5 comments about Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. This game is incredible. The clarity on the Nintendo DS and the gameplay is Awesome. Highly recommend this game if you are a Zelda fan. And purchasing from Amazon.com has always been a pleasure! I have not been let down yet.



2. Most of the info in the book seems to be accurate. There are a couple spots in the game that I had to look some manuevers up online because the book either wasn't clear or omitted certain instructions. Again, for the most part the book is a lifesaver! :-)



3. The seller sent this to me so quickly that I was surprised, even though I paid for standard shipping. It was in excellent conditon as well.



4. Extremely helpful, Easy to use. If I didn't have this book, I would still be stuck getting the second sea scroll right now!!! Worth the money all the way.



5. As a parent (not a video gamer!) and trying to help my child w/ this DS game, I ran into a lot of problems. This book is user friendly and offers many suggestions to help in the enjoyment of the game. I would recommend getting this book even if you don't think you will have any problems. Because of the hints and side notes in this manual, we are enjoying our time together playing instead of being frustrated!

5 comments about Penny Arcade Volume 5: The Case Of The Mummy's Gold (Penny Arcade).

1. As with the four volumes before it, Penny Arcade is brought to you in handy paperback format so that you may enjoy the antics of Tycho and Gabe from any location, not just in front of a computer. The addition of notes in hindsight make for some interesting takes on their past opinions, as well as additional insight into some strips' motivations.



2. I've been buying these PA collections as they're released, and all this time I've been under the impression that they were complete. I assumed that they contained every single strip that was posted on the web, the only exceptions being things like the Strawberry Shortcake parody which they had to omit for legal reasons. But yesterday I wanted to email someone a particular comic from a few years ago, so I went to the website and started browsing through the archives. I must have looked through close to 100 comics beofore I found what I was looking for, and in doing so I noticed that there were a few here and there that I had not seen in a long, long time. Which was odd, because I go through the books all the time, I keep them in the can after all. So I printed a couple of them out and then went to the books and sure enough, they weren't there. It's no big deal, but it surprised me and I figured I'd spread awareness.



3. I love Penny Arcade. It's one of those little pleasures I look forward to 3 times a week while I'm at work. The 4th collection by Mike and Jerry is a lot of fun. I like the author's notes for each comic especially.



4. If you are looking at this book most likely you are all ready a fan of Penny Arcade. If you are a fan and wondering why you would buy a book containing strips freely available in the Penny Arcade archives, I will tell you that Tycho has, as with the first four volumes, gone back and written new commentary for all the strips in the book. As Penny Arcade fans know, a great part of the Penny Arcade experience is enjoying the strips again through Tycho's commentary on the thought process behind the strip and/or the events that led to it. There is a section in the back which includes sketches made on various convention table tops from across the years which is fun bonus material as well.



5. Collecting year 04 of Penny Arcade, Gabe and Tycho are at it again. What are they at you may ask? Hardcore hilarity. A great addition to your ever growing comic book/Web Comic collection.

5 comments about Sinnoh Handbook (Pokemon).

1. Meant as a Christmas gift, this book was intercepted by my two boys, who absolutely loved the artwork and creature descriptions.
   
   Well worthwhile for any Pokemon fan.



2. My 7 y.o. daughter caught the Pokemon craze from her 15 y.o. brother who has loved those pocket monsters since he was very little. This book was read cover to cover within the first day and it is taken along on doctor visits & car trips to pass the time - great selection!



3. I ordered this book for my 6-year-old son who is really into Pokemon at the moment. He absolutely loves this book.
   
   The book features many of the most popular Pokemon, gives a brief summary of their abilities and even states their height, weight and possible moves.
   
   What's best about this book for me as a mother is that my son, a first-grader, practices his reading without me asking him too, because he is so fascinated by all the informative stats about all his favorite Pokemon. And the book does actually use some big words that he would not encounter in the typical first-grader reading books.
   
   I can recommend this book to any Pokemon fan or parent thereof!



