Gamebooks Books

_Why'd I buy it?_
I've been looking for material to spruce up the religious aspect of my campaign. Clerics and Paladins seems to be rife with role playing opportunity and adventure hooks, and yet the material I've seen so far was lacking (like WotC: Defenders of the Faith). I was especially interested in the "Holy Warrior" new core class and in how a "complete description of each god's church" would look like. I was not disappointed...in fact, I was very pleasantly surprised.

_Overview_
This book can be used in many different ways: it's a complete patheon and mythology of gods, it's a "pick-and-choose" box of common gods plus detailed churches, and it's a "do-it-yerself" tool-kit for making the gods of your campaign world relevant to your players. It succeeds at all of these things...and if you think about it, that's pretty amazing.

The book prose is tight and entertaining. Rule changes are clearly spelled out, and are repeated where relevant. The game mechanics seem simple and balanced (although I've not yet play-tested it myself). (And a further note to all of those crunch-lovers out there, like me: There are game mechanics in here where there needs to be.) Overall, a very well written and insightful book.

_The Complete Pantheon and Mythology_
I loved reading this section -- it reminded me of Greek, Norse, and Native American myth. It's good story, and it tempts me to include it, lock, stock, and barrel, into my home brew campaign. And it's probably pliable enough for me to tweak it here and there and then do just that.

_Plug n' Play gods and their churches_
What I'm more likely to do, however, is take the gods and their churches out and plug them in where they fit into my existing home-brew. The book gives quite a bit of help for this sort of thing. The churches are well laid out, and yet they can be self-contained; that is, the churches don't wholy depend on the mythology presented in the book. Useful, that.

Kudos, BTW, on the structure of the book with respect to churches, clerics, "paladins", and new PrC. It's all wrapped up in a seamless whole, so that the relationships between the clerics, "paladins" (holy warriors, a superior concept, IMO), and the secret orders (PrCs) is believable and very playable. Makes me (almost!) want to play a goody-two-shoes Holy Warrior.

_Cosmography Tool-kit (or "how the gods, the universe's creation, and the Planes of Existence fit together")_
The thing this book is best at, IMO, is how it opens up Myth and the Gods for you to tinker with. Paired with the excellent WotC offering, Manual of the Planes, I'm not sure there's anything else you need to come up with a compelling and logical cosmography. How the universe is created => how the gods act => how their churches are structured => how PC clerics et al. act. It's all there, so that if the PC asks....well, he'll get at least one answer....
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_Conclusion_

Production: 5 - Excellent. Fonts, headers, and spacing is very good. Layout and organization is excellent. I was very happy with both the table of Contents and the index. Note to publishers: this is how it should be done for all products!

Art: 4 - Good. The art work quality is good, most of the time, and the art work is very topical to the text on the page.

Game Mechanics: 5 - Excellent. The new core class (Holy Warrior) is expecially good.

"Cool" Factor: 5- Excellent. Even the name is good (shout "Book of the Righteous!" a couple o' times...you'll get what I mean). The mythology and churches are especially inspiring.

Overall: 5 - Excellent. If you are a DM with a home-brew world, you're a fool for not having this book. It's that good.

This book is without a doubt one of the best game books to come out in some time. It has totaly changed the way my group has played the game in reguards to Clerics.

This is a very nice book, containing everything a priest or holy warrior could want. I especially like the addition of the holy warrior as a base class, not limiting it to just paladins. Highly recommended!

Wow, what a book. It gives you everything you need to put the affiars of your Celestial world in order. It had a great story of creation, it explains all you need to know for each god. The Great church what a great idea, put together properly. I got through about the 1st 20 pages and realized this is "The Pantheon" for the new D20 fantasy genre. It explains the how and why of things.. Why is this god the god of Valor, how did he become this. The best part of all, is all the stuff the PCs should know, but we don't take the time to create. How the church interacts with the world, and the other churches; it's holy days and why, The Gods' view of the church. With over 300 pages of information it is worth every penny. What a resource. I have been a DM for 20 +years and this book is a must have for every GM. The Bar has been raised and Green Ronin Publishing is the new standard. Great Job Guys.

>>"If you own Defenders of the Faith, Deities and Demigods, and/or Faiths and Pantheons you are wasting your money on this. Way too generic to be useful. NOT the best money I've spent... "

On the contrary, this book renders all of those others completely redundant. What's more, this book is far, far more interesting to read, and far, far easier to incorporate piecemeal, or whole into any campaign. Of every RP book on my shelf--and I probably have a few hundred--this is by far the best money I have ever spent on an RP product as far as useability. Ignore the nay-sayer. He doesn't know what he's talking about.

