Games Books

This book is one stop shopping for parents and coaches. In simple language with ample case studies, Whose Game Is It Anyways, covers everything, positive and negative, that adults need to know when working with youth in sports. Everything from child developmental psychology to difficult conversations with coaches and parents is covered in a no nonsense manner. I refer to this book often in a workshop I call "For the Love of the Game".

Disclosure: I'm personally acquainted with one of the authors.

For parents who have kids who aren't particularly athletic, this book can be an entertaining read, but it's not intended to show parents how to make athletes out of kids who have no aptitude or interest. I have no children at all, but I did enjoy reading the book for its anecdotes and insights.

The book's authors, clinical psychologists with plenty of hands-on experience coaching youth, give authority to common sense ideas that many well-read, psychologically sophisticated parents tend to honor more often in the breach than the observance. One hopes that this book will stimulate such parents -- who, no matter how intelligent, frequently fail to appreciate the intensity of the pressures besetting young people -- to more thoughtfully evaluate the actual influence of organized athletic activities on the development of their children.

The book is commendable for its relaxed, informal style and its refusal to prescribe bromides so typical of "self-help" books. There are no easy fixes for the myriad problems associated with growing up. But this book contains valuable advice to parents to assist them in helping their children who are involved in organized sports to (1) maximize the value of their positive experiences, and (2) acquire a healthy perspective towards the negative experiences that are an inevitable component of childhood.

I think this book is great. As the mother of two young girls, both of whom are participating in sports, I am grateful for the guidance it offers. Sports have played a hugely beneficial role in my own life and I want the same for my daughters. I intend to re-read it every year, and have ordered several for all my friends with kids!

This book is helping me and my son to conquer the obstacles that are set in his way. This book is helping him to follow his dreams and have fun playing the sports that he loves. It is helping me with my role as a parent of an athletic child. I am so glad for the publication of this book. I could have used it 5 years ago. At times things can get very difficult; that is why we need this book to help us through our problems. The book should be mandatory for every person involved in the development of an athletic child.

As a clinical psychologist, sports fan and father of 3 young children, I found this book to be an extraordinary resource for any parent who wants their children to get the most out of sports, at any age. It is an extremely well written and organized book by a leading expert in the field of sports psychology and child development. I highly recommend it.

My friend introduced me to Wizard a year ago. Since then I bought a set and play it with all my family and friends. They went out and bought their own sets. My wife is a card hater and she insists on playing it at family get-togethers. It is a great and easy game.

We were hooked the very first time we played and, subsequently, so has everyone to whom we have introduced it. It's difficult to explain in this review, but the directions that come with the cards are very clear. As with all card games, luck plays a part, but in Wizard you soon become aware of the strategies as well. Bidding and making your bid is the primary premise of the game. Our ten year old grandson grasped the concept about half way through the first time we played with him. He was hooked!

Great game. We played this game for hours. The learning curve is not too bad and the scoring is a little difficult but everyone really enjoyed this game. Our family's ages are 6 to 82. Highly entertaining and I really recommend this card game.

I got this game for Christmas, and love it! I am 18 and play it with my dad and grandparents. I like it, because I finally have a chance to beat my dad and grandpa, and my grandparents like it because it is more challenging and spontaneous than Bridge. It's small enough to play at home, on vacation and in airports during layovers! This game is highly reccomended!

Four years ago I was introduced to the game of Wizard by an ex-boyfriend and his family. That relationship didn't last, but my facination with the card game remains. It is a great game because of its flexible number of players, fast-paced and above all, entertaining. It is an easy game to teach new players because it is based on several popular card games including hearts, spades, and whist. Nearly everyone who I have played the game with enjoys it and rushes out to purchase their own deck.

Perfect pocket-size tarot deck when you're on the go and someone happens to need a reading!

I really enjoyed this deck it is so beautiful!

