold and key special weapons. Finding, identifying, and redeeming EVERY single weapon, armor, chest, scroll, staff, book, ring, tomb, library, and shrine on every level to maximize your power. Often the first 5 levels and what you accumulate therein can give you a premonition on the final outcome of the game.

   For example, the Sorcerer is quite vulnerable in the beginning and the player must strive to play almost perfect levels. Waste the least amount of resources on the minions and don't let them touch you. Learn to run away and lead them into a trap. Accumulate and convert your operating weapons and armor from standard to special ones. Sell as many of the std weapons for health, mana, and ID scrolls from Adria, the Witch. Buy ID scrolls from her as much as possible compared to paying Cain to ID. Categorize the specials and unique weapons and armor into red and blue (fire and lightning resistant), in rows on the ground so that best combinations can be easily selected. Run a pre-level scouting expedition to find what's new on each level. Return to town near the beginning of each level and always re-visit Adria. Apparently attacking minions on a new level triggers her to provide a new list of scrolls, books, and staffs. Accumulate and deploy key fire, lightning, and mana shield spell books rapidly, compared to duplicative staffs and scrolls which are redeemed for more gold. Spell books, and their cumulative power from multiple units, will affect later quest outcomes. If it is taking too much to finish off a minion; its probably because you are doing it wrong. Finally, Quests do not have to be completed serially; do the first five levels without doing the Butcher and King Leoric. Then when stronger and with Arkaine's Valor armor, return back and efficiently finish off the buzzards. Use fKey to Holy Bolt for dealing with skeletons, zombies, King Leoric, and finally Diablo.




5. Diablo is one of the easiest games to beat.Also, its usually only fun on B.net, and on B.net people are always hacking. There is just no need for a strategy guide, only for D2, its fun on the single-player mode.

1 comments about Super Mario Advance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. Okay, as much as the next person I like maps too, and while this guide didn't have any, that doesn't matter cuz the level of detail in the walkthrough was good enough for me!

   The amount of time they took to put this guide together makes this a very good guide. They were very content on helping you get started in a section dedicated to completely helping you learn the basics. They explain the use of items. The explain all the enemies and ways to defeat them.

   The walkthrough was very good. While it didn't have maps who cares? The other two guides had maps and they weren't even the best! What made the walkthrough good was that they had a quick reference guide in the back and that was only to help you find mushrooms, ace coins, and yoshi eggs if you wanted to get through the level in a hurry. Crystal clear screenshots basically dominated.

   The secrets were well done while I still was able to find some tricks that I was stupidly trying out to see if they worked (and did but hey they were stupid), they actually told me what would happen if I got all the Ace coins in the game, they actually TOLD me what would happen if I collected all the yoshi eggs too.

   They completely covered the Super Mario Bros. classic very easily. The guide was so detailed. I have to recommend this guide out to anyone there is. While it still isn't the best its better than the other two I saw. Keep this in mind because the guide is very decent and well put together.

No comments about World of Warcraft: Arthas: The Rise of the Lich King (World of Warcraft).

2 comments about Soul Nomad: The Official Strategy Guide.

1. this is not a review of the game (which is killer! 5 stars!) and it's not a review of the contents of the guide, because i just received it. what this is a review of is the quality of the materials used for the guide. when i opened my package, i was instantly disappointed paying $24.99 (which is the price PRINTED on the back of the guide, so Amazon is FOS with the $29.99 price) what you get is very sub-standard when it comes to guides. it has the look and feel of those old Del Rey sci-fi paperback books.(read on)
   first, let me remind people that the same company, DoubleJump, released the guide for Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. that guide was 400 glossy pages, with a fold-out glossy color poster, a section of artwork/illustrations, and collectable trading cards for $19.99 -- they also did the Phantom Brave guide, which was over 350 glossy pages, artwork pages, and collectable trading cards for $19.99 --
   SO, why did the Soul Nomad guide have less pages? no glossy paper? no trading cards? but it costs $24.99!?!?! the paper used is as bad as the thin, non-gloss paper used for making the PS2 game manuals . (of course some games do come with nice quality manuals, but i'm sure you have enough PS2 games to know what type of cheap-quality paper i am referring to) and this ''Limited Edition'' blurb on the cover is what's to justify the higher cost for such a sub-standard quality in materials? pah-leez...
   anyway, DoubleJump should take notice that we don't want anymore cheap-as-dirt 'quality' guides unless the price matches the quality. this guide is worth $9.99 (and even that might be stretching it!) -- it's not worth $19.99, not $24.99 and certainly not the $29.99 Amazon expects you to pay for it! you want your customers to feel they are getting their hard-earned money's worth... NOT making them feel ripped off! (and that goes for both DoubleJump and Amazon)



2. To be honest, I clumsily purchased this guidebook. When I went to cancel my order the next day the book had already been shipped. I'm glad I decided not to continue further with my cancellation.
   
