Rating: 
Summary: Three stars but still worth considering...
Review: I'd really like to give this book 3.5 stars because it fits somewhere between average (3) and good (4). I went with three stars because the content is not quite up to the standard set by the Monster Manual (MM) and as a result I don't think that I would use many creatures from this book without first making a few changes.That said, there are some aspects of this book that I really like and some areas in which the Creature Collection is superior to the (MM). First the layout of the book is much better than the MM. Every creature gets it's own page so its easy to tell which picture corresponds to which creature and statistic tables never get split across page boundaries (like in the MM... argh!). Second and more important, the background descriptions for various creatures tend to include a historical perspective of the creature relative to the world as a whole (Forsaken Elves come to to mind). This approach helps the DM build scenarios around the creature type and is just plain more interesting to read. This approach also provides an introduction to the 'Scarred Lands' campaign world, which actually looks very promising. On the downside the artwork in this book is not up to third edition standards. The art, while professional, is black and white and is reminiscent of first or second edition work. In addition, the creature statistics don't appear to be as well thought out or balanced as those in the MM. I often found myself thinking that a particular creature would make more sense if it had less hit dice, was one size larger, etc. Finally, the book is more expensive than the MM and doesn't have as much content. It contains roughly 200 creatures compared to approximately 500 in the MM.
Rating: 
Summary: A Mediocre Collection
Review: Initially I was skeptical of a company other than Wizards putting out products for D&D. However this book proves that the open gaming liscense can have a positive influence on the game. While not a perfect book by any means, the Creature Collection trancends the typical quality of third party products. I was amazed at the writing within this tome. All of the creatures have a vast history and background writeup that makes the book enjoyable to read. Even creatures that looked mundane or uninteresting had wonderful writeups. The stories told alone make this book a wonderful addition to any DM's library. However, this wonderful writing can create certain problems as well. Many of these creatures would have to have their histories erased or rewritten to fit into any realm other than the Scarred Lands setting. The artwork in this book is both amazing and a disappointment at the same time. While the black and white sketches in many case are beautiful, for the price of the book a little color would have made the book excellent. The creatures inside are the usual variety, some of them bland others are wonderful. The addition of new golems, ratmen, and a few others are enough to tempt most serious DMs into buying this book. However I find there are a lot of "animal monsters" within this book. Almost 1/3 of the book are these sort of monsters which seem to be nothing more than mutated or magical animals. This is okay I suppose but some of the creatures look almost the same and act aalmost the same. Overall the book is a wonderful treat. Just a few shortcomings and flaws prevent this book from acheiving top marks. The price is what will have buyers scratching their heads withi indecision. If the book was 19.99 like the Wizards core books then it would probably be sold out. Don't be afraid to give this book a chance, if you are searching for new monsters to challenge your adventurers or even entire races to fill your worlds then this book is a great start!
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent book of Creatures that could have been better!
Review: Initially I was skeptical of a company other than Wizards putting out products for D&D. However this book proves that the open gaming liscense can have a positive influence on the game. While not a perfect book by any means, the Creature Collection trancends the typical quality of third party products. I was amazed at the writing within this tome. All of the creatures have a vast history and background writeup that makes the book enjoyable to read. Even creatures that looked mundane or uninteresting had wonderful writeups. The stories told alone make this book a wonderful addition to any DM's library. However, this wonderful writing can create certain problems as well. Many of these creatures would have to have their histories erased or rewritten to fit into any realm other than the Scarred Lands setting. The artwork in this book is both amazing and a disappointment at the same time. While the black and white sketches in many case are beautiful, for the price of the book a little color would have made the book excellent. The creatures inside are the usual variety, some of them bland others are wonderful. The addition of new golems, ratmen, and a few others are enough to tempt most serious DMs into buying this book. However I find there are a lot of "animal monsters" within this book. Almost 1/3 of the book are these sort of monsters which seem to be nothing more than mutated or magical animals. This is okay I suppose but some of the creatures look almost the same and act aalmost the same. Overall the book is a wonderful treat. Just a few shortcomings and flaws prevent this book from acheiving top marks. The price is what will have buyers scratching their heads withi indecision. If the book was 19.99 like the Wizards core books then it would probably be sold out. Don't be afraid to give this book a chance, if you are searching for new monsters to challenge your adventurers or even entire races to fill your worlds then this book is a great start!