Absolutely, and completely, well worth the price. See the lengthy review below for more info on the book.

I believe this book is one of the best bridge books I have ever looked into, and I have read or scanned many. My highest recommendation. I bought three.

Well organized and quite cnmplete, this is aa terrific "bible" to have by the bridge table. When we discuss how a hand was bid or played, this becames an invaluable aid.
Too complex for the beginner.

If you're a bridge player you know just how many bridge books are on the market today - but THE BRIDGE PLAYER'S BIBLE offers something different: over 300 examples of how to bid, play, and defend on a range of hands. You can learn strategies, rules, and approaches from key players' techniques and advice, from signals and valuation to planning and deceptive card playing. And each technique receives full illustration for easy learning for novices, too.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I don't play bridge. My mother, who just turned 80, started playing a few weeks ago. She was studying these handouts that she got from the church's bridge club. I felt she needed a good reference book, with clear illustrations. English is not her first language, and I didn't want something too complicated and not easy to understand. Needless to say, she LOVES this book. Best gift I could have given her. People that have been playing a long time are quite impressed how fast she is learning the game and becoming an accomplished player in just a few weeks. If you're a beginner or advanced player, this book is a must have for your library. Or if you know someone who likes to play, this book will make a Great gift too!

The Bridge Player's Bible is a great reference source for the beginning to intermediate bridge player. The book is covers both bidding and the play of the hand. Hundreds of scenarios are covered, ranging from the most basic concepts like a preemptive three bid to more complicated concepts such as numerous types of squeeze plays.

The book is very readable. Each page has two or three subsections, complete with very colorful illustrations and examples. Not only will most players benefit from reading the book from cover to cover, but the bible will continue to be a resource to check on your play and learn how various situations should have been played.

Five stars.

First, the book is very well written and presented. It was entertaining to read. There were some amusing quips.
Second, the hands are excellent. There are a large number of double squeezes, so if you look for them, you can maybe find some of them. Of course these were made at the table under pressure.
Third, the book will make you think about what the hands will look like after a certain number of tricks have been played (i.e. a suit run)

I was a bit surprised at some of the poor defense plays. Perhaps top level card play has improved in 40 years.

Fun, enjoyable book to read. Highly recommended.
If you are not familiar with Double squeezes and Criss Cross squeezes you probably wont get much out of the book. Study for a while and come back in a couple of years.

This is a classic book that everyone should read for the sheer genius of declarer play and defence. Remember these hands were played at this elevated level AT THE TABLE against world-class opposition. It is a shame that Amazon doesn't have this book. For people desperate to read this and who don't want to pay high used prices, it is available new at Baron Barclay's for about twenty-five dollars.

This book deserves us to read it more than three times. Which level the best bridge are? You can find it in this book.

I agree. This is a large collection of hands that were played double-dummy AT THE TABLE. Many themes and combinations come up including squeezes, deceptive plays and defense.

It is too bad Amazon take so long to ship this book. It is widely accepted in the bridge-playing community as one of the best collections of bridge hands, if not THE BEST! The amazing thing is that all the hands described in this book were actually played in real life by the Italian Blue Team. They are not ready-made concoctions. Certainly this book is one of my favorites.

My kids love this so much we listen to it over and over. On more than one occasion my son has asked ME to stop singing so he can hear the music. The narrative is fun and engaging. I wish they would release more cds!

"If the children in your life like the recent bug movies or have ever owned an ant farm, they may be ready for BUGSTERS. An assortment of buggy friends, each with a distinctive voice and personality, deliver two stories: one about cooperation, another about fear and rumors. The messages are unmistakable, but not overbearing. The theme music is catchy. TOP NOTCH!"

My husband and I took my son (5),daughter (7), and the Bugsters, on the road to visit my parents over the holidays. We were more prepared this time, because last time, the crayons and the lap activities just weren't enough, and we don't have a VCR/DVD player in the car. I have to say that these stories really captured their attention, and sparked conversation. The CD is exceptionally done, the stories are thought provoking, the characters all have different voices, and the sound effects are fantastic. We couldn't get enough of it. I only wish we'd had more.

