Starcraft : Prima's Official Strategy Guide

Rating:
Summary: Blah. I'd rather have the game manual.
Review: This book came free with the "Battle Chest" but I really wish they had included the game manual instead. (If you want that, you have to print it from the PDF file on the CD.) The "strategy guide" is really a rehashed reference for the different races which could be useful if not for the choppy, amateurish writing, and just the enormous amount of black ink used in printing this book (I half expected my fingers to get black from flipping through the pages). The maps are slightly helpful, but really close to worthless because of the poor contrast and lack of color. So far, I have gone through every mission on my own without the strategy guide, only consulting it after I completed a mission. I found their "strategies" to really lack imagination and in some cases were completely unrealistic. Their main take on each mission is to do as little as you have to in order to win the mission and advance to the next. I find a lot more fun in exploring all the map area and wiping out any enemy that exists. Anyway, maybe the strategy guide for the expansion pack will be better. I recommend not bothering with this one. (StarCraft, though, is a superb game!)

Rating:
Summary: Read this NOW!
Review: This book is the best for single player missions! I think that those who complain about it not having multiplayer tactics should think about what it is supposed to be used for. I believe it was written for single player and that's what I read it for. A++++++ book!

Rating:
Summary: Great for the scenarios, but skimps on multiplayer strats
Review: This book isn't great, but it isn't horrible either! The section for the single player missions is very well done, and provides the reader with all of the details necessary for the completion of each scenario for each race. The maps should have been bigger and color would have helped, but that would significantly raise the price of the book. The charts and tables are very informative and useful, such as the unit counter chart. The tips are also helpful, but you could figure them out on your own after a few missions. This is the point where the good qualities end. There are a few pages on the map editor which provide almost no information at all. You are better off just reading the help file within the editor, as it gives much more info on everything from placing map tiles to programming triggers. (which is really fun, by the way) The only thing that can be said about the multiplayer section is that it is totally useless. Be thankful that there is another guide out ther! e specifically for multiplayer gaming. One of the authors happens to be the now famous Thresh. Bottom line- If you need tips for the single player missions, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a GREAT help for scenario solving.
Review: This guide is a great help in solving the scenarios. It provides detailed maps and strategic guidelines to "help" you conquer your opponents. I haven't "graduated" to multi-player yet, so I can't comment on how this book might help in that aspect.

Rating:
Summary: A good book that could have been better
Review: This is what it lacks (1) It's missing information on the unit table. (2) It has little to say on such matters as multiplayer (battle.net) startegies (4 pages) out of it's 246. (3) It also lacks good advice for map triggers, most of which I (and most people) learned about from basically testing and practicing. It's good if your starting off or want to beat the game legitly. I like the cooldown/range info on the units.

Rating:
Summary: Real Learning is Done on the Battle Field
Review: What a waste of my hard earned cash! Ive been playing this 5 star rts game since about a month after it came out, and I learned volumes more strategy than this guide provided me with for $20, and I learned it for free! Anyone thinking of buying this book should just sit down and jump on some multiplayer games and watch the different strategies that other people are using. With the combination of the creativity of a good opponent(and there are plenty out there), and your own inspired imagination, you'll go MUCH further than this book or any help guide can take you! Not to mention that following these 'skimpy' strategies that are listed in a book such a bore. There's something to be said about developing your OWN strategy and watching it in its success and glory! Dont buy it, save your money for the Brood Wars!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for beginners as well as pros
Review: What can I say, I could have never enjoyed this game without this book, don't hesitate buy it if you can, and if its still available, if you want to play this game intelligently and victoriously

Rating:
Summary: It's really not that great
Review: When I first started playing this game, the book was a great help. It maps out all the scenarios and makes recommendations as far as how to win each level. Aside from that, it doesn't really help at all. It doesn't teach you to be a better starcraft player, it just tells you the answers to the problems at hand. If you are looking for an easy way to win this game, then by all means buy this book; it helps out alot! But if you are looking for something to teach you general starcraft strategy, then I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Has some problems
Review: You can tell by the Author's paragraph that the reviews that say there are many spelling errors in the book are right. It's shouldn't have an '. This book is okay for very new beginners, but many of its strategies are messed up.