4. My 8 year old loves this book. It has all his favorite characters, the pictures are big and detailed so he enjoys drawing them on paper as well. A+



5. The Pokemon Sinnoh Handbook was released to give information about the Pokemon that are part of Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl. The first page of the book explains why the book was written. The second page explains what the reader will find on the page for each Pokemon (the Pokemon's name, what species it is, a pronunciation guide for the Pokemon's name, its possible moves, what Pokemon type it is, its height and weight, its evolution chain, and interesting facts about the Pokemon. Five Pokemon (Abra, Blissey, Cleffa, Golduck, and Seaking) also have a special "Remember When..." box included in their entries for trivia from the TV series. There is also an introduction to the Sinnoh region, which explains how a trainer starts out in the region.
   
   After all of the pages about the Pokemon, there is an appendix titled, "Ash & Friends," which gives brief biographies for Ash, Brock, and Dawn; included on each trainer's page are pictures of which Pokemon they have. At the very back of the book is a fold-out poster with all the Pokemon featured in the book.
   
   I did find a couple of errors in the book. Blissey's height is included, but the weight was left off. Also, Cherubi's Solarbeam attack is listed twice under its possible moves.
   
   From the design of the book, as well as the way the book is written, it's obvious that children are the target audience. However, there is valuable information included, so adults shouldn't shy away from purchasing the Pokemon Sinnoh Handbook.

No comments about Animal Crossing: City Folk: Prima Official Game Guide.

5 comments about Mass Effect (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. This book has everything you need to save the universe from Saren. Everything. Walkthrough includes bot Paragon and Renagade choices. A must have really.



2. I dont understand why people waste their hard earned money on Game Guides...i mean not only can you find strategy on the internet but in the case of Mass Effect it is a pretty straight forward game. I've beaten the game on Hardcore mode and I'm working on Insanity and I have used no game guide at all. Stop wasting your money and just play the game



3. 
   You've seen all the reviews above. So I'll be brief. This is a guide on what all the who's and what's and fiddly bits are in the game. The 1st few chapters are a perfect primer for getting your head around the game mechanics and concepts. Especially if you are a person with a busy schedule (and or family) whom can't spend hours on end in front of the screen. You don't have to use the walk-through, but it's nice to get you out of sticky spots.
   
   Definitely recommend this as a buy!



4. Of course I purchased the Xbox game guide and I have the PC version of the game, but otherwise, it was a good guide.



5. Well described, Easy to read and well illustrated. Made the game alot more enjoyable to play.

No comments about Disgaea Compilation Strategy Guide (DS, PSP, PS2).

4 comments about The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse.

1. Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse
   
   I figured this would be a useful book because when I was interviewed for it the questions were in-depth, thoughtful, and non-fluffy. And it turns out that the book is even better than I expected. This is a GREAT book for anyone who wants to start an in-world Second Life business, or for someone who wants to improve their existing business. I would have turned a profit quicker if I'd had it when I was a newbie!



2. This book is a great way to learn about the many financial opportunities that await you in Second Life. The layout is clean and colorful, the examples shown are interesting and inspiring, and it is a good examination of Second Life overall. The lessons ignite the imagination...where would I like to concentrate my efforts as an entrepreneur? What does it really take to make a business successful? How have others done it, and what can I learn from their experiences? Terdiman did his homework on this project and the guide provides a realistic look at what it would take to create your dream career.



3. outstanding. this step-by-step guide is well-written, informative, and easy to navigate. the structure of the book allowed me to get straight to the topics i was interested in - it's clearly laid out and having first-hand advice from residents/experts was extremely useful and gave me confidence - there's a great chapter on Setting Up Shop, for example. It's a comprehensive how-to that makes the metaverse accessible to everyone.



4. This book gave me a lot of great ideas for the Second Life platform. I had no idea of the type of businesses that were in Second Life. Now that I have an idea of how to purchase land and have seen the various software applications being used to create product, I plan on experimenting with it for the next 90 days or so. From there, I'm going to continue using the platform to launch my Second Life business. This Book is fabulous!
   