My husband and I took my son (5) and daughter (7), and the Bugsters, on the road to visit my parents over the holidays. We were more prepared this time, because last time, the crayons and the lap activities just weren't enough, and we don't have a VCR/DVD player in the car. I have to say that these stories really captured their attention, and sparked conversation. The CD is exceptionally done, the characters all have different voices, and the sound effects were fantastic. We couldn't get enough of it.

We took this audio book camping and the kids just loved it. My boys are 4 and 6, and they were drawn into the stories right away. The sound effects make all of the action come alive, especially in the dark. We sat and talked after each story about the lessons the kids learned. One is about working as a team, and the other one is about facing your fears, but what was most important was that my boys admitted some fears that I was able to help them face through the trip.

Another great concept by Spinner Books. Can You Beat Ken? has all the elements of a game show, in a fully portable format. We took it along on a recent family vacation, and it provided hours of entertainment. Simply put, it's heaps of thought provoking fun.

This is my first Spinner Book, and I love it. What a wonderful idea to put a board game between the covers of a book. Thanks to this interactive book, a recent trip we took went by in a flash. And playing against Ken Jennings made it all the more enjoyable.

This book is a treasure trove of challenging questions. We took it on a road trip last month. The pages are now dog-eared like one might expect to see with a best-selling novel. The play value and repeat play value are high. All I want for Christmas is the boxed version of this book.

In this case, you actually can tell a book by its cover. Bright outside. Brilliant inside. I totally enjoyed playing CAN YOU BEAT KEN? by the book. So my advice to you is, buy the book!

SSD
Harrisburg, Pa.

When I was a kid, I was hooked on Jeopardy. (Yep, sorta had a crush on Alec Trebek.) Alas, when real life (and real boys) got in the way, I quit watching... but then came Ken, and I could not HELP but get hooked again! Who says that smarty-pants geeks aren't sexy? Trust me, they are!

When his run on the show ended, I was bereft! Thank goodness CAN YOU BEAT KEN? came out! When I read about it, I went panting and heaving to my local bookstore to get a copy. I'm happy to report that my wildest fantasies have come true--at least in print: Ken (well, anyway, his book) kept me up all night as I moved from category to category, trying to answer as many questions as I could. It's a mix of every kind of trivia, and because there are true/false, multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, it's never boring (duh!). Best of all: the kind of arcana Ken has collected here just takes my breath away! (My own area of expertise, movies and pop culture, is well-represented and even I was challenged.) Bottom line: it is truly a factoid feast! If you're a trivia trollop like me, you'll eat this book up.

I bought this after my first trip to a casino. I enjoyed myself there but understood that I could have had a better time if I knew how casinos worked. This book is great at giving a basic knowledge of how casinos work and educates you on the many different games and how to enjoy yourself for entertainment purposes. I highly recommend this book if you a planning a trip to a casino for the first time or if you've been to a casino and you would like to expand your overall knowledge and enjoyment. It has basic tips and strategies for all the casino games and is a good starting point. You can always delve further into the games that you like with other books, but this is a quality broad overview of casinos and their games.

I was mainly interested in slots, video poker, & blackjack. Presented good info in an uncomplicated style. Also full of info for practically any other game that may be your particular choice(s). I recommend it VERY highly for beginners or the more experienced player!!!!!

Kevin Blackwood is an expert blackjack player who has played all over the world; he is an expert poker player as well. His knowledge of the casino games is profound and this book gives you everything you need to know to go to the casinos and play properly. Ignore the title because you are not a dummy if you buy this book.

You are smart!

Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!

I wonder why on page 170, the baccarat rules states that, for example, when the banker's total is 6, then the banker will draw if the player's new total is 6 or 7. The correct version is: the banker will draw when the "player's third card" is 6 or 7, not the "new total". On page 171 though, the table lists it as "player's third card". Incidentally, I found a bug in the Hoyle's Casino 2007 for PC game, with it drawing a card for the banker when it shouldn't... oh well... isn't the rule somewhat important? It is a very basic set of rule... I wonder if we have that sometimes in the casino and nobody noticed.

Otherwise, the book provides basic rules, strategies, and some interesting stories about the various games. It is a pretty good book for beginners, but make sure you pick another one up just to cross reference. Idiot's Guide and the Unofficial Guide also have a good book on casino gambling.