This wonderful deck and book set from the winning team of Amy Zerner and Monte Farber can NOT be beat when it comes to being able to deliver tarot readings straight out of the box! The deck is gorgeous, a smaller (and comfortable to hold) version of Amy's gorgeous Enchanted Tarot, and the book is truly a gift in its own right! Monte's carefully worded, thoughtful interpretations ALWAYS pierce straight through to the heart of the matter and within a matter of minutes the reader is given an understanding of how the cards work that FEW other books have ever provided. Their vast knowledge of tarot, astrology, and personal enrichment shines through in every aspect of this work. You will never find a more positive, living example of how these things can be used to help shape and guide you in making changes and decisions in your life. The Zerner-Farber Tarot, the Enchanted Tarot, and anything else by this husband-and-wife team are always among my highest recommendations!

I love this deck. very easy to work with and the artwork is breathtaking. I highly recommend!!!

I love this deck. very easy to work with and the artwork is breathtaking. I highly recommend!!!

This is a book either for the Colle player who wants to specialise in the Zuk or player who hasn't time so decides to speciliase in the Zuc an opening which is solid and dependable and gives a good middle game. Excellent treatment of the opening and liberal use of diagrams. Overall a good book

To my knowledge, this is the first and only book to be written exclusively on the Colle-Zukertort opening system. Luckily for us, this first one is outstanding!

As a former tournament class player (now retired to correspondence chess), I found ingenious and refreshing David Rudel's new ideas in chess writing. These include: (1) well-positioned, self-interruptive questions and comments (e.g., Why do you say that? and Why does Black have to fianchetto?), which he actually answers; (2) dealing directly (yet respectfully) with other authors' works touching on the Colle-Zukertort; (3) giving the reader the benefit of his own analysis board (Ch. 12 - Extra Analysis), and (4) allowing the reader to discover where he needs to re-read parts of the book more closely (Ch. 13 - Training).

More specifically, regarding item (2), above, where other writers leave off with "White has a slight advantage" or "White is better"-type comments, Rudel carries on and delivers numerous well-thought-out lines dealing with Black's serious attempts to derail the C Z, and in a way that class players can appreciate. For example, he explains in detail how to handle anti-Colle moves like ... Bf5 and ... Bf4, Black's attempt to chase away White's d3 bishop by playing ... Nb4, and even Black's ... c5 on the second move. He writes all of this for the class player in an informal style that is just plain fun to read. His selected master games specifically target the points he is making. He uses diagrams effectively and adequately, although I would have liked twice as many of them. (But I say that about every chess opening book I read.)

Rudel shows that playing the C-Z is not simply a matter of plopping down ten opening moves and then looking around to see what Black has done in the meantime. In my view, this work has transformed the Colle-Zukertort from a "system" to an outright opening. Of the many dozens of opening books in my chess library, Zuke `Em is hands down number one. If you play the C-Z, or want to (and if you read this book you will want to), this one is an absolute must-have.

Jack Clark
Idyllwild, CA

David Rudel's book on the Colle-Zukertort variation is very good. He is honest in his evaluations of the different lines that White may face in a game. If Black has a line that gives White a lot of difficulty Mr. Rudel lets you know and shows how to best play against those variations. Most authors would not even mention any line that could be a problem or they gloss over it. Most importantly Mr. Rudel shows a player when he should diverge from the book line. The Colle does not work well against ...Bf5, ...Bg4 lines or the Grunfeld, Kings Indian Defenses, or Dutch Defense. This is when a player must have alternate lines and Mr. Rudel lets you know. I think the Colle-Zukertort is an excellent opening for all level of players.

This book is everything the previous posts says it is, and then some. It is a "must have" book for anyone who plays the Colle-Zukertort, or wants to. The author makes it easy to understand the ideas behind the opening, and a very fun read. He gives guidelines, and even the role of each of the pawns & pieces for both sides after the basic C-Z position is reached from 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3. The C-Z offers a solid position and good chances without having to remember a lot. The font size is very easy on the eyes and good diagrams. Of all my Chess books, this is my favorite!

