Games Books

I have just finished reading the book Head Games and it is an excellent book i really dont get into books but this one keep me interested. Jenna Blake a college student comed home for christmas to her friends and family. Murders start happening and the murderer is no other than some of Jenna's old highschool graduates. Jenna is on the hunt to why these good students would commit such a crime she believes theres something more to it then meets the eye. I Enjoyed the book alot and reccomend it deffintly to other readers. What i liked about it was it was keeped up with modern day things like movies actors and television shows. Theres nothing i really disliked about the book at all. I also feel it had a lesson behind the story about children/teenagers watching television and playing video games that may have a big impact on how a child/teenager acts. I really recommend this book to read its fun from beginning to end.

I could not put the book down. It was amazing. I was on theedge of my seat. All his books are great.

Finally home from college for Christmas vacation, Jenna Blake is ready for some relaxing, hanging out with friends and family, and taking a break from solving murders. That is, until she finds out that one of her childhood friends has murdered his entire family on Christmas Eve. Then another one of her friends murders his entire family on Christmas, then another. Jenna knows that her friends don't have this in them. And even though they were the ones holding the knives, hammers, etc. she knows that something must have been controlling them. Causing them to have these homicidal rages. The police are doing the normal thing, trying to blame violence on TV and in video games, but Jenna goes further than that. And soon realizes that someone is playing head games with her former classmates, and her as well. All Jenna needs is someone to listen to her theories. But out here in Natick, Slick is unknown to the homicide detectives, and her college friends are all away for the holidays. So Jenna has to do something that she's not so used to doing. Relying on herself.

Out of all of the books in the BODY OF EVIDENCE series, this is my favorite one so far. Golden has done a lot of research on mind-control, and has entwined all of it into an interesting, and elaborately woven novel. Filled with strange twists and turns around every corner, HEAD GAMES is sure to please. A must-have for all who have read the previous books in the series.

Erika Sorocco

When Jenna Blake goes back to her hometown for the Christmas season she's hoping on having fun with her mother. She's hoping on recconecting with her old High School friends who she hasn't spoken with for a while. She's certainly not counting on another mystery but unfortunatly that's what she ends up getting. When a former classmate kills his entire family in their sleep Jenna is both shocked and horrified. When a second classmate does the same, Jenna becomes suspecious. Is it coincidence that two seemingly normal kids kill their entire family and just forget about it? Jenna doubts it. She wants to help solve this mystery but she's far from Somerset University where the police know her by face and name and sort of trust her. And she's also far from Dr. Silkowski whom has also found himself entrapped in another puzzling mystery and in his own personal problems. Jenna's on her own. And she only has so much time to find out who's playing dangerous head games with her and her friends.

For some odd reason I haven't picked up a Jenna Blake book for quite a while but when I saw this in the store i just had to read it. Once again I was not dissapointed. Golden is a talented author or suspense and once again delievers a new novel with a powerful mystery filled with great charecters. If you're a fan of the series I reccomend this novel. Have fun!

Jenna Blake, a college freshman, is home for Christmas break. Through her job as a medical examiner's assistent, she has helped to solve various crimes over her first semester, but usually with the aid of others. When three of her former classmates from high school murder their families and then have no memory of the acts, Jenna is suspicious. She wants to solve this crime, but she's on her own, and no one will take her seriously. I highly reccomend this series to teens who enjoy thrillers. Each book stands alone, but I reccomend reading them in order.

Heavy Gear is a great game -- both in its rules system, which is simple and easy to pick up, and its background and story material.

The main rulebook comes with a full set of rules for both the RPG and the tactical combat game, plus a good amount of detail on a likely setting for an RPG (Peace River), and a slightly smaller section on the world as a whole (which is expanded on in the Life on Terra Nova sourcebook that can be purchased separately, and is also excellently written).

Heavy Gear takes place 4000 years in the future, on the colony world of Terra Nova. Heavy Gears are one-man mecha, something between an infantryman and a tank. The planet is divided into two polar leagues separated by a vast desert known as the Badlands, poised on the brink of war after years of uneasy peace. The game has an ongoing storyline that leads from this starting point and is continued with storybooks and through the sourcebooks. The storyline is planned out in advance, which gives it a great leg up on other games.

