Rating: 
Summary: Better than 3rd
Review: 3.5 MM is alot better than the 3.0 MM IMO. It's easier to use. Grapple attack rating is listed YAY! Orginization is improved to. Templates(like half dragon) are now listed with the rest of the monsters not in a seperate section for templates, which you may or may not like(personal I'd rather flip to where the Hs are at than have to go to the back of the book and look through the template section). Devils got a much needed boost. I wish there was more new art. If you are thinking about getting 3.5 this book is should be near the top of your list. 2 stars for what you call the best 3.5 book? I'd hate to hear what you think of the rest of revised core ruleboks.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT GOOD
Review: AD&D 1 was great. AD&D 2 was to my mind somewhat better, they simply took some of the house rules and standardized things. Added lots of regulations so that weird stuff couldn't happen and DMs(especially sadistic ones like me couldn't just kill off the characters of annoying players) but you were still free to shuck the rules that you didn't like and run with it AD&D 1 style. D&D3 and 3.5 however is abysmal. Seriously, if the Dark Queen Takisis herself was allowed to sit down and write a game that would make players lives miserable, and DM's lives a living Hell, this is it, and it really culminates with this book. The Monsters have simply become way too powerful. In AD&D 1 and AD&D 2 if you ran into Wraiths, Demons, Liches, and a couple of Dragons in a single Dungeon you were expected to be able to cope with it and have a fairly good chance of surving, just look as the old game modules "Dragons of Hope" and "Dragons of Despair." However with these rules, you don't stand a chance. I remember those dungeons being laced with 10D6 Fireballs just to soften the Characters up so the dragons and the Lich stood a fighting chance. Now you can only get a 5D6 Fireball, and the Lich has nothing to worry about because the woefully weak characters will never make it past the first amazingly powerfull Dragon, they'll be nothing but Dragon Dung after that first major encounter. Things like Wraiths and Zombies(lots of em) used to be used as DM shepherds to keep the PC's going in the right direction, now if you were to put 30+ Zombies and 5 Wraiths on a bunch of 4th and 5th level characters(see Dragons of Flame game module) there will be no more party to Shepherd anywhere. While I like the new D20 system, the old addage still stands, if it aint broke don't fix it. For almost 30 years AD&D in one of its completely compatible incarnations was alive and well, and still going strong when WOTC bought it. However, without Weis and Gygax around anymore to see things straight it looks like it is headed for serious peril, and of all of the "Core Rule" books this seems to be the worst. BTW whatever happened to the days when all you really needed was a Players Handbook and a Good Game Module to play?
Rating: 
Summary: A must have for any DM
Review: For anyone interested in running a Dungeons and Dragons game, this is a must have. From very easy monsters to extremely challenging ones, this book has enough creatures to challenge your players with some great adventures. Plus, it has alternate races and even mixed races such as the Half-Dragon or Half-Fiend. It has Lycanthropes such as the werewolf or werebear, and has rules for creating one to play. From animals to Dragons to Mummies to orcs, this book is a great D&D supplement.
Rating:
Summary: Big slap in the face to D&D gamers everywhere
Review: Hmmm, well, well, Wizards of the Cash seems to think that D&D players around the world are inept fools. We all know what this 3.5 revision is all about. It's about WotC making more money. They don't care about us or our RPG game, they just want our money. Seems like WotC is bent on renaming D&D to "Dollars and Drains", and they are trying to turn our beloved game into some kind of Magic the Gathering revenue generating expansion pack. Even before 3.0 went to the printer, the "business" team overseeing D&D was laughing about the extra sales they were going to generate from 3.5. This revision, according to the original design team, wasn't supposed to happen until 2005. Most of the original design team for 3.0 has since been let go. Hmmm, I wonder why? They could have easily posted a lot of these changes as errata or put all of the changes into a small optional rules supplement, but they didn't. The amount of changes in the 3.5 books was artificially increased beyond what was needed to force everyone to buy all new books and to ensure a good stream of revenue generation. So what are the changes? Virtually every monster is different. There are just enough changes that a player has to question and re-read everything. Now, in your game sessions, you will have to look everything up again. And hurry up an learn these rules before the 4.0 revision comes! It's true that some of the 3.5 changes were really needed, but they had to put in a few rules that needed changing to have something to hide behind and try to make it look like this revision was really needed. You see, even in this 3.5 Edition, WotC "still" left out rules that needed changing on purpose, because they are already planning to rip us again on a 4.0 Edition. Sounds like they are taking lessons from Bill Gates himself. I wonder if Wizards of the Cash has finacing plans so we can pay monthly installments as they keep churing out new rule book sets for us to buy...? It's sad, I've been a heavy RPG gamer for the last 22 years, and throughout that period I have helped introduce and evangelize D&D. But now, I'm stopping at 3.0 and just using a few selected rules from 3.5 as house rules. WotC's revenue plan for our game is really wrong, and 3.5 is just a big slap in the face to D&D gamers everywhere.