One thing I am sensitive about the book is that it stresses on etiquette quite a lot. Thing like, "don't hand your money directly to the dealer; doing so is a breach of etiquette and brands you as a greenhorn. After you receive your chips, leave them on the table in front of you". Oh well, a "breach"? so serious? I don't know, I just feel that nowadays, we tend to have too much politeness and etiquette and too little true kindness among human beings, so I don't like to read about etiquette for this and etiquette for that.

Any new book on casino gambling has to contend with a shelf full (virtual or real) of other titles covering the same material, but in Casino Gambling for Dummies, Kevin Blackwood has done a masterful job of bringing a fresh attitude and informative approach that provides solid justification for another title on the topic. This is the 'For Dummies' brand at its best, tackling all the favorites, blackjack, craps, sports betting, as well as many meta-topics (like dealing with the IRS after a profitable run at the tables) with fact-infused, easy-to-read prose that will entertain and inform. People just entering the neon world for the first time will get as much instructional material as they can handle, from rules of the game to strategy. Seasoned gamblers will reap the benefits of Blackwood's expertise and experience at the felt-covered tables around the world. There is particular depth in the blackjack section, likely a product of Blackwood's long resume as one of the top players in the world. The organization is inspired and the writing is top notch, particularly the chapter on horse racing.

The nimzo indian is perhaps the most difficult defence to play against, but if you want to play the exchange in the queen gambit declined or the sharpest variation against the Benoni you have to play Nc3. This book makes it look easy. It explain the key ideas very clearly and goes even to the end game. I love this book.

1)SUMMARY:
a)The quality of work in this book is excellent.
b)It is best suited for, intermediate, club, and professional players interested in Nimzo-Indian defense.
c)But it is probably not the best 1st NimzoIndian book at beginner level.
d)Overall, I would highly recommend it.

2) COMPARISION:
I play correspondence chess at a competitive level, and have an extensive library of opening books (to prepare in detail for my games). I found out that this was my 18th(!) book about the NimzoIndian defense. (To be honest I thought that I had 4-5 books on nimzoIndian before actually counting them).I have studied some of these books at different times, but none of them were at this level. The analysis is very detailed, and the author goes deeply into the main problems of the variations.

3)ANALYSIS:
a) I only reviewed the chapter on Qc2 00, e4 , (but in detail) for one of my correspondence games. Usually, I can come up with some original ideas , but ,despite 25-30 hours of work ,I was not able to find any important improvements.
b) New In Chess yearBook 81 also has an analysis about this variation, and the book was able to cover all the important conclusions from the yearBook analysis. It even showed Kasparov's drawing line , which seems to be the last word in this variation currently.
c) I also checked the analysis using couple different engines (including latest versions of Rybka, Deep fritz,Deep junior,and Hiarcs), and I could not improve. (I think that the author also checked his analysis with Rybka, which appears to be the best chess engine available now).
d) Overall, I am very impressed with the analysis in this book.

4)RECOMMENDATION:
I think the book not only has importance for intermediate players, but is also a very good reference for advanced, and even professional players. it is the best NimzoIndian book on the market (December 2007). If you are a beginner though, this may not be the best initial book to read but may be a good reference book for future.

This book is a must have for anyone playing, or plan on playing the Queen's Gambit as white. IM Vigorito's analysis is very extensive and complete on all the variations arising after Bb4 Qc2. He gives many possible variations for white, so you can pick the one that fits your style. For black Nimzo players, this book is also a "Must Have" to combat Qc2. Overall, this is simply a fine piece of work which I recommend to any serious tournament player.

American International Master David Vigorito has written a terrific debut chess book on the Classical Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense (1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2). This is the first comprehensive coverage of this important opening in more than a decade and it has been well worth the wait. The book is divided into 21 chapters and Vigorito has done a tremendous job of identifying and analyzing the critical variations whilst including plentiful explanatory material for the typical club player. I am looking forward to more chess books by this author.

It was time enough for someone to step up and attempt a Nimzo book that presented the white side of this venerated and well respected defense. Almost all previous Nimzo scribblings seemed to skew to black's play without giving white much promise or hope. This time, the author has more than met this monumental challenge of giving white variations that maintain a slight pull while not skimping on Black's most active and critical attempts to wrestle away the full point. Seminal, well-researched, and an almost completely comprehensive tome on the 4. Qc2 (Classical) variation.

I totally agree with the way that Bill Hartston starts off with endgame technique, since this phase is extreamely important. Its like soccer youve brought the ball right into the oppositions penialty area you know youre in a solid pace to shoot, however youre not sure weather to attempt to pass it; or to go straight for the smash. You hesitate, next second the ball gets sweepted away form you.