   Doublejump is a fine publisher and spares little details. Upon receiving my item two days later, browsing through the pages, my expectations of a quality product had been met. I can't stress enough that Doublejump shames other publishers(eg Bradygames) with their detailed and in-depth knowledge of game mechanics, battle by battle walkthrough, and accurate charts of various game aspects. The few errors I discovered I considered moot as they did not affect my enjoyment. During your playthrough, you will ascertain that these errors are mere oversights. An interview of the developer and their artwork concludes the guidebook which may delight those who crave the most minute detail of such a great game or Nippon Ichi games. All in all, for the money I paid, this turned out to be a damn fine purchase.

5 comments about The Art of Warcraft.

1. This is an excellent book featuring original art from all of the warcraft games including Warcraft3. I'm studying to become a character designer for games/movies and I love this book as a reference and ispiration for various weapons and clothing/armor pieces as well as characters. The book gave me a glimpse at the production proccess of the games. This book will also be good if you're into drawing/illustrating since it features the original works of the designers of the games before they've became the final product. Would probably also make a nice collection piece for anyone who is interested in the warcraft series, but I'm not sure about that.



2. I think this is the best Art Book i've Every seen. Because the images inside is very cool and colourful. I prefer every one will like this book. Don't even think about it , just buy it!!



3. I ordered it. But after a week i got an vague e-mail reply from Amazone that the book couldn't be shipped because they couldn't purchase it from anyone.
   On the Amazon website it still can be ordered, strange.... Not even an update of the page with an "out of stock" message.
   
   Maybe it has something to do with the upcoming "Worlds of Warcraft"-special edition. The game and The art book.
   
   Nice going, Publisher. I just want the book, not the game. How much fun it may be....



4. This book is totally awesome.
   lots of great art work. buy it you'll like it. I promise yopu wont be disappointed.



5. I spent 7 Dollars for expedited shipping on this product. Product showed up bended in half ruining the artwork. And then crammed into a 5,5 mail slot rather then left in the office... Good book but I don't recommend anyone use priority mail shipping. Nor bother with expedited shipping use a real delivery service not USPS.

4 comments about Xenosaga? EPISODE II Limited Edition Strategy Guide.

1. This guide has the misfortune of being a bit better than the game it was created for. As a result, even an adequate guide suffers from the company it keeps. There are fully descriptive sections on the characters, their defense systems, as well as a detailed walk through complete with maps. Unfortunately, if you follow the walk through, your $50 console game will take about 20 hours to complete (not counting some long script episodes) and you won't be a happy camper. Slightly longer if you follow all the mini-games.
   
   On the other hand, without the guide the game will take forever to play, as you suffer the contunual frustration of figuring out the complicated battle system and some of the more obscure sidequests. So yes, you will benefit from the guide, just try to use it as little as possible or it will spoil the game rather than enhance it. I found the sidequest information particularily helpful. Oddly enough I followed this strategy and thus missed a several oversights in the instructions for some subquests. It was only when I went through the guide carefully that I discovered them, and it is a misstep that will keep you from completing an entire side quest. You can still finish the game, but slightly irritated.
   
   Outside of that, this is one of the best guides I've seen in a while. It's printed on solid paperstock with excellent graphics and writing. Sometimes the battle instructions get a bit vague, but for the most part, a lot of information is presented in an effective manner. There are a few glitches and you are sometimes guided into approaching a boss battle the long way around when a more direct, brutal approach would actually be as effective.
   
   Because of the mentioned problem I have to give this a three star rating, although although everything else is excellent. Be warned if you decide to buy it.



2. If you like Xenosaga you will like this guide. It has a different cover from the normal guide. And it came with a CD with the game music. It is really worth your maoney, So go for it!



3. Long time Amazonian, first time reviewer.
   I normally don't have a whole lot to say and that's why I don't send in reviews. But I just had to after buying this several months back.
   I was very excited that (1) the game was coming out and (2) there was going to be a special limited edition version of the guide with a Music CD and Posters and the like. I had preordered this and everything, I finally get it and start playing the game and right about 15 minutes into it the binding gives and pages are falling out all over the place. At first it was only the first few pages of the start of the game portion of the guide but after a few minutes they were just leaping off the cheap glue binding. By the time I beat the game it was the whole book of many pages just being held together by the slightly nifty fold-over flap that is part of the cover.
   I'll admit, it was actually convenient at times having the ability to place pages from different areas of the book together but it was still a pain keeping them in order.
   So if your looking for a quality book like I'd prefer you'll want to stay away from this but otherwise if you'd like to buy something thats just gonna fall apart in to pieces, this might just be what your looking for.



4. The Xenosaga Strategy Guide came with an outer protective cover (which was nice as it keeps the book from getting destroyed) and a sound track; although the sound track was not something I personally cared for. The book was well-written; it gives you the information needed to get through the game. I gave it three stars because it is just the typical strategy guide.

No comments about Psychonauts Official Strategy Guide.

No comments about Matrix, The: Path of Neo(tm) Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Signature Series Guide).

No comments about Playing Ms. Pac-Man to Win.