Rating: 
Summary: < ( Satisfied Sceptic ) >
Review: I first thought this book was a bust. I recieved it as a present but did here of it before.
When I looked through it, (WOW) i instantly changed my mind. It had at least over 1,000 monsters along with masterfully articulated (artistic) images of mostly every one. Monsters range from Achaierai, a four legged flightless bird that resides in the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, to the blood thirsty red dragons who take up their homes in vast caverns running through the Warm Mountains.
For each monster it covers the Type, Hit Dice, Initiative, Speed ( on land, in water, air ,and/or while burrowing), Armor Class, Base Attack/Grapple, Attack, Full Attack, Space/Reach, Special Attacks, Special Qualities, Saves, Abilities, Skills, Feats, Environment, Organization, Challenge Rating, Treasure, Alignment, Advancement, and Level Adjustment.
Along with the picture there is a highly detailed description of the monster, combat methods, and magic casting. All in all I think this book was a very worthy buy.
Rating:
Summary: < ( Satisfied Sceptic ) >
Review: I first thought this book was a bust. I recieved it as a present but did here of it before.
When I looked through it, (WOW) i instantly changed my mind. It had at least over 1,000 monsters along with masterfully articulated (artistic) images of mostly every one. Monsters range from Achaierai, a four legged flightless bird that resides in the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, to the blood thirsty red dragons who take up their homes in vast caverns running through the Warm Mountains.
For each monster it covers the Type, Hit Dice, Initiative, Speed ( on land, in water, air ,and/or while burrowing), Armor Class, Base Attack/Grapple, Attack, Full Attack, Space/Reach, Special Attacks, Special Qualities, Saves, Abilities, Skills, Feats, Environment, Organization, Challenge Rating, Treasure, Alignment, Advancement, and Level Adjustment.
Along with the picture there is a highly detailed description of the monster, combat methods, and magic casting. All in all I think this book was a very worthy buy.
Rating:
Summary: definately an improvement
Review: I must say that at first I was unsure when I heard that wizards was revising the 3rd edition rulebooks, but now that I have seen them I am quite happy with the changes. The Monster Manual 3.5 is simply much easier to use and it is formated better. The stats of creatures are explained better (for instance listing a creatures grapple attack & base attack bonus). Also, for the more challenging creatures they have added a very helpfull tactics section which breaks down what a monster would do on each round of combat, making it much easier for a DM to run them effectively.