This is very similar to chess endgames one mistake can turn the game against you. This is why its important to fine tune technique. The same goes with Maths, once you enjoy anything you can make remarkable progress.

I have throughly enjoyed this book, it seemed to have just the right balance of everything. Just in case youre wondering My name is Alexander Singer, Im 14 years old and goto Burnside High School.

For the very beginner, the arrangement of the contents of this book may seem haphazard, but its narratives are smooth-flowing.
Every introductory detail concerning the chess board and the chess pieces were included. The self-help outlook of this book ensured that its pages provided enough directives on how a chess beginner can develop space, coordinate his/her pieces, and plot strategies.
Overall, reading this book is a fine beginning step. Its lectures on how to utilize board space and pieces are commendable. I like the way it introduced popular gambits like 'Giocco Piano' and 'Sicilian Defence', although that it did not offer much on how to deploy and coordinate pawns as a territory conquering force.

I recommend this text for both total beginners (those who do not even know the rules) as well as those just play against friends and family and want to learn how to beat them with impunity or move up to play club players or computers.

The book has sections on tactics, strategy, endgames, and openings. None of these sections presents more than the beginner needs to know -- for example, the endgame section covers the rook and king vs. king endgame which every good chess player must learn to convert but leaves to later books rarer and more difficult endgames which would hardly do a novice any good.

An excellent feature is the section on illustrative games -- these cover many of the "classic" games in chess history. The authors taste in these seems to run toward the daring and romantic, but that's fine -- a novice can get more out of dashing games than complex positional struggles, and romantic games are fun to play out as well.

I believe this small but detailed book serves as an excellent introduction to the game of chess. I only knew the basics of the game and had been playing every now and then before starting to read this book. The most important element -in my own subjective opinion- of this book is that it tells you exactly what you need to know at each stage of your preparation and nothing more. It is brief but extremely concise, and illustrative examples and exercises are presented at the end of each chapter.

Chapters are arranged as follows: Rules of the game, Elementary endgames, Elementary tactics, Principles of opening play, Endgame strategy, Strategic planning, Basic opening theory, Illustrative games, and finally, Chess problems, studies & fantasy in chess compositions.

My feeling is that if you go through this book carefully and pay attention to quality, at the end of it you will have definitely gained many important skills. At least this is what I am trying to do at the moment, since I have not finished reading this book. The language used by the author is excellent for beginners and amateurs in general.

My sincere thanks to the author for this excellent piece of work. Fully recommended for all amateurs and beginners.

TEACH YOURSELF CHESS (c.1996) by Bill Hartston, is a great book for the absolute beginner in chess for its ability to answer questions, and in its facility to instill a curiosity to further pursue the game!

The author immediately brought the novice up through the ranks, step-by-step, with simple direct language, which avoided confusion and dispair. From a good description of all the moves of each individual chess piece; to a prudent explanation of the need to know chess notation if you ever plan on improving your game through other books or just to follow a tournament in a newspaper; to an good introduction of the rules; followed with important basic endgames, and elementary tactics; leading up to endgame strategy, strategic planning, then basic opening strategy. Bill Hartston never applied pressure to the beginner to learn more than they should discouraging interest.

The author then did a valuable thing - he included a chapter on illustrative games from Grandmasters in chess and from World Championships. This can only increase an appreciation of the game and to promote a sense of identity and purpose onto the beginner for the pursuit of more chess knowledge.

Still TEACH YOURSELF CHESS was initially a little over my head, and I would recommend SAMURAI CHESS as a primer for its ability to make a comparison with a familiar theme - the martial arts. Only then was I able to draw analogies and absorb basic chess theory with application from Bill Hartstson's work. For example, the chess 'Expert' rating was explained in SAMURAI CHESS to be the equivalent of a Shodan, or, a first degree black belt, which immediately imparted to me a sense of proportion to all the chess ratings and abilities mentioned by Bill Hartstson. (For instance; unless you're a prodigy, it takes 8-10 years of hard work for a black belt in Judo and everything that goes with it, so I assume its the same for chess).

TEACH YOURSELF CHESS is a valuable tool for the autodidatic chess enthusiast which will allow them to apply its knowledge directly to a game of chess; and with its chapter on chess notation and illustrative games, this book allows one to increase their ability in the game. TEACH YOURSELF CHESS by Bill Hartstson is definately a well thought out learning implement for self starters. This is a book to give your son, daughter, young relative, or pal as soon as they show an interest in chess!!