Zuke Em - The Colle-Zukertort Revolutionized, by David Rudel

Thinkers' press books (2008). 254 pages. P.P.

Upon seeing the advertising for this book I decided to order it and see what it was about. Unlike other books on the Colle, it is not constructed around illustrative games - While there are 26 games embedded within the text of this book they take a back door to the many pages of explanation and philosophical digression of the author.

David Rudel has played the Colle-Zukertort opening for many years, has invested in all the previous books on the subject and experienced the play of every `Anti-Colle' line of play his opponents have put up against him. I was most impressed by his careful attention to how to deal with these `side-steps' that an opponent might play who has also read other opening books that recommend lines against the Colle-Zukertort. Rudel quotes the sources of the books and articles that recommend lines and shows what he thinks are the improvements or better ways to play against them.

There is also a very good exorcise chapter at the end of the book with just diagrams of positions and numbered so that you can find the relevant text in the book for the answers - I feel that this could be reworked in a future edition at the end of each chapter so that you can more quickly review the material you just finished but it's a miner hiccup.

The author is humble and doesn't claim the opening to be always winning or all his lines to be foolproof. He encourages readers to summit their games and ideas to his Zukertort blog, which can help make future editions even better. Though the Colle-Zukertort will never be the main opening I would play for white, this book does make it a good occasional weapon especially when you need something that is solid but with some venom to it for White.

This is a wonderful book. I bought a couple of how-to books awhile back and was disappointed that those books didn't offer more inspiration photographs. This book fits satisfies that need exceptionally well. Just page and after page of beautiful woodwork.

When I first got the book, I started reading it page-by-page. It took at least an hour to get through the first half. All of the boxes are wonderful to look at and contemplate.

There is no style depicted. It covers everything from the small trinket holder, to jewelry boxes to turned boxes to the "Well, I guess someone would like that".

All of the photos are in color and are captioned with the artist's name, dimensions of the object and types of wood used to create it. An index is in the back of the book that provides the city and state of each artist.

There is absolutely no discussion of technique.

Time to head back to the shop...I've got a couple of board feet of absolutely stunning bastogne walnut that needs my attention.

If you, like I, can make whatever you see, this is the book for you. It is approx 400 pages of photos. All of which are fantastic boxes (works of art). This book is a must for when you don't know what to make next. It oozes originality. One of the boxes was my inspiration for new kitchen cabinets!

Great collection to make you think and to inspire you to "build out of the box".

Very nice book, lots of great looking boxes. Great for new ideas (woodworker) or if you are looking for something special. Only downfall, is most do not offer a picture of the inside of box.

I have always been fascinated by boxes.An avid puzzle enthusiast,I am always on the lookout for what I call puzzle boxes.These are boxes that have a secret method required to open.They are designed with hidden panels,magnets,bars,bearings,and everything imaginable that keeps them from being opened until the "Puzzle" is figured out.Unfortunately, there are no boxes of this sort in the book;though there are many that could be adapted to include a locking device or mechanism.Design wise these boxes are beautiful artistic objects and a joy to behold.It would be an even greater thrill to be able to pick them up and open them.
All the other reviews are very good and warn that what you get with this book is a picture of the box ,its overall dimensions ,color,some info on the material;but no construction methods.Not that there is any suggestion that construction methods or details are provided,one might think they are.In other words;what you see is what you get.
Anyone who designs and makes interesting boxes should find this book a real gem,and a storehouse of design ideas.
To someone who is interested in buying boxes like these,but not really interested in making them,you might have some success in contacting the artists.In addition to that,I attend a lot of Art and Craft Shows and without fail there are always a few artists who are selling wooden boxes similar to these.Common are inlaids,stacking,burls,sectionals,jewellery,chess,games,and at times I come across "puzzle boxes".

Lots of unique puzzles to jumpstart your lateral thinking skills. Tons of fun, too!

