Toys and Games Books

This is really one of the most unusual Kachina art books out there. Besides the exquisite photography of Gene Balzer, Theda Bassman delves into how the new carvers who adapted to all wood carving feel about their craft and what it means to them to be a carver. One gets a real sense that the artists themselves come alive and in this way, bring their art alive. They demonstrate a trust in talking with Ms. Bassman, who has a long history of working in the Southwest Indian contemporary art world. In this way, this book transcends the typical art book.

If Hornby 'O' gauge trains are your passion, then this is the book for you. It chronicles the history of Frank Hornby and his dream of creating the perfect model railway system. With ample colour illustrations the book will provide a constant source of reference to identify and date nearly every Hornby item from the 1920's to the 1950's. I say nearly as previously undocumented items do still arise from time to time. The book provides a window onto an era of history that is fondly remembered by many. If Hornby 'O' gauge is your hobby then buy this book, you will find it hard to put down.

This review is for the Starter box for Horrorclix, a collectible miniatures game (CMG) by WizKids. WizKids is better known for their HeroClix CMG, with superhero miniatures. HorrorClix uses the same concept (painted miniature on base that clicks through different ability stats based on damage) with classic horror monsters, plus niche monsters that appeal to certain fan groups (Lovecraftian monsters particularly stand out). Rather than review the entire CMG/Horrorclix concept, I'll only review the starter box.

The idea of the starter box is to provide enough material for two people to play a game, and hopefully get you interested in buying more. I ordered the starter to play a game with a friend and was quite pleased by the product's visual appeal. It is packaged like a shadowbox, with all the figures and terrain pieces visible and in place like a diorama. Unfortunately, the shadowbox had to be torn up in order to get the pieces out; being able to store them in the same diorama would have been nice.

You get a LOT of stuff with the starter. First, you get 6 monsters and their monster cards, There is a map, 12 victim tokens, 6 portal squares, 6 terrain squares, 3 terrain items, 10 plot twists, 2 subplots, and the rulebook.

-The monsters are nicely sculpted, but the plastic feels cheap and the dial clix don't always align with the window well. Every starter has the same monsters, which are a red vampire lady holding a skull, a skeleton, a werewolf, the ghost of a lynched man, a chainsaw slasher, and a straitjacketed monster with tentacles. It's fairly representative of the monsters in the base set, with most of the powers and monster types. The monster cards look nice and detail the miniature's powers, but NOT dial clix statistics. (Maybe we're supposed to be surprised at the clix results?)

-The map is dual-sided, with a graveyard on one side and a haunted mansion on the other. Maps are hard to come by for this game, so this one is nice to have. You can, of course, make your own. There are plenty of obstacles, winding passageways, and atmospheric decoration to make these maps interesting. They have the downside of buckling at the folds - very difficult to make them lie flat.

-You get three 3-D terrain, a haunted tree and 2 tomobstones. I don't think WizKids produced any other 3-D terrain, so this is more for novelty's sake than strategy.

-You should have 12 victim tokens for a game, and they are included. They are cardboard pogs, with a victim stereotype (jock, cheerleader, reporter). Their purpose is to be eaten by the monsters, but it's also fun to watch them flee.

-There are portals and hindering terrain squares available to be used. They are double-sided, so you can choose which image to place (cobwebs, scary eyes, mold, a swamp, etc.) which adds to the atmosphere.

-The plot twists are events that you can play (horror-movie themed) which help you to control victims. The subplots give you a way to score extra points by completing a mission. The two subplots were to kill all opposing monsters and to eliminate all victims.

-The rulebook is about 50pg, B&W softcover. It could have used some play examples, and I found some of the rules rather opaque (such as using portals).

All of my quibbles with the starter have more to do with the game than the set itself; it's a very nice starter kit with everything you need to play. And you really can play with just the starter; I divided the 6 figures with a friend and we sat down for a game. I learned that the chainsaw slasher is incredibly powerful and definitely tournament worthy. Probably the blood vamp as well, while the other figures are nice starter pieces. I'm definitely pleased with the value and have bought more boosters since to continue playing.

For any teddy bear lover this book will warm your heart. I have already read it a few times. Beautiful illustrations grace every page and bring the bears to life.

Excellent for the professional as well as the student (with or without any previous knowledge of the human anatomy). Thanks.

This book is great for reinforcing subtracting by using pictures. The pictures are great and it is easy to understand. My Children (2 and 4) love learning to spell, add, and subtract with these books!! The flip cards let the children peek to get little hints and gives encouragement when they have the right answer!! It makes learning fun!!

I teach 6th grade Science and this book is wonderful for reviewing concepts in a fun and interactive way.

My daughter has such fun with this book! Each night when we read it at bedtime, she looks under the flaps and giggles as if we were reading it for the very first time. I would definitely recommend this book to all parents of preschoolers.

my son is learning sight words, I wanted to get him something that would make him enjoy and want to read. This is it! on the top of each page is the work bank. I went over the two or three words at the top of the page with him, and than he readed the bottom part(which is the story). He was able to read the story to me with very little if any help.