One note -- the computer games and cartoon should not be used to judge the pen and paper game; the computer games are not really in the best spirit of the game and the cartoon...has nothing to do with the pen and paper game other than the name really.

In addition to the rulebook, you will probably want to hunt down the Life on Terra Nova sourcebook if you plan to run an RPG game (or if you're just interested in reading more about the game world).

The year is 1934... 1934 TN, that is - make that 6132 AD, or thereabouts. The planet is Terra Nova, one of several planets colonized by mankind after it survived a minor ice age and discovered a net of space anomalies connecting about a dozen planets. Unfortunately the Earth government collapsed some centuries back and left the colonies to fend for themselves...
On Terra Nova, a planet without oceans divided into two hemispheres by an inhospitable desert girdle, several nations have developped since that time. The southern nations have been subjugated by the Southern Republic, which in turn caused the northern nations to band together for their own protection. Now these two power blocks, armed to the teeth, are gearing up for war once more, with the unhappy inhabitants of the desert Badlands in the middle, seeing their home become a battleground.
And then there's the fascist Earth regime, come back to claim its own...

This is the Rulebook for the Heavy Gear system, Dream Pod 9's most exciting and best game system ever. At the core of it all is a game engine called the "Silhouette" system, a well thought out system of rules equally useful for roleplaying and tactical combat, for simulating space, submarine or ground environments.
HG offers you the opportunity to step into the future and see the world through the eyes of the inhabitants of mankind's new home, wether you want to do classical roleplaying or fast paced mechanical combat, or both at the same time.

The rulebook is very well written and contains lots of examples illustrating the realistic, yet easy to understand and use rules system. Talking of illustrations... those are there as well, *lots* of them, and very well done, too.

But you get more than just a bunch of rules. At the beginning there's a gorgeous colour section showing the planetary system and a world map, followed by a short but thorough introduction to the world of Terra Nova, covering the various nations and regions. There's even a short source book on Peace River, a huge desert city/arcology/weapons factory, allowing you to start playing right away if you wish to.
Of course you get the necessary character creation rules, an exhaustive list of skills, some equipment and weapons, and rules for interaction, skill tests and, of course, combat. You also get archetypes and some animals to populate the wilderness, not to forget the enigmatic desert nomads known as Sand Riders...
Plus you get the complete tactical combat rules, if you like that kind of thing. If you prefer hex-maps or miniature games is entirely left to you. The Silhouette system allows you every imaginable freedom while covering all the necessary aspects.

Some people have called Heavy Gear the heir of Battletech (you know, the combat game with all those giant robots... what serious Heavy Gear fans refer to as "that other game"). Fact is, HG is much, much more.
The trademark of the game is the Gear, a roughly humanoid combat machine of the future - but that 's where the similarity ends. The tactical system is hugely superior to that of BT, allowing for opportunity fire, sensor detection, communication and ECM, while the roleplaying system is not just an afterthought, but an inherent part of the game (if you want to, the main part - if not, it's a nice background. Your choice.)
HG is incredibly detailed (there's a huge range of sourcebooks, covering every imaginable aspect, if you feel like it - but you don't need them if you don't want) and quite realistic, plus it's got an overarcing background story similar to Babylon 5. And there's no need to read through stacks of badly written novels. Conflic is certainly a constand of the HG universe, but the system doesn't force you to concentrate on war, like the other game did, but allows you to explore the future any way you like.

In short, HG is my favorite game of all times. And I've tried out quite a number.

This hardcover edition of Dream Pod Nine's Heavy Gear Role Playing and Tactical Game was one of my first pruchase of the game line.

It was money well spent.

The book itself sports quality binding and paper. The printing is clear, legible and easy on the eyes. There is plenty of excellent content, spiced generously with outstanding pen art.

Even if not a fan of Role Playing and Tactical Miniatures Gaming, Sci-Fi fans will enjoy a depiction of a futuristic colony world both at war with imperialistic conquerors and with itself.

It is a stark, hard sci-fi story of human settlers that have braved harsh desert conditions, isolated from the rest of humanity and struggling not only for suvival, but also for cultural identity.

Role Play and Tactical Game Players will also find Heavy Gear to be a refreshing change of pace from the tired Sword and Sorcery Genre. And, they will find this high quality rulebook to be a perfect collectors and players peice in any library.

Enjoy!