How does one invoke an "Aha" moment? How do you lead people from bewilderment to clarity with simple drawings, letters, and numbers? Lloyd King has perfected the art of puzzles, packing them with a triple punch of outright satisfaction, humor, and surprise.

If you are a trainer or workshop leader, these puzzles can be adapted for your use. The puzzles are great for ice breakers for any group or topic or could be used as exercises to support topics such as creativity, humor, or even change management.

I have been a trainer and/or workshop leader for over twenty years and am always looking for new ideas and ways to adapt existing materials to my training needs. Let me give an example how you can adapt Lloyd's puzzles as an ice breaker.

* Find out the number of participants in your workshop or session.
* Prior to your workshop pick out some puzzles from Lloyd King's book.
* You can simply redraw the puzzle on paper for each group.
* Consider dividing the workshop participants into small groups of 5-6 people.
* Offer participants an overview of the exercise. "Each group will be given a puzzle to solve. You have five minutes to work together and solve it. You will need to pick a representative who will describe your process to the entire group."
* Allow participants 5 minutes to collaboratively solve the puzzle.
* At the end of the time period have the representative from each group come forward one at a time, show the puzzle to the entire group, and describe how they reached the solution. If the group did not solve the puzzle - open the challenge up to the entire group. Provide guidance if necessary.

Liz Lowe

I like Lloyd King's puzzles! They are challenging, creative, often very amusing, and great fun. For me, this is a 5 star puzzle collection, indeed Lloyd is a 5 star puzzler, and has been for the 20 or so years that I have known him.

This genial book is one of three books written by the master of puzzles Lloyd King. This one is his latest and maybe the best one, even if it would be rather unfair to draw that conclusion, because every one of his books is very different and unique in it's own way. Lloyd's book "Test Your Creative Thinking" is the one that made me love puzzles.

"Amazing AHA Puzzles" contains over 300 puzzles. The remarkable and amazing thing is that every single puzzle is very unique and doesn't resemble any other puzzle in the book. That shows the writers colorful and versatile imagination and creativity.

English is not my native language, so in the beginning, I found some of the wordy puzzles rather difficult. The fine thing is that these puzzles will even make you think English and learn English in quite an unique way. Therefore, I would recommend Lloyd King's books even to those who want to learn English and be better at English.

The book's wonderful illustrations show us that an amazing amount of energy and time has been invested into every page of this work of genius.

Coming from a relatively puzzle-less background, I am a recent convert to the imaginative puzzle world presented by Lloyd King's special brand of AHA! creative magic. This beautifully presented book contains puzzles ranging from the relatively simple to the almost impossible. Fortunately all the answers, with full and elaborate explanations, are available in the book so the reader is not only able to obtain emotional release if the need arises (as assuredly it will!) but is also able to gain a real insight into the mechanics of a truly creative and imaginative mind and in so doing improve his/her own creative and lateral thinking. This is a highly recommended book.

I loaned the book from the library when I was 15. I remember that I had to periodically stop reading it because it was so funny that my eyes were full of tears of laughing. I re-loaned it some four or five times, until I moved and could no longer return to the public library where I had found it. After so many years I still remember complete passages of this book, and at that time I was reading three books per week, most of which I can't even remember the titles!

Do you want to have a permanent smile on your face? Just read this book.
It would be great to see the book re-printed.

I first read this book about 20 years ago and though it would make a great movie. I'm sure the Russians would enjoy it too.

A hilarious story suitable for young teens of either sex and those who are still young at heart. A cold war romance set on an island off the coast of England. Also a possible world record winner for 'longest book title in the world'. I enjoyed it immensly when it was first published and am now looking for a copy to give to my boys. (after I've read it again.)

This book is completely crazy! Absurd, funny as hell. (And if you are able to stop laughing for a moment: It is certainly not without sting.)

Today's news (Jan 8th, 2007) made it even funnier: I had no idea that the story of Foul Rock was directly inspired by reality! And now it is up for sale...

