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Rating: 
Summary: Great read
Review: A very interesting book that's full of insider info. I was amazed to read about all the different consoles that I had never heard of before, mainly because they were only released in Japan.I would have liked to have read more about the technical side of things (ie cpu and memory specs) but apart from that this book bought back some fond memories for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent historical overview of home video game industry.
Review: I ordered this book to serve as "back up evidence" in a museum presentation I did several months ago concerning the history of video games, and it served its purpose well... and it's also earned a place in my personal book collection. For years I've wanted to write a definitive history of video games, but now I don't feel like I need to- it's been done for me. Some may say that Phoenix is a dry regurgitation of press releases, but it's the most concise and most objective historical reference work concerning video games that I've read. The book is short and blunt- there aren't sugary-sweet phrases or "sound bites" within- the book is chock full of facts and data for people who are truly interested in the evolution of the American video game industry. As is usual with books of this type, there are several minor factual errors- I doubt that a 100% accurate book could ever be compiled. Leonard Herman has done an excellent job compiling information, and has done an admirable job staying away from opinion and conjecture. Despite small errors here and there, Phoenix stands as one of the best histories of electronic games, and a model for concise writing. Now for the personal desires; I feel that Phoenix should have focused more upon computer games within the book- especially the 8-bit computers (Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit) which supplanted video game systems for several years- they are covered minimally in appendices. I would also have enjoyed a world-wide perspective, rather than an American-specific view. I also wish Phoenix had gone into detail concerning individual game systems and companies- there is little explanation concerning the disappearance of quite a few of them. Perhaps the stories concerning the failure of individual companies would overwhelm the book and obscure its purpose of showing the industry's growth and change, but it's a subject so far left uncovered. Regardless of what I wish had been covered, what Phoenix does cover, it covers well. It's probably the most important book for classic video game enthusiasts to own and read.
Rating: 
Summary: A dry history of video games
Review: I purchased this book for my thesis (about cost structures of the video game console industry) and did find quite a bit of useful information in terms of what systems were produced when, historical prices, etc. However it was not a very entertaining read. Also, the organizationm of the book, which is broken down by year, makes it hard to follow events that lasted multiple years. (lawsuits, product development cycles, etc.) It's a decent book if you're doing research, or if you're a hard core video game history fanatic, but otherwise I wouldn't reccomend it. A much better book is David Sheff's Game Over, although that only focuses on Nintendo.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT FOR RESEARCH, HISTORY AND BED READING
Review: I was looking for a book to help me with my Tesis, and I found more than that, not only did it help me A LOT, I also read it with great joy, is not technical at all, it's written in a very simple but complete way. The pictures in the book are a plus. I have read many books, and internet sites looking form information about the topic, I never imagine I could find something so good like this book, after comparing all that I've read, heard and play, this book is A MUST. As a true videogame player (not fan) I learned a lot of things I though I knew allready, and the ones I did know, it explained how, when, how, etc. This book was my first internet buy and it was waaaaaay worth it.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing insight into the history of video games.
Review: It's not everyday that you come across a book that tells the history of video games, truely starting at the begining. I have read other books on the video game history that pull a ton of information from Leonard Herman's "Phoenix". Some people might consider this book dry and iritating especially since they couldn't find any information to directy copy from it and paste into their point and click thesis.
I'll tell you one thing, this book might be a bit rough on the edges and untrimmed for the person who is used to buying top dollar... sellout books but this book covers more of the video game history than any you'll be digging up riding the coatails of the Nintendo/Sega/Playstation wave. "Phoenix" and "The First Quarter" have been the most insightful books about this topic anyone is ever going to find. They take slightly different approaches to the topic but cover an enourmous amount of ground in, what I consider, too short of a book. This thing could have gone on forever and I would have never put it down.
The best thing about Leonard Herman is that he will never finish this book. Right now on his websight you can pre-order your copy of the latest edition of this book and get the new included chapters, pictures and more. The man is a machine who will never end his quest for perfection and a total completion of the history of the video game. I even ordered his book "the ABC's to the VCS" a comrehensive and complete, albeit very unedited, book describing every game on the atari 2600, it goes way in depth regarding every game that any normal person could possible get their hands on and play, and that's a lot of games. Overall this book and it's author deserve a hundred stars for effort and incredible insight and the guts to attempt to piece the entire history together.
Rating:
Summary: A little rough, but great for a history book
Review: Let me set the record straight. This is not an engaging story about the rise and fall of videogames. This is more a historical account of the rise and fall of videogames. Which is a good thing. Chock full of good, reliable information, and broken down by year. This is a fast and enjoyable read, with a great balance of wit and facts. If you can get your hands on a copy, I highly suggest picking one up.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST Reference for Videogames, a Gamer's Bible.
Review: Mr. Herman has accomplished what many strive and fail to achieve: An accurate and user friendly history of Videogames. From the abacus to the early X Box, the third edition of this masterwork covers important developements in videogame history, from the abacus to the X Box. Herman includes Focus-on areas which "focus on" important figures in the industry. The chapters are brilliantly laid out in years, all things organized. You never once feel lost!
I find myself refering to Phoenix daily, and it is probably the most often used book on my desk.
And the author himself is a very nice, sociable and intelligent man. I myself held correspondence with him in 2000, awaiting my copy of the third edition. Mine's autographed, and the autograph is in the style that only champions possess!
Rating:
Summary: My Reference Guide for Videogames and Consoles
Review: The book is a great survey about the videogame market from the beginning until now. The history as well as the detailed description of most of the known videogame systems helped me to build up a nice collection of video consoles & games. Thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: Only factual data with no insight about the industry
Review: This book is written repetitively in this pattern: which company has released what model of a videogame at what price on which date. In this way, each chapter is composed of the events happened in one particular year. Then year after year, making up the whole book. The author has not bothered to hypothesize or made up his own viewpoint about the industry, such as seldom attempt was made to explain the story behind how a company came up with such and such a marketing strategy. But, on the contrary, you can sometimes find in the book, part of a story without an ending. For example, somewhere mentions a new company trying to get into the market with a new product. But then no mention of the company can be found later in the book. Whether the company has succeeded or failed? No one knows. All in all, the whole book was organized into such a collection of fragmented and not cohesive facts that I have gained little insight about the videogame industry from it. You may not find it enjoyable if you are looking for a book with a plot or storyline. But if you are really seriously about videogame, to consider it as a reference book, the book is an informative data source.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and unimaginative book, just chronological facts
Review: Unless you're a videogame techie, this book is boring as hell. I did not enjoy the content of this book because its writing style is repetitive and poor. Just a collection of technical facts from the 80s onwards evoking a bit of nostalgia for some of us. A pure waste of money otherwise.
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