Rating: 
Summary: Good on schools of magic; weak on kits and spells
Review: I've gotta say that the descriptions of the different schools of magic and their practitioners was pretty cool. Good information on how they act in a party, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what their personalities might be like. Useful for actually role-playing a wizard, rather than just playing them. There were a few other good things as well. Unfortunately, these are mostly wiped out by the weaknesses of the book. One of the other reviews said that this book was a bin for collecting unused AD&D arcana, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. A few semi-useful magic items, a few (mostly low-level) spells of questionable usefulness compared to existing spells, a small sampling of chem lab equipment. The real weaknesses show, however, when they try to round out the book. The kits are pretty pathetic. What's worse are the personality types, overblown and incredibly unrealistic. The suggestions for a magical college were kind of interesting, but they should have taken out some of the other junk and put in, say, a sample school. Or put in a larger selection of spells. There are many better supplements on magic out there.
Rating: 
Summary: well........if you like that kinda character
Review: it a fairly good book, great if you play a Mage, but I did need it to keep in line a few rowdy magic users I have in a current campaign. I liked what it had to say, I think I got my moneys worth when I saw the look on my players face when I knew how to play his Mage better than he does, But I showed him the book then let him have it to flesh out his character even more.
Rating:
Summary: Mage background for D&D
Review: The book is not their best handbook. It would be about 5th. And really does not have any good kits like the thiefs or Bards etc. The main thing to note is that D&D is now on its 3rd edition; and this book is for the 2nd. So really not practical. But can only be used for beackground.This handbook has a good chapter on roleplaying mages and on spell research as well as spellcasting under adverse conditions. This book is good for customizing a campaign or making new spells, items, or schools as well. There are also a couple of new spells.
Rating:
Summary: Mage background for D&D
Review: The book is not their best handbook. It would be about 5th. And really does not have any good kits like the thiefs or Bards etc. The main thing to note is that D&D is now on its 3rd edition; and this book is for the 2nd. So really not practical. But can only be used for beackground. This handbook has a good chapter on roleplaying mages and on spell research as well as spellcasting under adverse conditions. This book is good for customizing a campaign or making new spells, items, or schools as well. There are also a couple of new spells.
Rating:
Summary: Mage background for D&D
Review: The book is not their best handbook. It would be about 5th. And really does not have any good kits like the thiefs or Bards etc. The main thing to note is that D&D is now on its 3rd edition; and this book is for the 2nd. So really not practical. But can only be used for beackground. This handbook has a good chapter on roleplaying mages and on spell research as well as spellcasting under adverse conditions. This book is good for customizing a campaign or making new spells, items, or schools as well. There are also a couple of new spells.
Rating:
Summary: A good expansion that needs more meat
Review: The kits are not good enough. The spell section needs to be beefed out. Basic stuff restated elsewhere in most sections. If you REALLY like wizards it's worth it, otherwise buy Spells and Magic becasue that has more usefull wizard stuff.
Rating:
Summary: One of way too many books which don't add much to the game
Review: The next book in the "Complete ________'s Handbook " series, like all the others, adds more kits, most of them trivially irrelevant, and some other mish-mash of spells and items. This is the "leftover" bin of AD&D arcana. If you want more spells, buy the wizard's spell compendium or its equivalent. If you want more items, look in the items compendiums. If you can create a believable character without having to look everything up in a book, through The Complete Wizard's Handbook out of the window.
Rating: 
Summary: The spells are good
Review: This ain't the best of the complete class books. I found most of the kits not very useful, and the description of the specialists was nothing more but repeating the Player's handbook - let's not mention the "special abilities" for specialist mages (I'm talking about a +1 save vs alteration magic at level 17 here!). If you want some more spells, especially some necormancy, then get this book, it has some really cool spells in it. But that's about all.
Rating:
Summary: A good read, but not particularly game-enhancing
Review: This book contains a large amount of enjoyable information on the various schools of magic and provides a host of kits, but if you have a clear idea of what your character is like, none of it is really going to enhance your enjoyment of the game. The methods for researching new spells given are pointless, you could have invented much better rules yourself. There are also far too few new items (in fact, there are basically NO new items). Having said that, the new spells are worthwhile, and the afflictions are pretty cool. If you are an avid wizard fan, a good and recommended purchase, but it does not really provide as much "meat" as it should do.
Rating:
Summary: A good read, but not particularly game-enhancing
Review: This book contains a large amount of enjoyable information on the various schools of magic and provides a host of kits, but if you have a clear idea of what your character is like, none of it is really going to enhance your enjoyment of the game. The methods for researching new spells given are pointless, you could have invented much better rules yourself. There are also far too few new items (in fact, there are basically NO new items). Having said that, the new spells are worthwhile, and the afflictions are pretty cool. If you are an avid wizard fan, a good and recommended purchase, but it does not really provide as much "meat" as it should do.
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