"Chess World Title Contenders and their Styles" --Kopec & Pritchett

The first time I bought a Danny Kopec chess book, my game improved immediately. He never analyses a chess game without revealing some little gem. For example, he will show a Sicilian Defense and discuss how the Maroczy Bind emerges and how it helps or hinders. [ He's got one in this book as well ] Kopec in my opinion is one of the better chess writers. He's not too complicated in his presentation.

The games of these "World Title Contenders" serve as excellent examples. For openings, Kopec shows ample games employing the Ruy Lopez opening, the Sicilian Defense, which is not surprising, since he has authored several books on the Sicilian variations..., Caro-Kann, Petroff, French, Dutch, Alekhine's Defense, King's Indian, Grunfeld Defense, Queen's Indian, and Nimzo Indian, and Queen's Gambit, Benoni, Pirc (pronounced "PEER-TZ"...according to Daoud Zupa).

There's an especially nice biography of WALTER BROWNE, of whom Kopec likes to observe:

"Browne is one of the few Western Grandmasters who as a chess professional has been successful in leading a 'normal family life'...etc." p. 67

The Brown biography is especially informative. Kopec tells how Browne spends his time, in day to day activities. (Brown is extremely active, both mentally and physically).

The final chapter, fittingly, covers Gary Kasparov (a favorite of mine, because he has intellectual depth.) With Kasparov's games, it begins with King's Indian Defense, Samisch Variation and Kasparov has Black. In Game 2, Kasparov with White plays Ruy Lopez, Bird's Variation. In game 7, Kasparov has Black playing a Gambit Benoni. There is a lot of material here worth study.

If there were any complaint at all, it might be something mild regarding the preponderance of Sicilian games. They are not a vast majority, but certainly more than any other offering; but this may be considered an advantage, considering that Kopec probably is more knowledgeable concerning the Sicilian than any other opening.

I often am surprised when publishers try a bit of price gouging, kicking an extra 7 or 8 bucks onto a title's list price, but not so here, which is generally the case with DOVER editions. The list price here is $9.95 and for the analysis given, they might as well be handing these books out for free.

BUY BUY BUY!! If this was a stock I would own the company. This is a great book. Games from all kinds of people from Gary Kasparov to the technical master Andersson. I loved reading the blurb about these guys you really get to learn about them as people. This makes chess more human. The games are amazing. They really summarize how the players play. ALso see if their predictions hold up? The one about Kasparov taking on Karpov does!! I learned a lot about the following interesting people and am waiting for their games to help mine: Tony miles (who passed away recently), Jan Timman, Walter browne, Ulf Andersson, Robert Hubner, Zoltan Ribili, Ljubomir Ljubojevic, and Kasparov. I loved the parts about Ljubojevic and Kasparov. They have great styles which are becoming more popular (thank goodness) that is to ATTACK! Enjoy this book its a deal and a half.

I absolutely love books like these. This book reminds me of Irving Chernev's "The Golden Dozen": Interesting bios of players, games chosen for their beautiful, original play, and no freakishly long, boring, mindnumbing analysis (a la 'John Nunn's Best Games')but just analysis in the right places where you can keep your mind on the whole game and not just parts of it. Everyone needs a book like this (game collections) because while your trying to learn all the nuances of a sharp new opening or how to win rook endings, this book will help to relieve all the science of chess and let you focus on the art as well. Also, some of the players in this book I had never heard of before or knew very little about personally or of their games, so now I can sort bridge the time period between Fischer and Kasparov's reign that I knew very little about. Plus its under 10 bucks and you get all of this!! Buy it!

If this was a stock, in 5 days the price would be pushed up so much peaple couldn't buy it. Why? This book is that good. Get this book before it A. goes out of stock B. increases in price. However, even if it goes up like 6 dollars it would still be a buy. Obviously I liked the book. Why? Because I learned some interesting stuff about the players making chess more personalized and Kopec and Prichet really analyze there styles. They say a lot of interesting things about the players, the question is do the predictions hold the test of time. The answer with Kasparov is yes!! These games are very interesting and for people who want to see what style they may have they can do no wrong by taking a look to see which player fits them. The players include: Walter Browne, Kasparov, Timman, Andersson, Ljubovic, Miles (recently deceaced), Ripli and maybe a few others I forgot. Anyway you will find someone you like and can follow and learn from for a long time. So buy this book and learn and enjoy while watching your game improve!!

