Rating: 
Summary: Best version to date!
Review: Hands down this is the best version of the venerable game to hit the shelves. The changes to rules, classes, races, magic, everything is right on the money and everything I was hoping it would be. I've stayed away from D&D since the mid-eighties as I switched to other game systems, but 3rd Edition has brought me home and with the advent of the d20 system, I'm here to stay. Feel free to email me if you want to talk about 3rd Edition or the d20 system, the Open Gaming movement or the companies that will be provided content under the d20 system and OGL licences.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Game! (Again?)
Review: Here it is, the third edition of the game that started it all, Dungeons and Dragons.Dungeons and Dragons, for those who are not familiar, is a roleplaying game. That means, that a group of players, one of them called the Dungeon Master (DM, for short), meet together. each player besides the DM has already invented the particular character he is going to play. These characters have cetain characteristics, such as race (Humans, Dwarves, Elves...), Class (Their profession, such as Fighters and Wizards...), a numerical value for certain ability scores (Strength, Intelligence, Charisma...), and of course a history. The DM, comes to the game with an adventure he has invented for the characters. In the game, each player describes the actions of the character he plays. Together, the characters walk inside dungeons and castles, killing dragons and saving kingdoms. The Player's Handbook, is the most basic written material needed for playing the most popular roleplaying game in history, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, or AD&D. The most basic non written material needed to play, is, of course, imagination. The players handbook contains a good explanation of the game, Rules for creating characters, specifications of races, classes, proficencies, magic and the basic rules. This specific edition is very thorough, and doesn't leave "black areas" in the rules. It is orginized for both the novice player, as reading the book from the beggining to its end, never leaves you with a filling that you're missing something, as well as the advanced player, as it is easy to find even the minor rules without too much search. The book is also covered with very nice fantasy related artwork. Although specific cons in this book are very hard to find, I have to warn you that this book is certainly not all that you need to play AD&D. To play AD&D, you also need (at least) the Dungeon Master's handbook, and the first Monster Compendium. Also, Not enough has changed from the previous edition to make you buy the new one. Rules are almost completely unchanged. These two cons probably should have given this book 4 stars instead of five, but i feel they are more against the game than against the book itself. All in all, I suggest anyone with spare time looking for a hobby, as well as roleplayers looking for the latest revisions, buy this book and jump into the magnificent world of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
Rating:
Summary: The D&D Bible
Review: --FOR PEOPLE WHO ALREADY PLAY D&D-- 3rd edition is great, not a Magic: the Gathering rpg as -some- would have you believe. It's just like the old PHB, just with improved rules and better layout and structure. --FOR BEGINNERS-- DON'T GET THIS BOOK!!! get the D&D Adventure game. It is a beginner's package, far better suited for people who don't know how to play. if you get this book without knowing the basics of RPGs, you'll be very frustrated. Only get this book if you have friends who play who will explain to you how everything works.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing !!!
Review: This book is the most amazing release of the year. The pictures are beautyfull, and the game still the best RPG of the WORLD!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A must have for gamers old and new.
Review: Amazing. Stunning. Great book. A must have for all D&D gamers new and old! I am always reluctant to purchase revisions of games that have been out for so long, but being a die hard D&D fan, I had to buy this. The whole system from generation to play has evolved and developed in ways that boggle the mind, yet game play itself has become faster and easier to understand. Players have more opportunity to specialize their characters as well as detail them in never before seen ways. The re-addition of the monk is a huge plus as well. Weaponless combat for actuall damage is a beautiful thing. How could I forget multi-classing made easier and the near complete banishing of race restrictions! Monsters too are more interesting now and are even playable. They have more than just stats and exp values..they too have access to skills that allow the DM to tailor them to suit the needs of the campaign, The book itself is well put together, asthetically pleasing and all you need to convert your current campaign over to 3rd Edition. I'm looking forward to the monster manual and DMG that come out in the next few months.
Rating:
Summary: A must have
Review: TSR and Wizards of the Coast undo the much of the past mistakes, keeping the best of the first two editions of Dungeon and Dragons. By adding feats and skills, the players can customize their characters unlike ever before. Also lifted were most racial and alignment restrictions. This book is packed with all the information need to play the game. It adds new sorcerer character class, keeps all the old mainstays, returns Druids to their own class, and even brings back the Monks. It also includes some material from the Monsters Manual and Dungeon Master's guide so you can start using these rules before those works are released This Book also include weapons (all illustrated), Deities, 100 pages of spells, equipment prices and weight. Combat and spell casting are fully covered. The print quality, and binding are far better than any previous TSR book. My only complaint are the page back grounds. The glossy paper is filled with lines giving it an artistic look and feel, but I think it makes it a little hard to read. Between the high gloss and the active backgrounds, the words don't jump out, but rather you have to concentrate to read them. A small price to pay - and the pages do "look" great.