Heavy Gear is one of the best SF roleplaying games in existence. It combines an incredibly rich setting, an overarching storyline that rivals Babylon 5 for depth and complexity and a simple, flexible and intuitive rules system for roleplaying and tactical combat.

Some people may already be somewhat familiar with the Heavy Gear setting through either the Activision Heavy Gear computer games or the Heavy Gear animated series. For those who are not, a brief synopsis:

Heavy Gear takes place in the 62nd century. The action primarily takes place on the colony world of Terra Nova. A harsh and beautiful world, it has also been wracked by conflict. Two decades ago, Earth attempted to reclaim her wayward offspring in the War of the Alliance, a devastating conflict which briefly united the major Terranovan powers against the invaders. However, this hard won unity quickly fell by the wayside as old conflicts reemerged. Terra Nova is once again on the brink of war.

The conflict will be fought with the game's namesake, the Heavy Gear. A native Terranovan development, these fifteen-foot tall humanoid combat machines provided a rude shock to the invading Earth forces two decades before. While Gears are the gameýs centerpiece, they are not the be-all end-all of combat on Terra Nova. Tanks, artillery, aircraft, landships and even larger walking machines called striders provide additional speed and firepower.

If tactical combat isn't your thing, the Heavy Gear setting provides a wide variety of options for less militaristic adventuring. Divisions between and among the major powers present opportunities for espionage political intrigue. On the other hand, many areas of Terra Nova are still very much part of the frontier, where individuals can make a difference and make their fortunes by their own actions. The setting is so vast and detailed that the possibilities are limitless.

While the main rulebook is all you need to play, the gameýs publisher, Dream Pod 9, has published an extensive array of supplements detailing every aspect of Terra Nova, along with sourcebooks covering the technology, vehicles and spacecraft of this future setting. Recently, they have moved beyond Terra Nova itself and have begun covering Earthýs other colony worlds. However, the most interesting aspect of the Heavy Gear line is the Storyline Books. In addition to its rich backstory, the Heavy Gear setting has a Babylon 5 like 20-year story arc. Each storyline book moves the gameýs history along by a few years. The basic setting described in the main rulebook is complex enough to provide an enormous amount of adventuring, using the storyline books provides the opportunity to set an RPG campaign in a living, breathing world with a constantly unfolding history.

In short, Heavy Gear is one of the best, most innovative roleplaying games out there. I would highly recommend that anyone pick it up.

This book and the system it represents is one of the most complete and well-realized (not to mention REALLY well supported) items in my game library (now teetering at 175 different titles...woah). When I want to get someone into a new, easily explained tactical or RPG setting, Heavy Gear always comes to mind.
This book is just the tip of the iceberg: Dream Pod Nine makes a huge number of sourcebooks and miniatures and they are consistently engaging.
Do I love this book? i love this book. Do I love this game? You betcha. Go to the Dream Pod 9 site ... and get a taste. then get back here and grab this book.

What can I say? This is a big must-have for ANY player, it has tons of nifty little fetishes (Of the item variety) and tons of other cool crap. I mean, what can beat people who turn into dragons? Huh?

With Shapeshifters of the East I found a great read and a ton of possibilities for new characters. I mean the Kumo and the Same-Bito..whoo hooo. BUT, damn that Treefrog font they used for the paragraph titles and such, drove my eyes -crazy-, small complaint but worth the groan.

I have to admit that the whole Kindred of the East project has done little to excite me. But this book changed my views on the concept. By moving the changing breeds of Werewolf: The Apocalypse to the new battlegrounds of Asia, it adds a whole new level to the ususal " Stranger in a strange land " feel of Werewolf. The Kitsune (werefoxes) are easily one of the cooler species of shapeshifter (apart from the Garou themselves, of course). But the main reason I bought this book was for more details on the Hakken Garou. Anyone who's read the Shadowlords Tribebook already knows about the Garou of the East. These guys are samurai with fur and fangs, and you can't get more badass than that! Hengeyokai is more than just Werebeasts in a different land: its a whole other culture, with its own rules and values. This book is a great addition to the Werewolf line, and is reccomended for either Asia-based campaigns, or adding some spice to your current chronicle.

This supplement to Werewolf: The Apocalypse is absolutely the best book in the series, if only because the elusive Kitsune are given the full coverage of a Breed Book. The other breeds appear, with a twist making them very different from their Western relatives. It's a perfect setting for mixing shifter types what would automatically attack each other in a traditional werewolf game. Take your gaijin Garou to Tokyo, or your Japanese Kitsune to San Fransisco...