Rating:
Summary: They should combine the various monster manuals
Review: I'm coming at this from a different angle than many of you. I really don't play this stuff anymore but the old 1st edition books are like classics in my library, especially the monster manuals & fiend folio. In my opinion they've regulated everything to death over the years and sucked out all the joy of this once glorious game. Seems like it would take 10 years just to commit any single simple action in this game at this point. "I need to go to the bathroom." "Okay roll ten-sided twice to see if it works." However, I would gladly fork over $50 or even more for an updated, expanded and combined monster manual (with serious, not-cartoonish illustrations) just for all of the new monsters and old ones combined over the years omitting and censoring NOTHING from various books, magazines and worlds. They actually did this to some degree back with the 2nd Edition where you had stuff from 1&2 and they threw in Dragonlance Dragons, Beholder-kin and various other goodies (I did NOT appreciate the CENSORSHIP and political-correctness of removing and renaming certain Devils, Demons and the like). Sure the 2nd Edition was just a money grab back then too, but combining everything gave you something convenient. Now with this 3.5 nonsense, it looks even more like a money grab. Look at the # of pages of the 2003 edition 3.5 (320) and compare with 1993 2nd edition (384). They must have split them apart again or done something else (I didn't and won't buy 3.5 so I'm not sure what they've done here). Give us 1 single manual. Make it an oversize, huge gothic tome of 500-1000 pages of epic beauty. Charge us 1 big price and then leave it and us alone for another 10 years. And bring Gary Gygax back on board too, because you WOTC guys look like greedy suit&tie pigs with your heads up your rear-ends (thanks for that stupid D&D movie too).
Rating:
Summary: An improvement, but with room for more improvement
Review: I'm not going to talk about the controversy over the release of these books and will only be reviewing the information as it's written, and commenting on improvements or setbacks since the last edition. The previous Monster Manual was a good guide to the basic monsters necessary for a DM to attempt to kill his PCs. The problem is, at that time the rules for 3rd edition were still fairly skeletal, and as time passed and rules were published enabling players and DMs alike to use monsters as PCs, these rules were not in the Monster Manual. Also, some terms were redefined, and even the manner in which the stats of a monster are to be determined changed. Adding to the confusion, the book was designed a little haphazardly, making it difficult to tell just where you're supposed to look for the information you need. All these rules changes and additions have been incorporated into the new Monster Manual, and this book is now a complete, up-to-date, bound volume of WoTC's holy writ. The problem is, a lot of the organizational problems still exist or were expanded on. The book boasts a few nice new illustrations, and they're more closely linked to the appropriate monster entry, but there are still some times where there'll be only a portion of a paragraph about a monster on the page that carries that monster's illustration. Also, the templates have been shuffled in with all the monsters. I have no idea why they did this. There are monsters, and then there are templates to add to monsters. It makes perfect sense to separate the two. I must admit, though, making zombies and skeletons into templates, rather than monsters of dubious usefulness, was a great idea. Some additions were simply wonderful, though. The "How to Create a Monster" section is welcome, laying out bare a lot of rules that were previously only available by cross-referencing several books. The short, italicized descriptions of every monster are a great template to drop into a dungeon encounter, or at least a starting point for a DM to get an image from. On the whole, the Monster Manual is a useful tome, and a definite improvement on its predecessor. It still has a few flaws, however, which will no doubt be fixed in upcoming errata.
Rating:
Summary: WOW---the wait was DEFINITELY worth it
Review: It took quite a while to get all three third edition rulebooks, but now they're out. DMs and players alike will enjoy this new spin on the monster manual. It has many many many encounter charts and they have taken a whole new approach by giving PC stats on all of the creatures. I always thought that they should have done this long ago; it really helps when trying to decide, say, if an Ogrillon could bash through the locked door protecting our brave and intrepid heroes. Plus it lists standard feats and skills that certain creatures always have. This is a new move for the D&D game...it breaks down the barriers between "player" races and "monsters." Wanna be a Black Pudding fighter, go for it! But you'll really need this book to get all of the necessary information. Like the other two books, the illustrations are just great. They really help you visualize the creatures, and the artwork is a little more edgy than previous editions. Another thing that I was quite glad to see was the revival of the Demons and Devils. I mean obviously in second edition they just called them Baatezu and whatnot, but now they are back and unapologetic about it. In fact they go into quite a lot of detail as to the fauna of the lower planes, which should really make for some interesting adventures. They also have added some new spins to old creatures, the celestial hound for instance. Also a whole new subtype of creature: the dire animal. Since these are listed in the summoning tables in the Player's handbook, it is really essential that anyone playing a spellcaster get this book to find out the details....all I can say is you WON'T be disappointed. If you have purchased the other two books and, like me, have been frustrated with the lack of good monster descriptions in the DM guide, then you really MUST buy this book.
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