Rating: 
Summary: All Old All New
Review: This is quite possibly the best edition of D&D yet. The combat rules are a work of art, as is the new skills sytem, saving throws etc. According to WotC this is the most play tested system ever designed by WotC and possibly the most play tested system ever. There will be purist detractors because almost everything has been updated, but overall the changes are good if not great. The book itself is well laid out, beautifully designed and thoughtfully produced. Just some of the changes and features I have noticed: The combat now lends itself more readily to miniatures The experience system is clearly defined Rules have been added for things like breaking down doors, digging through floors or walls and breaking other objects by including hit points and hardness values for every object. The inclusion of a Difficulty Class value in almost everything (AC is now a Diff. Class, Saves are a DC, Picking locks, finding traps, etc.) Skills now make more sense and are easier to handle A new Feats system helps to individualize characters The multiclass rules have been updated (look forward to more multiclass characters) Classes have been updated and new ones have been added Much, much more has changed so check it out! While I disagree with some of the design decisions from the balance aspect of the game I feel enough thought and time went into those decisions to give them a chance. (For example Wizards may now wear armour in certain situations and the level limits have been removed for the non-human races.) Do not offhandedly disregard this edition. Give it a fair chance and you won't be disappointed. If you are new to Role Playing you might want to grab the D&D boxed adventure game first to get a feeling. It's well presented and has a lot of replay value for first timers.
Rating:
Summary: Slick and Easy
Review: I bought this book after a LONG hiatus from RPG's in general and D&D specifically. The new 3rd edition rules really make the game more robust and playable, and, I suspect, will make it just plain much more fun. It also looks great and is organized well. Beautiful art. In short, this book really ought to breathe some life into the D&D game system.
Rating: 
Summary: What you've been waiting for...
Review: When I first heard about the upcoming third edition of Dungeons and Dragons, my reaction was mixed between relief that the old rules and look of the game would be updated and improved, and irritation that WOTC was just going to drown out both the spirit of the game and the spirit of TSR in a ploy for more money. After recently reading through the new book, though, my worries are gone, as I find that the Dungeons and Dragons game has lost none of its old appeal, and has gained much in simplicity and clarity of rules. As with any gaming book, there are a few complaints to be made: no full-page art, and a few rules technicalities that could do with some change (gnomes get a Con bonus?), but it is still a better game, overall, than the second edition. In regards to presentation, what art there is is usually much better than 2nd edition (kudos to Todd Lockwood and Sam Wood for designing the look of the game, as well as other contributing artists) As for rules, across the board, things have been made both more simple and more intuitive: a higher AC means you have more armor, success is determined by rolling a d20, not by a mix of d6, d20, and d100, and higher rolls are always better. In short, if you are looking for an improvement over the old rules, or simply wondering where to begin in the fantasy gaming world, this is the place to start.
Rating:
Summary: A whole new school of D&D
Review: At first I was hesitant to throw money at WotC, but after getting a chance to examine a friend's copy at Gencon, I was excited. The art is very nice, the layout is solid, and the writing is clear. But that's not why I like it. The system is intelligent and consistent. Gone is exceptional strength and all the little inconstancies. Saving throws make sense. Skills are so much better than non-weapon proficiencies. Feats are wonderful idea. 0-level spells are here, as are meta-magic spells. In a nutshell, 3rd Edition is a consistent system that allows a much greater range of customization and diversification. It also makes it easier to learn and understand without removing the complex options that many gamers love. It's a major reworking of the rules while still holding on to what's important. If you are willing to learn some new things and play the Dungeons and Dragons that you love with a better system, go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Slick and well polished!
Review: I was a little leary when I heard that Wizards of the Coast had purchased my favorite RPG. Would there be Dragon the Gathering cards now? I needn't have worried. The new 3rd addition Player's Handbook has tweaked the minor faults, removed the more pressing problems and given us some gorgeous fantasy art in the process. Whenever I used to play a game with newcomers, THAC0 was always the hardest part to learn. No more! We also always wound up heavy on the half-elves and light on anything else. Now, every race has potential (although I imagine with our first new campaign everyone will be fighting over who gets to be sorcerors). The explanations are clear and concise. I tested this by having a friend who had never played an RPG read the book with me in the store. One of my personal favorite things is the fact that they now show male and female of every major race. I do wish that they had standardized how to create your own multi-racial characters (example, what if I wanted to make the child of a dwarf and an orc or a gnome and a halfling) but that is a minor quibble. All in all, this is a worthy continuation of the evolving game known as D & D!