Hengeyokai is an expansion to Werewolf the apocalypse. Hengeyokai is two books in one, first on the ways and culture of the eastern changing breeds. (werewolves, wereravens, weresharks, weredragons, wererats, weretigers, werespiders, and weresnakes) along with new merits, flaws, gifts, auspices (oriental auspices - leaf, steel, lantern, etc..) along with how to combine a western based game into an eastern campaign... or the other way around. The second half of the book is all about the Kitsune, or werefoxes. The mystery makers of gaia. They do not cause the delerium, they have nine tails, and their gifts of paper folding are unique to them. The reason that the two books are combined in one is simple: you can play a Hengeyokai without knowing anything about Kitsune, but you can't play a Kitsune without knowing about Hengeyokai! Two books in one is an excelent deal and a wonderful suprise to those who don't know.

The most varied and interesting of cryptic puzzlers, Hook surpasses himself in this last edition. But when will we see a new one?

These cryptics are excellent for the solver who does not dwell in the abstruse depths of the English language. The structural ingenuity is very good, and the "tricks" are usually quite fair. The whole series of Henry Hook' cryptics is to be recommended -- but not for beginners.

I just discovered Henry Hook after many years of doing the Harper's Puzzle by Richard Maltby, Jr. These are excellent cryptics, and great fun to do. If you like the Harper's puzzle you will love these. Very very hard.

Henry Hook is one of the most devious and creative cryptic constructors in the world, and these collections show that he can be among the most prolific, too. Although there are some puzzles here that are pleasantly solvable, there are some that will challenge even the most jaded cryptic aficionado. And Hook's trickery depends on forcing solvers to look at words and letters in new ways, but his clues always play fair -- no mismatch of tense or parts of speech, no extraneous words, and no words used twice (once in the definition and once in the wordplay) -- errors that some other constructors, even very well-regarded ones, allow themselves with regularity.

Henry Hook has finally released Volume 4 in his series of maddeningly difficulty cryptic puzzles. Like previous volumes in the series, the book consists of 45 variety styles crosswords and acrostics including repeated varities from past volumes (Crypto-Cipher, All Even, 7s and 9s).

One notable point is the use of some adult-oriented slang in a few points throughout the book. Being like-minded, I actually enjoyed this and felt it made the puzzles a little more contemporary. But as it says on the back, it's not for the squeamish.

This book got so much use when I was a girl scout leader and with the neighborhood kids, especially parties! Has great games that I loved to play in the days before computers, playstations, cable TV, etc.

This book was a big hit for our family and my 7 year old son really had fun playing some of the indoor games..great new creative ideas and also a great refresher for games I had played when I was young but couldn't quite remember all the rules! Well written, easy to read format - would definitely recommend!

What a great book, I teach P.E. and do afterscool care, I use this book all the time. It has great games for indoor and outdoors. Get it you won't regret it.

The best one book for playing games with elementary students. New games, old games, cooperative games, competitive games, variations on games- it's all here. The best money I've spent on a game book- and I've bought four!

I LOVE this book and I'm not a teacher NOR do I have children (just lots of nieces and nephews)! I've always been a board game fan and this book brings back memories of all the fun we used to have as kids. This is a great book for parents to get kids away from video games and get outside and have fun while being active. It covers almost any children's game you can think of in a manner that touches on all the detail I've forgotten over time. It's divided into chapters such as: Indoor Games; Games to Play on Grass and Playgrounds; Games to play on Pavement, Steps and Stoops; Games in Water; Party Games and Travel Games.

There are games I played that I didn't remember the names or the rules...they're all here. Card games like Old Maid, Fish and Hearts; Paper games like Hangman, Boxes (where you make the dots and connect the lines to form boxes) and String games like Cat's Cradle. There was even the game that you folded the paper and wrote stuff on the inside and you sliped the paper box thing over your fingers to answer the other person's questions. Here it's called Cootie Catcher but I can guarantee we didn't call it that! LOL

Writing this review makes me want to go play some hopscotch! See ya' later.

