Rating: 
Summary: You're better off muddling through by yourself...
Review: There are only two thing that a training manual has to accomplish: 1) Give step by step instructions on how to reach a goal and 2) Make sure those instructions are correct. This book fails miserably on both counts.I only recommend this book if you're the sort of person who buys cool-looking books and sets them on the shelf, hoping your friends will see them, think you actually read it, and be impressed. However, since I like my books to actually be useful -- and in the very least FULLY FUNCTIONAL -- you can imagine my disappointment with "Flash MX Magic." Time to give some concrete examples. I thought I'd try working through chapter 3 - Preloading. After typing in several lines of ActionScript, I noticed that some code listed in later steps were supposed to be placed inside the brackets of a previously defined function. You aren't instructed to do this in the text, but by loading up the example file I realized the error. Even still, when it came time to test my code, it didn't work. Realizing that this could just be my mistake, I decided to move on to Chapter 5 - Immersive Panorama. I thought I'd look at the completed project on the CD first to see what I could expect to accomplish. Supposedly this project will teach you how to create a movie in which parallax is simulated in a landscape scrolling to the right. Several different layers move at different speeds, giving an illusion of depth. So what happens when you view their pre-prepared finished product? The absolute background moves, and everything else stays perfectly still. Who releases a book with malfunctioning examples!?! I went to the NewRiders website to see if these issues had been addressed. What did I find? A ZIP file to download all the missing files necessary to complete the lesson -- not in Chapter 5 -- but in chapter 14, without which the entire chapter is WORTHLESS. New Riders brags, "Isn't this just about the first Flash MX book released?" Maybe so, but that's no accomplishment. Since the book doesn't appear to have even been error-checked, I guess attempting to release it first was the only goal in publishing it. Here's a tip: Books aren't software. You can't release a patch. That's why you find at least ONE PERSON and have them actually WORK THROUGH THE BOOK to make sure it functions before publishing it. Try it sometime.
Rating:
Summary: Code in book is hard to follow and does not work....
Review: this book appeared to be on the cutting edge. Unfortunatly, it appears the authors were in such a hurry to get it on the streets that they skipped the editing phase. Lots of errors and the code (scripts) are incomplete. To bad, because it sure started out with a lot of promise, to bad it didn't deliver
Rating: 
Summary: Flash Magic?
Review: This book is decent...but leaves a lot to be desired. The cd that comes with the book includes source files to work on the different chapter projects...but it does not contain final versions of them....so you'd reason that they would be on the flashmxmagic website for download....that seems to have "magically" disappeared as well. Instead of rushing to publish this book so it would come out close to the release of Flash MX, the publishers should have made sure the website was up and that the cd contained final source files rather than demos of other macromedia software. This book is alright, but if you really want something intuitive, I'd recommend waiting until Phillip Kerman's Actionscripting in Flash comes out in July...or buying his book on Flash 5 actionscripting.
Rating:
Summary: Flash MX Tragic
Review: This book seems great on the outside but it full of buggy code. Even the included example files don't work. Don't waste your money on this book. ...
Rating: 
Summary: just another Flash MX book rushed out to make money
Review: This is just another book in the series of the greatest copy and paste codes Flash book, if you're a fan of the last 2 books, I guess you will enjoy this. Anyone familiar with actionscripting should get something out of this book, provided you have a decent knowledge and patience to go through tutorials that are full of inconsistency in codes or lack of explanation. The reason I feel this book is rushed out of the door is apparent even from the first chapter, check out pg 10. The first set of scripts with two functions, setValues() and setAnimation(), only the second one is used, yet they printed out on the page, and leave no comments on the source file. This can mislead many readers that bought this book that want to learn the new Flash MX actionscripts. I find useful tutorials, but lack of detailed explanation. You're better off buying "Macromedia Flash MX ActionScripting: Advanced Training from the Source", which is an excellent book for the first generation of the FLash MX books out now. Again, slapping some well known authors and rushed the book out is always been the practice for this series, take your chances.
Rating: 
Summary: Flash applications explored
Review: This very attractively designed book gives you the opportunity to explore and recreate a variety of fully developed Flash MX applications created by top flash developers. Many flash manuals take you through simple exercises to demostrate specific features. But this book gets you thinking on a larger scale as you see the scope and effectiveness of these projects.
Rating:
Summary: Bad investment...
Review: Throughout the years I have read many goob and bad technical books. What I can say about Flash MX Magic is simple, do not purchase this book if you realy want to learn or master Flash. I'm still looking for a book that teaches in an easy and clear way. I have wasted my money on this book. In overall don't fall in the trap by purchasing Macromedia Flash MX Magic.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money - it doesn't work
Review: Was this book put together by a team of monkeys or what?! The files on the cd don't match the files referenced in the book... completeley useless therefore. What a complete waste of money this was, it may look pretty on the outside, but as the saying goes, you should NOT judge a book by it's cover. Keep your money I say.
Rating:
Summary: inaccurate to an inexcusable level
Review: when you are paid for a job, even if it isn't great, there should be a basic standard that you reach. this book just doesn't cut it. from the number of coding and example errors in the book to the cd-rom, there is absolutely no benefit for the user. that is, unless the book sets out for you to learn through troubleshooting! but I do enough of that on my own, and usually turn to the books for help instead!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SERVICE
Review: WOW!! i got stuck about the 2nd chapter (this isnt uncommon for me). so anyways i emailed the people that night and by the next morning i had an answer to my problem with a picture showing me where i had gone wrong. THATS IMPRESSIVE!!! i honestly was expecting a premade message with "F.A.Q." typed out at the top. well anyways ive finished the book and im extreemly pleased. I deffently reconmmend it any one intrested in learning Flash MX PS : Great job New Riders, and keep up the good work...
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