   Lanesa Stubbs

1 comments about Advanced Painter Techniques.

1. If you are serious about using Painter X, by all means buy this book. Don`s easy way of teaching makes this book very useful and informative. However, this book is not for beginners. You must have some knowledge of the software in order to make the most out of this book. I`d give it ten stars if I could!!

5 comments about Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition.

1. My name is Doug Parsons, and I'm an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records, so I felt the need to address some of the comments listed on this page.
   
   The Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008 was compiled by industry insiders who are experts in their field. All records and facts have been carefully researched and have been found to be up to Guinness World Records' rigorous standards. While any book of this scope is bound to contain a few grammatical or spelling oversights, all of the facts, statistics, and information within the book are certified to be true at the time of printing. [...]
   
   As Guinness World Records is the global arbiter for official record keeping, and I am an adjudicator within the organization, I felt the need to address some of the concerns. Please be assured that Guinness World Records takes any comment, positive or negative, about our products seriously, and use them to ensure that future books will be filled with even more records and facts that our readers will enjoy.



2. My son loves this book, if you are a Guinness Book fan, then you'll love this one.



3. Guinness World Records Gamers Edition marks Guinness's first romp into the gaming culture. The gaming culture is bigger than it's ever been before. For the casual gamer, this book is like a starter kit to getting you into the gaming scene. There's a lot of good information scattered throughout the book. However, for gaming aficionados, there's not a lot of stuff here that you probably don't know. Just the same, it's not a bad book.
   
   By the looks of the Guinness World Records, you'd probably think right out that this was a book for the younger gamers. The page layout and design is similar to those World Almanac for Kids books that became popular among the youth. While this may bother a few other gamers, it does show that the book is very inviting.
   
   It begins with a lengthy introduction chapter. This will show some of the highlights of 2007, including talking about some of the heavy hitting games like Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Again, though, if you're big on the gaming scene and you keep up with the news, this is nothing new to you. Even a lot of what they mention is stuff that has been hammered into most gamers head time and time again.
   
   After the introduction, there is a history of gaming. This showcases everything from the Magnavox Odyssey all the way up to the current generation involving the XBOX360, Playstation 3 and Wii. Afterwards, it goes into talking about some of the more mainstream consoles on an individual basis starting with the Nintendo 64 and Gamcube and ending with PC gaming. This section may have better had the consoles been talked about in the chronological order they were released. It is, after all, a history section. At least for all the hardware it gives you all the specs and a few factoids and some trivia concerning each console. These sections are also accompanied by crystal clear screenshots. At the end of the hardware history section there is a list of the top 5 bestselling games on each console. After all this is over with, we finally get into some of the records and trivia on some of the biggest selling gaming franchises in some of the industries most popular genres.
   
   In the Record Breaking Games section is where the book can quickly become redundant for long time gamers, but a treat for newcomers to the gaming scene. It talks of some of the most popular games in the industry such as Halo, The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario Bros and Sonic as well as several other franchises that have made a huge impact in the gaming industry. Each section presents a few factoids to the series. Telling you things like whether or not it was the fastest selling in the series, the number of copies the bestselling in the series, etc. Perhaps the most interesting is when it shows you speed record completions for certain games. And despite all that, it isn't quite enough for some of these franchises. They only get two pages a piece. However, there are some interesting facts presented for many of them. This portion of the book spans through out several genres. From the Action/Adventure to the Puzzle genre.
   
   As this section progresses there are also interviews, timelines and historical dates noted. It's also is decorated to the brim with pictures and screen shots.
   
   After all this information, you get to see them count down the 100 best arcade games and then you see charts of high scores. The book ends with an index that'll help you find anything you need.
   
   The biggest problem with the guide is, as I said earlier, that a lot of this information is not new to the experienced gamer. Much of the sales records and trivia has become common knowledge amongst most gamers. However, for many, I'm sure there's still a lot of information that's new to them.
   