I really enjoyed this book and it's what I turn to whenever I'm having a "blah" moment. The drawings are easy to follow, the writing is short and brief and there are tons of little extras throughout the book (stickers, punch outs, etc). It's more of an activity book than a drawing book and even if you have no interest in drawing, you'll enjoy the wit and whimsy of the words and illustrations. A great buy at the original price, but a fabulous bargin at anything less!

How to Draw a Radish: And Other Fun Things to Do at Work
How to Draw a Cup of Coffee and Other Fun Ideas for Home & Garden
How to Draw a Clam: A Wonderful Vacation Planner
All three books, by Joy Sikorski

I have owned these three wonderful books since the late nineties & have re-visited them many times.

In the field of what I would like to term as 'deliberate doodling', I consider these three books to be the best in the genre. Unlike the common doodles, which seem whimsical, 'deliberate doodling' involves some form of structure & purpose. I am very impressed by what the author has done in the three fun books of hers.

All three fun books are spiral bound, each with almost two hundred pages of inspirational doodling techniques, on top of various other discovery games & paper crafts for professional & personal entertainment. Each is sturdily constructed with two pockets for special projects, organised with ten card-board dividers & yet small enough to fit into your briefcase.

From my personal perspective, they are wonderful toys for grow-ups: playful, instructive & absolutely worthwhile!

The author has actually written another similar book, entitled 'Squeaky Chalk : And Other Fun Things to Draw (And Do) When There's Nothing to Do!' but for some strange reasons, I did not lay my hands on it.

For the benefit of readers, let me share this personal experience of mine: I have combined the 'deliberate doodling' techniques from Joy with the 'rapid viz' techniques from Kurt Hanks, & integrated them into the 'private writing' processes as formulated by Mark Levy in his wonderful book, 'Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing .'

I use what I often like to term as my 'scratch pad', the type artists use, foolscape size, spiral-bound, 100 pages per pad, 100 gms weight, in conjuction with a multi-colour/multi-utility pen from Rotring. At one point in time, (for about 3 years) I used the Bienfang spring-bound note/sketch pads until the only local supplier went out of business unexpectedly.

On many occasions, I have astonished myself by being able to wrestle with the valuable business & life insights from my own seemingly disparate "private writing"/'deliberate doodling'/'rapid viz' pages. The doodles & illustrations often add a perceptive visual dimension to my seemingly random thoughts on paper. My scratch pad is always a visual smorgasbord of relatively heavy text, mystical doodles & logical illustrations (thanks & no thanks to my engineering training!). I have translated many of my valuable insights into pragmatic projects. One of the sideline projects is writing reviews on amazon website.

To all readers: If you really want to use both sides of your powerful brain to generate valuable insights, I can guarantee that these three books can drive your imagination engine into hyper-speed mode.

I simply love this little book. I found it on clearance and thought "Hey, what can it hurt?" It didn't hurt at all, obviously. I love the whimsical flow and little extras like the herb labels and "postcards." It's also very informative, teaching you how to doodle things like cups of coffee, mice and peanuts, and the ever-honorable peccary. This would make an excellent gift for those who like a little silliness in their everyday life.

A delightfully silly and surreal book. I enjoyed the drawing lessons most.

If you are looking for a fun gift look no further! this book is an exellent peice of work from people of all ages! It is fun and creative and never boring! Read it and give it a try!

How to Draw a Radish: And Other Fun Things to Do at Work
How to Draw a Cup of Coffee and Other Fun Ideas for Home & Garden
How to Draw a Clam: A Wonderful Vacation Planner
All three books, by Joy Sikorski

I have owned these three wonderful books since the late nineties & have re-visited them many times.

In the field of what I would like to term as 'deliberate doodling', I consider these three books to be the best in the genre. Unlike the common doodles, which seem whimsical, 'deliberate doodling' involves some form of structure & purpose. I am very impressed by what the author has done in the three fun books of hers.

All three fun books are spiral bound, each with almost two hundred pages of inspirational doodling techniques, on top of various other discovery games & paper crafts for professional & personal entertainment. Each is sturdily constructed with two pockets for special projects, organised with ten card-board dividers & yet small enough to fit into your briefcase.

From my personal perspective, they are wonderful toys for grow-ups: playful, instructive & absolutely worthwhile!

The author has actually written another similar book, entitled 'Squeaky Chalk : And Other Fun Things to Draw (And Do) When There's Nothing to Do!' but for some strange reasons, I did not lay my hands on it.