Rating: 
Summary: Consistent system but could have been "neater"
Review: First of all, $19.95 for 288 pages packed with game material is the best deal that TSR and Wizards of the Coast has put out in a long time. Hopefully, this trend will continue in the future, and we'll see a lowering of the sky-rocketing prices of game products that occurred in the last decade. The 3rd Edition Player's Handbook is more than just a 10-year update of its 2nd Edition. While retaining all that makes the Dungeons and Dragons game distinctive, including the hallowed six ability scores and character class system, the 3rd Edition ushers in several changes that help provide a much more consistent set of game mechanics. Using the d20 system, which employs a d20 roll with modifiers added to that roll to determine success, 3rd Edition removes the various methods once used. For instance, 2nd Edition used percentile dice for thieving skill rolls, six-sided dice for detecting secret doors, and ten-sided dice for determining such things as initiative and surprise. In 3rd Edition, the other dice are still used, but to determine "how much," not "whether or not." This is not only much more convenient, but allows an easier comparison of abilities and difficulties across different types of actions. The streamlined consistency extends also to the ability scores. Instead of various different modifiers and tables for each attribute, there is one master table for all ability scores. Modifiers are consistent throughout all abilities, so each ability is comparable, as is each modifier. A +1 Dexterity modifier means the same thing as a +1 Intelligence, or Wisdom bonus. There are some significant changes, however...this edition is more than just updates of existing material. Some of the additions include Skills (which replace proficiencies), Feats (which are new abilities that modify or add to existing, class-based abilities), 8th- and 9th-level cleric and druid spells, a new, less bulky combat system, and the return of the barbarian and monk classes, as well as a new class, the sorceror. Existing character classes have additional abilities--almost every level is meaningful. The multi-class system is much more balanced and understandable, while providing more, not fewer, options. Every character uses the same experience point table--he can use each character level to improve an existing class level. There are no longer separate experience point tables for each class--one level in the fighter class is equivalent to one level in the thief class, and the abilities are balanced to reflect this fact. I could go on...suffice to say that this new edition is a refreshing change to the rules that is long overdue. There is one minor qualm I have about the 3rd Edition D&D, and that is the fact that this drive towards consistency did not reach all parts of the system. The character groups (warrior, rogue, wizard, priest) no longer exist. Each class seems like an agglomeration of various skills with a general theme. There is almost a sense of 1st Edition AD&D in this system. Still, that is characteristic of a class-level game system, which D&D remains, at heart. However, the 3rd Edition incorporates the flexibility of the skill system that has been so favored of RPGs in the past few years. In the end, D&D remains the last true class-level system and stays true to its roots. I was extremely excited to see this book come out and my excitement has only been increased by my perusal of this book. Usually, I am very wary of the material coming out from TSR, especially of late, but this is truly a great start to a new edition of D&D. For the first time in a long time, I have found a D&D book that I actually like and may use without reservations. Buy this book, fall in love with role-playing...or re-discover it.
Rating:
Summary: A new beginning...
Review: While the 2nd edition of AD&D could have been almost considered an "expansion" of 1st edition, one glance at the 3rd edition Players' Handbook will tell you that the entire AD&D game system has almost been revamped from the ground up. Sure the concepts and names are still familiar, such as the 6 ability scores, armor class, saving throws, initiative, etc. But almost every single rule has been modified or completely rewritten. In most cases, the changes has been for the better. Confusing, clumsy aspects of the old system have been streamlined and made more logical. However, there are also some areas, such as the combat system, which became more complicated than necessary. Only time will tell if all these rule changes have created a better game.
Rating:
Summary: 3e: Great Value and Very Well Done!
Review: At long last, Wizards of the Coast has created an edition of Dungeons & Dragons that the world has been waiting for. It replaces, the ugly (to be kind) second edition from TSR that just made the game no longer fun (for me). 3e (3rd Edition D&D) Player's Handbook is CRAMMED with more than 300 pages of tiny, well-written text describing most everything a player needs to know. There are so many improvements (as opposed to just changes), I don't know where to start. Let's just say that this book will rekindle your enthusiasm for Dungeons & Dragons. If you've every played D&D, you'll definitely want this book. At a list price of $19.95, it's a steal!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Good Book
Review: This book has everything. It has drawings of every character class. It has a lot of spells. The pictures are simply awesome. It is very well written. It is also very useful. It's a must buy for any body who is into RPG's. It's very resourceful. I couldn't find anything wrong with the book.
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