This book presents the best games of the 1970's from eight of the leading grandmasters of the time, including Jan Timman and Kasparov! Good biographical information included. This is a reprint of a 1980 publication in algebraic notation, and is actually a much better book than most of the new games collections that are currently being published these days.

This book is full of short encounters with the denizens of the night. Looking for something to throw your party off track or a way to get them moving? With this accesory you'll easily be able to complete the task. In my first Ravenloft Campaign I was hesitant because I didn't think I knew enough about the realm. Using this accessory I was able to keep the campaign fun and exiting for the players without having to jump in over my head and end up ruining the experience for myself. I would recomend this book for all Ravenloft DM's and others as the adventures are designed to be easily used in any realm.

This is a brillinat book for all Ravenloft DM's, and those who run other settings and have a love for Vampires. 13 adventures, each with a unique adversary, and hooks for expanding the adventure, and connecting it into an ongoing campaign, this product is the beginning of a new line for Ravenloft, and heres hoping the rest of this series follow this ones illustrious beginning.

"Children of the Night: Vampires" is the first in the "Children of the Night" series, which also includes "Children of the Night: The Created," "Children of the Night: Werebeasts" and the out-of-print "Children of the Night: Ghosts." "Vampires" revolves around imaginative variations of that favorite bloodsucker; it is suitable for use in Ravenloft and in other campaigns, and is intended as a complementary volume to the various Van Richten's books. As with others in this series, Vampires presents 13 mini-adventures, each a story centered around an interesting individual or unusual type of vampire.

The books in this series are a great buy, presenting 13 well-written and potentially expandable adventures in a single accessory. In this volume we are offered quite a variety of creatures, some tied more or less to Ravenloft and its special creatures or cities, others from an "anywhere" background or originally from one of the other AD&D campaign worlds and dragged into the Mists of the Ravenloft Domain of Dread by evil circumstances. In either case, these adventures are readily adaptable to fit the flavor of any campaign, though the style of this first of the "Children of the Night" series seems to assume a greater familiarity with Ravenloft than the other volumes do.

Don't think that becauses vampires are so popular a subject that the possibilities are burnt out: In these adventures we are offered a scarred and wretched man divinely cursed to wander the desert in thirst, only able to briefly quench his thirst through fluid from his victims; a druidic vampiress whose thirsty habits run to tree sap; and a "penanggalan," a horrid female creature whose head flies free from her body and zooms around at night dangling a long black tail, looking for folk to drain. Demihumans and nonhumans are not exempt from the vampire scourge: Here we meet an elf originally from the Forgotten Realms who loathes all vampires--his problem being he himself has become one; an elven vampiress from Dragonlance's Krynn, whose terrible twisted face can stun or kill on sight; a greater vampiric Ixitxachitl; and a dwarven scholar, a "Vampire Sage" with unusual powers who once served the lich Azalin. In the entries specifically tied to Ravenloft are a vampiric slave who was once a Ravenloft Vistana, or gypsy; a sea vampire and his crew of undead pirates; a sadistic, permanently invisible vampire trickster; the scheming vampire niece of Ravenloft's powerful Count Strahd; a "vorlog," a vampiric monster who stopped just short of becoming undead; and a crime boss vampire with sewer alligators for friends. The cover art is good and so are the interior maps, though in general the interior art is not quite up to usual Ravenloft quality. All in all, a choice collection of adventures, tricks, and traps.

Highly recommended for vampire fans running any AD&D 2nd Edition campaign.

--Sharon Daugherty for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine

When I bought this book, I was interested, but cautious. I had never run Ravenloft, and even though I knew the setting, I was afraid I didn't have any good campaign ideas. This book changed that. The characters described within are colorful, interesting, and deadly, if done right. The mini-adventures included with each character are easy to adapt to whatever Domain you set you players in and useful as guidelines if you don't want to run them as is. I can't wait for the next Children of the Night book!

This is a brillinat book for all Ravenloft DM's, and those who run other settings and have a love for Vampires. 13 adventures, each with a unique adversary, and hooks for expanding the adventure, and connecting it into an ongoing campaign, this product is the beginning of a new line for Ravenloft, and heres hoping the rest of this series follow this ones illustrious beginning.