For the benefit of readers, let me share this personal experience of mine: I have combined the 'deliberate doodling' techniques from Joy with the 'rapid viz' techniques from Kurt Hanks, & integrated them into the 'private writing' processes as formulated by Mark Levy in his wonderful book, 'Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing .'

I use what I often like to term as my 'scratch pad', the type artists use, foolscape size, spiral-bound, 100 pages per pad, 100 gms weight, in conjuction with a multi-colour/multi-utility pen from Rotring. At one point in time, (for about 3 years) I used the Bienfang spring-bound note/sketch pads until the only local supplier went out of business unexpectedly.

On many occasions, I have astonished myself by being able to wrestle with the valuable business & life insights from my own seemingly disparate "private writing"/'deliberate doodling'/'rapid viz' pages. The doodles & illustrations often add a perceptive visual dimension to my seemingly random thoughts on paper. My scratch pad is always a visual smorgasbord of relatively heavy text, mystical doodles & logical illustrations (thanks & no thanks to my engineering training!). I have translated many of my valuable insights into pragmatic projects. One of the sideline projects is writing reviews on amazon website.

To all readers: If you really want to use both sides of your powerful brain to generate valuable insights, I can guarantee that these three books can drive your imagination engine into hyper-speed mode.

I bought this book 5 yrs ago.I just love it.This book has a very easy instruction and pictures to follow,it is especially easy for a child to follow the step by step pictures. I use it myself and now I gave it to my daughter, she is 3 yrs old,I love to see her face everytime she draws a picture, her eyes just says it all.She loves it so much that we both draw and paint together with the guide of this book. I have showed it to friends and care takers in the family center, all have agreed that it is a must to buy book.this book is not only for children,but also a coffee table book.You will not regret!!!

I received this book in a "Secret Santa" and just LOVED it!
What a great little treasure to teach the unbelievably talentless how to draw!
Joy breaks down radishes, butterflies, flowers, etc into easy to draw pieces that all add up together.
I can now doodle with the best of them!
Pick up two - one for your Secret Santa and one for yourself!

i go to a lot of meetings at work, and i don't have to do a lot of talking, so i do a lot of doodling. unfortunately, i can't draw at all. but this book has simple instructions (for more than just doodles, too), and has really expanded my 'meeting doodle' abilities.

This was just the most adorable little book I ever picked up. I just wanted to buy millions of copies to send them to friends who have boring jobs. I loved the little rabbit eating on the grass. It's a great doo-dad book that everyone should have to keep them entertained. I rarely laugh outloud at a book, but I couldn't help myself.

I love the Iron Kingdoms and you may say that there are comparisons to Eberron but all I have to say is that Eberron never did anything like this for me! I love the feel of The Iron Kingdoms and to me that is very very important.

My favorite d20 product thus far ! At least until the World Guide appears. Slick presentation, beautiful artwork, and a completely original idea.

Iron Kingdoms Character Guide: Full Metal Fantasy, Vol. 1 is packed to the brim with great rules and source material for the Iron Kingdoms campaign setting. The book has been laid out in an easy-to-read and easy-to-find information format. This book covers all the essentials in rules supplements to really give your campaign that "Full Metal" feel.

This book was also designed to go with Volume 2 to create an 800 page arsenal of amazing background information and rules for Iron Kingdoms.

Okay since everybody has written alot about the book already I'll give the "bullet points." The book has a very diverse feature of races which I found as a breath of fresh air. The rules and added classes are well written and easy to understand. The new weapons and armor are interesting along with a truck load of information of the iron kingdoms. I'd say it even rivals Forgotten Realms in history and culture. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is due to magic creation section, you thought the DMG was tough this took me about a 5th reading and compairing the two books to figure it out. This section of the book was the only unflowing part but other than that I would HIGHLY recommend getting this book.

If your looking at Eberron I'd look here first. Eberron doesn't even come close!

From scanning the reviews, I think everything I would say has already been said. This book has been the most enjoyable d20 sourcebook I have ever read. The artwork is fantastic and the content is awesome. For a rule/source book... it's a page turner. Well, page turner in a role-playing gamer way. Odd to say that, but there are various devices throughout the book that keep you interested - adventure hooks in sidebars, enlarged quotes and narratives, and really great, off the wall ideas. The paper is thick so the book looks incredibly thick; print is unfortunately in black and white (off topic: the Warmachine tabletop books (printed in full color) from Privateer Press are on par if not better than Games Workshop's tabletop books). I only noticed slight problems in some character class modifications detailed; otherwise the book appears to be spelling-, punctuation-, and grammar-error free.