Rating:
Summary: Nice addition to your D&D universe
Review: One of Sword and Sorcery Studios' first publications, and what an attractive and useful tome it is. This hardcover publication features over 200 creatures, and I have already used a couple in my new third edition D&D campaign. The Creature Collection is similar to the Monster Manual, giving all the stats you need for game play. All the creatures have well written descriptions, detailing their natural habitat and special abilities. Very impressive interior art. The artists include Jeff Holt, Steve Ellis, Guy Davis, Jeff Rebner and others. The authors Geoff Grabowski and Stephan and Stewart Wieck -- among others. All in all, Creature Collection with many fascinating monsters is a nice book to add to your D&D collection.
Rating:
Summary: Nice addition to your D&D universe
Review: One of Sword and Sorcery Studios' first publications, and what an attractive and useful tome it is. This hardcover publication features over 200 creatures, and I have already used a couple in my new third edition D&D campaign. The Creature Collection is similar to the Monster Manual, giving all the stats you need for game play. All the creatures have well written descriptions, detailing their natural habitat and special abilities. Very impressive interior art. The artists include Jeff Holt, Steve Ellis, Guy Davis, Jeff Rebner and others. The authors Geoff Grabowski and Stephan and Stewart Wieck -- among others. All in all, Creature Collection with many fascinating monsters is a nice book to add to your D&D collection.
Rating:
Summary: A Mediocre Collection
Review: Skimming through Ceature Collection, the product appears professionally produced, the monster descriptions are reasonably detailed and the artwork is also fairly good (with a some exceptions). Looking more closely many of the monsters appear nothing more than variants of existing D&D monsters, though there are a few novel concepts (e.g. Butcher Spirit for example). For the most part they are quite dull and uninspired. Some of the creatures have vague descriptions which may need some modification e.g. Storm Kin. Looking much closer, the stats given for each creature, such as attack rolls, saving throws, DR's etc often don't conform to Monster Manual. One good example is that the golems and undead have constitution bonuses when they're supposed not to. Many minor problems and typos with game stats are present, this may seem pedantic but the inaccuracies may effect game balance in some cases. The latter problem is readily fixable by a DM if each monster is examined carefully. Overall, the book is an unfortunately mediocre product, really only useful if you're playing the Scarred Lands scenario.
Rating: 
Summary: As many have said 'the Fiend Folio for 3rd Edition'
Review: Sword & Sorcery Studios; www.swordsorcery.com ; has made the most impressive start as a company and use of the d20 Open Gaming Liscense to-date with their Creature Collection. This sourcebook, for the yet to be released 'Scarred Lands' setting, is an excellent resource for any creative DM wishing to spice up his own world, or any world his game is set in. Interesting twists to known races, as well as the addition of several others. The Slitheren, Ratmen spawned from the flesh and ichor of slain Titans; the beings who ruled Scarn some century and a half ago, slain by their children - the Gods; who hide, sneak, and walk as two legged, sentient vermin - Brown Gorgers, Foamers, the Diseased, and Red Witches are names to be feared by your players. Wrack Dragons, rare and dangerous creations of the fallen Titans. New Golems, including the Mithral Golem, grace the book with ingenious and interesting twists to their nature. Overall if this is an inkling of what Sword & Sorcery Studios, as well as Necromancer Games; www.necromancergames.com ; can do, then it's all good on the horizon.
Rating:
Summary: No need for Monsters
Review: These guys at Sword And Sorcery beat out the Monstrous Manual easily, its got more likely encountered monsters, better layout, and even some plants and diseases. Ever hear of a Hornsaw Unicorn, or a Spider-eyed Goblin, well they are waiting for you here, in this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Alternative to the Monster Manual
Review: This book is great, it gives a DM over 200 more creatures to use in D&D 3rd edition, or any fantasy game that uses the D20 system. The creatures themselves are well thought out and would make a welcome addition to any DM's collection of monsters. The artwork is a little primitive sometimes, so if you are a person who considers this aspect of a rule book very important, this might not be for you. But, if you value the quality of the content of a rule book, and want a few hundred more creatures to throw at your PC's....you need this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great supporting cast
Review: While this isn't the best Monster Manual I've ever seen, this collection of non-Greyhawk, non-Faerun monsters is quite useful. I get more monsters to work with, such as the Thunder Orb and Fatling. And, it's a good bet that most of the players in my group don't have this book, so if I monkey with the monster, they can't complain.
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