The "real" Foul Rock's name is Sealand, located outside the coast of England (although not in the same waters as the fictional Foul Rock). It was founded as a "nation" in 1967, attacked in 1968 - and the book about Foul Rock was published in 1969. There should be no doubt about the source of inspiration!

Now, there are two points worth mentioning: Readers too young to know anything about the Cold War will miss out on a lot of the humour. And, you should be rather familiar with the English language to understand all the word play.

I first read this book in a Norwegian translation. Several times, the only way to see the humour was to back-translate to English to discover the word play. Still I miss out some humour because I am not that familiar with British culture (e.g. the way the various British papers present the news - I guess that you have to know those papers to see the humour), but there's more than enough of it to make you laugh your way through this book anyway.

I beg for a reprint of this book - the day it is published, I'll buy about a dozen copies for use as gifts to selected friends.

My background is in Medieval History and the Arthurian legends. While I have enjoyed RPGs in general over the years, I have never really felt fulfilled by them. Ars Magica changed that.

This is a grand game, not only in terms of system, but also in scope. You are not slogging around odd underground defense installations finding monsters sitting in room with a king's ransom in gems; instead, you are part of a community and your interests are first in foremost in the esoteric study of arcane lore and magic. Assuming you are a mage. The Companion and Custos (Grogs) have a slightly different take on life, but they are lower down the Great Chain of Being.

This game assumes that in the Middle Ages the world was what people believed it was. Demons are real. God is above all else. Faeries are around every corner. Within this context, you, the player, are an anomaly -- a mage with great power, socially shunned (at best), but in the end subject to the world around you and the constraints placed on your magic.

The system is elegant, requiring only 10-sided dice. The magic system is magesterial -- huge, flexible, yet limiting the lesser magi until they have a chance to learn. Most of all, the game puts you within a real world and makes you feel enmeshed in it.

If you are looking for a truly fine RPG, this is it, hands down.

Before Jonathan Tweet moved to Wizards of the Coast, and before Mark Rein-Hagen created the WW's World of Darkness -- they created Ars Magica. This is a wonderfully detailed, and realistic medieval roleplaying game. The magic system is the best there is! The fleshed-out combat system, and the fact that you play 3 characters from different social strata are also wonderful features. The first RPG to have troupe-style play, and it's quite a treat for gamers seeking substance. Minor complaint: I wish there were a few clear and concrete examples of the rules being used during play; in some places the text is dense and a bit hard to digest. But don't let this fool you, the rules are really quite simple -- the presentation just needs to be streamlined.

A grand game for the true hardcore roleplayers. Ars is a system once owned by White Wolf, and one can draw many comparisons between the two, that has only gotten better in the two editions between. You play three characters at once and each is quite detailed. The magic system is the ultimate in imagination and personalization and the combat system is realistic,deadly, and exciting. You need no supplements to have a great time but each adds more detail. Pick it up and get lost in Mythic Europe.

This is one of the coolest roleplaying games I have ever played. I have played Traveller, Gurps, D&D, Twilight 2000 etc...

This system is one of my favorite Magic systems ever. The game world is rich and the whole concept behind covenants and mundanes in mythic europe is an exciting one!

A quirk of many Ars Magica players is that they have a particular edition they value above all others: mine was third edition: to my mind, it was the apex of the games origionality. At its best, Ars Magica was an intensly colourfull game that gave modern players a filter through wich they could percive a fantastic medival world. It was a mix of judith tarr and prof. umberto eco, and propably the best thing mark rein . hagen ever made.
Unfortunately, the current owners of the game do not get all that. They seem to think that its supposed to be a "realistic" simulation of the middle ages: not that the middle ages are not intresting enough on their own, but that just wasnt the point of Ars Magica. Its name means "the Art of Magic", and it was supposed to focus on what was OUTSIDE the medival world: its cosmology was one never thought of in medival times. The main characters are outcast wizards, not, say, knights.
Also, i have a terrible suspicion that the current owners overuse of historical material is due to a lack of ideas of their own. Even the colours used in the game - books have become more grey.
One last thing: the rules have always been a bit heavy - going (even a simplified version of rolemaster can manage to be quite complex), but the basic dice system is easy and logical enough, so with a bit of practice a storyteller should be able to manage with a few general rolls. The fourth edition people should have kept most of them unchanged, i understand.