I finally found a campaign setting as immersive and interesting as al Qadim... I am once again excited to DM.

Highly recommended.

This book gave a lot of information and ideas. We liked using it!

This book flows like the campfire. From gathering the supplies, to lighting the fire, to the blaze, to the dieing fire, to the embers it's an enjoyable experience.

It has lots of activities: stories, songs, skits, etc. to make your campfire an enjoyable experience.

I wish I had owned this book when I taught a Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation for teaching Cub Scout Adults about making a successful overnight campout.

This book has been added to my library and will be suggested at all future BALOO trainings.

I just bought this recently, and it is much better than I even expected. I have a bunch of camping books in my library, and this one is better than many more expensive adult books. It has great advice even for adults, but is indespensible for camping with kids. It teaches you how to build a fire safely, cooking on the fire, (great kid favorites recipes), dealing with bugs, how to pick a camp site, what kind of Lots of safety tips too. The fun drawings make this a pleasure as well.

The authors show you how to make a reflector oven. The main feature if this book is the fun activities for around the fire such as stories songs, games, etc. Teaches kids how to identify the stars easily and even identify features on the face of the moon. I plan to use this with our Cub Scouts.

When our family decided to go camping this year, I felt a little bit overwhelmed with the idea that my 5 year old son would not have anything to do. I went on line and bought several books about camping with children and found that this was my most helpful It not only covers the basics like making a fire and food preparation but also the fun side of camping like the games and sing alongs. It gave me a refresher course on camping and at the same time opened up the door to have some camping fun! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has children. I can't wait until we go on our trip next month. This book has given me so many ideas that I know my son will not be bored.

I recieved this book in the mail... Then used it two hours later that is how useful it was for me... If I could give it 10 stars I would. It is written in a way that is easy to understand so that if you wanted to give it to a child you could, yet it is comprehensive enough for an adult... I would rate this as a good use of my money...

This is a great book full of many categories to stretch your mind, including math, science, and story problems. Many of the questions can be played in a group, like 20 questions. Then you also have to arrange things like pencils and coins certain ways. This book is a great introduction to lateral thinking puzzles!

If you are a fan of lateral thinking puzzles, this is a wonderful book you can take anywhere to tantalize your brain.
Lots of fun to try to solve these intriguing challengers! Be a logic detective to come up with a solution. A true delight for fans of all ages who love lateral thinking puzzles!

This is a brilliant little book that can be used for party games or just to while away the time if you enjoy puzzles. It has something for everyone and apart from the entertainment value I have also found some of the puzzles to be quite educational. What is most fascinating is that although many of the puzzles seem to be impossible to solve there is always an answer. A little gem and an ideal fun gift.

One day my Language Arts teacher said that we would try something fun today. Yeah right I thought, but he read us some lateral thinking puzzles, and I just loved trying to figure them out. I bought this book and read every one, some were hard, and some I could figure out after thinking for about 5 minutes. It is a perfect thing for boredom, and is just fun and interesting. A man was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister, and was perfectly normal. What was going on?

This is a collection of puzzles designed to be solved quickly using only thought. While it is true that for some it may help to construct a diagram or write options down, for most the answer is just a matter of using the right approach. Most of the puzzles are not new, I recognized over fifty percent as having appeared elsewhere. Examples of such puzzles are:

1) If you are in a boat and throw something overboard which immediately sinks, does the boat rise or fall?
2) When in the last 200 years has there been a year that reads the same upside down?
3) A woman has five children and half of them are boys. How is this possible?
4) There are several problems where matches are to be moved.
5) The problem of a three-cornered duel where the odds of each hitting their target are different and the poorest shot shoots first.
6) How to arrange five circular coins so that they all touch each other.
7) If everybody in a family always votes Republican, then how come one person did not last election?

Nevertheless, I read through it with interest, even when I was only checking my memory rather than my wits. Solutions to all puzzles are in the back and there are some real sneaky ones. It is a good book for the beginning puzzle solver, although veterans may not be impressed.

Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.