Rating:
Summary: A great new era!
Review: I'm going to assume you know what D&D is (read Amazon's review or go to the Wizards of the Coast's web site if you don't). So, the short answer: is it worth it? I say a resounding YES! The rules have made a giant step out of the past towards a more modern design. There is suddenly an incredibly broad set of new options. Many abilities that used to be tied to a particular class have become skills that anyone can buy and some can be used without training (most notably thief skills like climb which always annoyed me; most children should have some climb ability! ). The feats further open up what once was the providence of a particular class. At the same time there's enough left that's unique to each class that traditionalists will find the new D&D familiar. Two of the new classes (Barbarian and Monk) are reworking of old classes; the other new class is a new spin on casting magic on the fly (Sorcerer). All are interesting. In particular they've made the new Barbarian playable if somewhat strong (I predict a sudden increase in barbarian populations!). Another major change is the way mulit-class is handled. Some characters may lose something in the translation from 2nd Edition to 3rd, but imho, the new mulit-classing is now the way it should have been from the start. It's very clean and more appropriately balanced. The new D&D is also cleaned up and better organized. I like the alphabetized spell descriptions. In previous versions you had to know what level the spell was to find it. This way it doesn't matter. Are there flaws? Yes. Despite clear efforts to balance, some classes and races are stronger than others. There are a few questions that are not entirely clear. But they're minor and easily worked around or ignored. Actually my biggest complaint is that there are several places where the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) is referenced and that's not out for another month yet! It's not a big enough problem that it will keep me from playing before then, but some things (the worst case is the Leadership feat which doesn't even have a generic description of what it does; just a note to look at the DMG!) will have to wait.
Rating:
Summary: Bold Steps for AD&D
Review: I have to admit, even with all of the previews I was skeptical of the new 3rd Ed D&D. At first I was worried that two many changes were being made. Now however, I feel that a bold new direction has been taken with the system. Part of the problem with past revisions to AD&D 2nd Ed (such as Skills and Powers) was that changes felt tacked on. A real effort has been made in 3rd Edition to integrate Skills and Feats into the rules seamlessly. Another change for the better is that with the new d20 system, an attempt has been made to standardize out the rolls you make. In older editions of AD&D, the system for combat was completely different from the system for non-weapon proficiencies, which was completely different from theif skills, ect. Now with the d20 system's Difficuly Class (DC) these diverse activities all seem to be cut from whole cloth. When WotC anounced they would be creating other game systems utilizing the d20 system I scoffed. Now I believe this is feasible. I guess the best rave I could give it is that before D&D 3rd Ed I hadn't played AD&D in over five years. Now I'm starting up a campaign.
Rating:
Summary: A rose by any other name
Review: Ok, I was worried that WOC would screw it up. I have been an avid d&d'er since '80. I think that the new cover is the best part of the book. The insides are as different as 2nd was from 1st. Other than a few bells and whistles you still have ad&d as it ever was. The new features, rules, and changes seem to be taken right outta Dragon. If you are a real Dungeoneer you will probably say, "whats wrong with the one I bought back in '82?". The fact is things change and I bought the book because my game group will always buy the new books and play the new rules. Just bite the bullet and buy it, you know you want to.
Rating:
Summary: THE BOOK TO HAVE
Review: If you ever played AD&D, you NEED this book
Rating:
Summary: players hand book a definite buy
Review: I would like to start by saying that the new rules are alot more understandable unlike some of the old products which found themselves contradicting another statement in same book.This book explains all the eventualities it is also organised into different sections for Character creation and so on. All the different classes are alot more specialised in what they do so every one is useful at some point. Also when the Dungeon Master guide comes out that should also be definite buy for Campaign and monster creation. I would like to recommend this to someone who has never played AD&D this is a good starting point as it really is easy to understand it also good for AD&D veterans who want to make a very specific type of character. It is also good if you just want to make a very powerful charater who hits hard and does nothing else depending on your style of campaign.
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