   You couldn't possibly expect the book to cover everything. There are many books with more comprehensive history and more trivia. But for what you get with this, it's detailed. It's not the Ultimate Gamer's Manual, but it serves as a great introduction and start for anyone curious to the video gaming culture.



4. The GWR-GE 2008 is the company's first effort to bring together a book for computer gamers, showing gaming records and facts. As such, it's a good dip of the toes into the big wide world of gaming.
   
   The book itself is well presented. Not just a list of facts, it pleases the eye with easy-to-read double page spreads, boxes for additional information and plenty of graphics. One issue with the graphics - while they're mostly linked to the text, the references are not always easy to find and the order of the links is not clear.
   
   The book itself is fairly platform-agnostic. It's split into game categories, and after providing an overview of the category history details some of the games in each category. This is where it starts falling down, with some notable gaps. Under action-adventure we read about Colossal Caves but no mention is made of Zork. And where is the Kings Quest series? Under role-playing games the Ultima series is mentioned, but not Wizardry!
   
   The section on simulation games does at least mention Flight Simulator - but neglects the fact that combat flight simulators are an enormous market. And what about space combat? Nothing on Wing Commander, no X-Wing or anything else in this category.
   
   In racing games, the Need for Speed series is mentioned briefly but really deserves more space. Hands up if you've played chess against your computer? Well sorry, but it doesn't rate a mention in the puzzle and maze section - no Chessmaster, no Kasparov or any other champion-branded games.
   
   On the weird side, there's a section dedicated to "music games". Huh? These have been around for five minutes guys - surely there are better uses of this space.
   
   So, in summary: a nicely presented overview of gaming and gaming records, but hopefully the next edition will be more thorough.



5. There are a couple of misprints/errors here and there, but overall this is a must-have for any gamer. The amount of content is unbelievable for the price you pay. Whether you only played Super Mario as a kid, or spend hours a day on WoW, you'll love how much this book has to offer...

5 comments about Super Mario Galaxy: Prima Official Game Guide.

1. This has to be one of the most disorganized, hardest-to-follow guides I have ever read. The maps of galaxies are small and pointless. Explanations are sometimes great, but more often very hard to understand. If you're looking for the hidden stars, the guide has them listed but not in any kind of way that you can easily find the right page.



2. After reading some of the reviews on here I feel much better knowing that I am not alone when I say this guide is out of order. I hate to say this because I am one who has owned many guides and never had to complain about it being all over the place and this seems to be the very first one where I must say it's disorganized. Take for an example...After you beat The Good Egg Galaxy and you flip the next page states about the comet which will appear..ok when exactly and how many stars do you need so that can take place?! That really got me angry because it's suppose tell you when this event takes place I only came to find out when I had went to other planets and had a certain amount of stars that then the comet appear but that happend many stars later!! The guide did not tell me that at all! Then after they tell you about the comet they say Luigi appears in good egg galaxy but that ONLY happens after you go to another galaxy to another planet!! Then way post it in the good egg galaxy part when that event is not going to take place at that moment!!! As far as the maps it's really great and the pictures are great too also the author gives some educational tips but thats all. I payed 20.00 for a book thats unorganized. It bothers me because for such an award winning game you think they would make sure the guides do justice. I was doing really good with out the guide really but I knew if I didn't get it and I got stuck I would be kicking myself so I gave in. Sorry but this guide only gets one star. It may be beautiful but in the end the organization and words are way more important then that.



3. Don't waste your money on this POS. If you need a walk through go to YouTube.
   
   This book is impossible to to learn from. The photos and text are far too small to read. The book does not follow any logical order.
   
   Please save your money. I could never find anything I was looking for.



4. It works great. What else can I say? The only thing missing are cheat codes :)



5. My son who is a 7 year old loves this game. Could not put it down. This game is fun for all ages though.