Rating: 
Summary: Didn't like the sequel as much...
Review: I bought this book because the first edition was such a cut above the existing titles (then). I was very disappointed in v.2 because in it Mohler drones on about periferal things that I was less interested in. It seemed to me like someone told him that the book needed to be bigger than the last one, so he sought ways to fill pages any way he could.On a positive note... Mohler offers insight into a variety of media that you don't get with some other Flash books.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book For Beginners
Review: I didn't know how to use Flash and I think this book helped me a lot. When I first read it, I got bored from it. My advice to you is to skip the first 39 pages and jump to page 40. Those pages are about theories, similarities, and how Flash affects the web. Who really cares? I've worked with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Director so the things he described and explained are not new to me. Also if you're new to Flash like me I recommend that you read no more then 2 chapters at a time, because there are a lot of things covered. Also underline the things that you don't think you can remember so later on you can come back to it or use for reference. I used 6 different colored pen for underlining and match the color according to the level of importance: it works for me. I think that all those bad reviews on here were written by professionals who have been using Flash for years. Let me tell you this, this book does a better job explaining to me than my instructor. I don't know if my instructor is really bad of explaining things or the author of this book just does a better job. If you have the time to wait for delivery then I think getting it used is feasible. You can save half if you can wait 10 to 14 days.
Rating: 
Summary: It Rocks
Review: I find this book to be very comprehensive with lots of examples. Any person who is serious about learning Action Script should purchase this excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Flash 5 -- Graphics, Animation & Interactivity
Review: I found Professor Mohler's book on Macromedia's FLASH 5 product a tremendous help and an excellent work on the subject. I purchased FLASH 5 via electronic software distribution (ESD) and, hence, did not receive documentation other than what was bundled with the product 'on-line.' Yes, I have access to to documentation through the company's web site, but I also wanted a tangible book to read other than while I sat at my computer. Since FLASH 5 is a very new product in the marketplace, there weren't many sources to turn to. Granted, many of the concepts in the first half of the book are beginner level for the benefit of anyone not familiar with a standard drawing program. Professor Mohler's tutorials and examples (with the included CD ROM) were invaluable, especially those on action scripting. This book is a resource that I will refer to time and time again. I highly recommend this source if you are thinking about writing FLASH applications.
Rating: 
Summary: Why all the positive reviews?
Review: I got the book yesterday. I'm only about 130 pages into it so far, but the examples are poorly organized and lack sufficient step by step instruction to guide a novice through the materials. In spite of this, the author was able to fill over six hundred pages with paragraph after paragraph of overly wordy descriptions. Mohler makes too many assumptions about what students will be able to do and leaves them find out information on their own in the help files. I cannot recommend the book. Get Macromedia's courseware instead. Less fluff. Tastes great.
Rating: 
Summary: truely amature rewrite of lecture notes
Review: I have been teaching flash since version 2 first came out, and have used many different books in different environments as course guides. This book is hands down the worst I have ever used to teach from. The examples are poorly organized, the section on OOP was just enough to confuse the students to the point of not wanting to learn OOP! Why in the world would a flash 5 book be relying on flash 4 syntax in over half its code? Tell target? Slash syntax? That stuff shouldn't even be IN this book. If I could start this semester over, I would spare my students the confusion and poor application of code that is the hallmark of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I have every flash book in existence and this book is the best by far. James not only shows you how, he lays the foundation for why. This is by far the easiest most comprehensive flash book yet. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to master flash.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best out there
Review: I have found Mohler's book to be well-written with plenty of examples that do a good job of explaining how Flash and Actionscritp work. not sure what the negative reviewers listed here were looking for, but doubt that they would be satisfied with any book. This is by far one of the best out there. The book does have many exercises that are a carry over from the first edition, but there is also quite a bit of new content...one of the new chapters in the book focuses entirely on giving an overview to actionscript. Anyway, well done Jim. Look forward to reading more from you.
Rating:
Summary: Flash 5 Interactivity
Review: I have read a lot of computer books since I am basically teaching myself. This book has been extremely helpful. Most computer books are so basic and do not get in to the really good stuff. This book covers not only the basic, but also the more complicated scripting. It is explained in a way that makes it easy and fun. This book will be one of my most read and used. I would definately recommend it if interactivity is what interests you.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done!!
Review: I have used several teaching aids for Flash 5. Being a novice web designer and completely new to Flash most of them have over estimated the readers knowledge of web design thus leaving me very confused. Mr Mohler has described in detail not only what flash can do but why it works as it does. I look forward to his new flash book to be publish later this year (2001).
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