I have to agree with the other reviews on this book, it's a MUST have at any price.

The art from the early Dragonlance covers has always been some of my favorite fantasy art, and this book dives deeper in the vaults to bring out art that if you're like me might never have seen. Some of the art is from the dragonlance calandars, posters, etc. This book will leave you with a deep appriciation for Larry Elmore and the other great artists who've done these covers.

I was born with the name of Raistlin.. naturally i would want to see the character i was named after. This book provided me with the start to my passion with Dragon Lance.
It goes into detail and explains everything (how the dragon riders stay on the dragons etc.).
I have one copy and so does my Dad, but mine has pages missing from when he used them as posters. I want another copy but it depends how much i am willing to pay on e bay.
This book is worth getting for a price such as £50.

Enjoy.

This book is worth every penny I paid to get it. It includes a short story about how the Dragonlance epic came to be, the four original color roughs (by Larry Elmore), sketches of the dragonlance and saddle and how to use it, sketches and pictures of the many types of draconians, armor and weapons, beautiful oil and acrylic pictures, a little history and pictures of the Heroes of the Lance, pictures and history of minor characters such as Lord Lorac, the elven king, and much, much more! This book is a must-have for any Dragonlance collector. You won't be disappointed!

This gorgeous book is one of the finest compendiums of TSR artwork ever created - it is loaded full of hundreds of illustrations, free of print, on glossy paper; included are every piece of full-color artwork ever created for Dragonlance (up through 1987), supplemented with rich text and many, many concept sketches that appear nowhere else! For Dragonlance afficionados, or those who appreciated classic art by Easley, Caldwell, Parkinson, Elmore, and more, this is the ideal collection.

This was an absolutely beautifully laid out book. It contains 'round 40 full color full page prints of paintings of the dragonlance saga. Along with the prints there is also background info. on how the artists put the images together, along with an intriguing storyline that ran with the images. An absolutely fantastic book... can't say much more about it!

Barstow was one of the best. His is one of the few gaming strategy books that takes a serious look at betting progressions, regressions, parlays and hedge moves. His common sense approach pre-dates the work of many currently popular craps authors and appears to be the inspiration behind many of the strategies these other writers are known for.

I constantly refer to this book when comparing systems and the advice in this book has steered me away from "new" super systems that promise to win you millions and stopped me playing some of the old standbys.
It promises consistent wins and delivers on that promise .It also promises you won't win millions and that in itself makes it a rarity an honest book on and look at gambling.

For most it won't appeal to the "gamblers blood"or anyone with a short attention span as the progression/regression series require your full focus and attention and would be to much of a grind for most.

VIC

I read this several years ago and still refer to it often. Some of the mathematical conclusions may not be totally accurate, but this does not diminish its worth in the least. For anyone interested gambling, or just numbers, it cannot be beat IMO. Many, many ideas on "increasing your odds", interesting anecdotes, and basic info on casino games. Without a doubt, it is worth far more than the 6 bucks!

This book is a must for anyone looking to win at a casino. I have found it to be the most informative guide to casino gambling I have ever read. Barstow's chapter on wagering has greatly improved my casino experiences.

If you are going to endure a 4 hour flight or car ride to Vegas, this book is for you. It is a well-written, understandable guide to casino games. It does not try to sell you on a system, or on cash management. It does try to educate you on the odds of winning. It gives you the straight scoop about the games with the best odds- craps and blackjack. It also warns you about games with less favorable odds- the "Big Wheel", roulette and others. Go to the casino with a fighting chance- read Barstow's book.(as you drive through Barstow!) so, as the dealers say in Vegas, "Good Luck!"