Rating: 
Summary: Clear, Concise, and Precise
Review: This book contains virtually everything that a player would need to know to play the Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Ed. setting. Rather than being a "game of exceptions," 3rd Ed. is designed in such a way that if you don't know the rule, an intuitive guess generally comes close. There is a minimum of table referencing that goes on during the game and the flow of combat tends to be very smooth.The starting price is also excellent, allowing people to act as nothing but a player for much less than most other gaming systems. I do have a few caveats about the implementation of 3rd Ed., such as its emphasis on minitures in combat, but these are minor and overall these books are truly worthwhile.
Rating: 
Summary: Wizards.com has taken over where TSR left off
Review: D&D 3rd Ed was a long time coming. Took forver to get here. Granted, I still play (have been playing since 1976, as I STILL own the Original D&D small 4 yellowish tan books in near mint condition) D&D, AD&D, AD&D 2nd Ed., and now D&D 3rd Ed. It's come a long way, and the new system seems to work pretty well, but in some ways I still prefer 2nd Ed over them all. Oh well, at least in this case, a "newer updated version" was actually just that. It cleared up a lot of the older versions problems. I give it 5 stars as a great RPG for people from young to old. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Good content, poor design
Review: There is a lot of information packed into this book, but unfortunately this has resulted in a cramped typeface that's tedious to read. To make things worse, there are ghostly grid lines behind the text, the sort used to organize a table of data, but why they decided to print them behind ALL text in the book and not just the actual tables is a mystery. It looks genuinely bad. Also on the poor design front are the pages beginning each chapter, which I guess are supposed to look like parchment. They are printed with the same font used in the rest of the book, but on these pages it appears even less legible because it's too faint against the background. One other oddity I have to mention is a carefully contrived use of the pronouns "she" and "her" everywhere instead of "he" and "his". Whether they are trying to attract more women to the game or foster some kind of political correctness, it comes off as way too obvious and cheesy. I still give the book a high rating despite all of this, because the material itself pretty much rocks. The rules are totally revamped and refined from previous versions of the game, and the system allows much more character variety and is a lot more fun in general. If they had printed it like a regular book, and also left out the agenda, I'd have given it the highest mark.
Rating:
Summary: best game? sure...
Review: It's... it's... AMAZING! that's wonderful.. WOtC has made an excellent work.. it's ability in "tramutation" from the 2nd ed to the 3rd has overcome my expectations!
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but quite good
Review: As an avid (rabid?) roleplayer since 1985, I must say that I am quite happy with the way 3rd edition D&D is working out. I have played every edition of D&D and AD&D that has been released, as well as several other gaming systems. Of them all, the one I find myself honestly preferring to play is 3rd edition D&D. There are some flaws with the system, but 99% of the time, things just plain make more sense in 3rd ed. My campaign switched from 2nd to 3rd edition shortly after it came out. After the initial confusion (What, rolling high is always good now? Where is my save vs. breath weapon? What the hell is this "Feat" thing?), I must say that they made some MAJOR rules improvements. Multiclassing makes a helluva lot more sense now. Options for character customization are there but do not overcomplicate things. Kits have been replaced by prestige classes, no big deal. Weapon and nonweapon proficiencies have been replaced by feats and skills, and the new system is definitely a lot more logical and expedient. Some of the other reviews that have been posted are way too harsh, in my opinion. I must admit that when I first started making the transition to 3rd edition, I was shocked and dismayed at all the unfamiliar rules changes. But a little time and patience with my weekly gaming group has left all of us quite satisfied with the system. Completely unrelated to the system mechanics, the artwork in the 3rd edition rulebooks is outstanding and far surpasses anything seen in previous editions' rulebooks, with the sole exception of the incredible full-page art that was included in the non-revised 2nd edition rulebooks. Mainly, if you find rules you don't agree with, DON'T USE THEM! Stick with GM's discretion! 3rd edition is pretty good. It certainly doesn't deserve the harsh reviews it has gotten from other amazon users.
Rating:
Summary: 3rd Edition breathes new life into an old game
Review: I was raised on 2nd Edition D&D, so when 3rd was released I was nervous. After play-testing it, however, I like it. The rules are much simpler and less convuluted than 2nd edition, & combat is much more intuitive. I like the new detailed skill system as an improvement over the more-often-than-not disregarded nonweapon proficiencies of 2nd edition, and the concept of feats allow more personalization of characters, especially as a way of making the fighter class more than a mass of hit points with a pointy thing for killing. My favorite addition is that now Charisma actually has a purpose for many classes, rather than just being a place to put the lowest stat roll. In short, some people may be upset because of the dramatic changes, saying it parts from "tradition" or some such nonsense, but the new system works better for my party and I.
Rating: 
Summary: a dissapointment
Review: i have been playing dungeons and dragons since 1994 and i love it. i started playing 2nd edition in '95 and loved that even more. it brings out your imagination and 2nd edition is everythig a good RPG should be. however 3rd edition COMPLETELY strays from tradidton and flops around all the rules. it has been dumbed down and hyped up as pure money maker and no longer carries the traditions started in the original game.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but lacking in some areas
Review: Overall, really flexible and fun, but a few things bug me. First of all, the tables and info are spread out throughout the chapters, making it hard to find in the middle of a game. In one night, one eighth to one sixth of the time playing is usually looking up stuff. Additionally, the book does not have enough examples for setting Challenge Ratings, leaving most of the discresion to the DM, and since Skill Checks are relatively new in DnD, the DM might get the Challenge Ratings way off. Futhermore, the handbook does not offer good rules or background for urban adventures; the writers expect every action in the game to go on in underground caves apparently. Finally, the handbook developes the actual role playing aspect very little, leavig people clueless as to who their charcter is. The rules do not support deep-emersion role playing very well, supporting rather a brash style of play, like killing every moving thing you see. The rules this handbook presents, however, are very flexible, and with an organized DM, with lots of rules info and charts copied down for quick reference, and who is willing to work around the lack or rules support for deep role playing, you can have a very fun time playing.
Rating:
Summary: STOP BEFORE YOU BUY!
Review: before you buy this book, make sure that you are purchasing the Second Printing. The first printing has many errors and omissions. If you purchased the first printing, make sure you visit the Wizards of the Coast website and download the errata.
Rating:
Summary: A total change in pace
Review: I have ben playing 1st edition for 15 years and oved every second of it, i played a bit of second but found it to similar to 1st and didnt feel the need to buy the game first off 3rd edition is a good game i give it that but when i first started reading and looking at teh art work i think the gae should really be called diablo i dont know what any oen else thinks but it feels more like im playing diablo then d&d, the ppl i play with are hard core 1st edition fans and almost the utterense of any one playing another deition youd never hear the end of it so i decided to try this out i like it alot the feats i think are a very good plus to the game and i think all the classes look good and most of the races but what the heck did u do to gnomes and halflings they loook [awful], i dont know its good im even considering playing both 1st and 3rd edition but i would probably have to say if your like me you proabaly wont liek it as much as previous edition but if your a diablo fan youll probably liek it alot.
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