Rating: 
Summary: The best beginning to intermediate book out there
Review: I got this book for xmas and I must say that compared to all the Visual... and Dummies... and Essential.... books on Flash 5 this one tops them all. It gives you a basic start on the interface and the tools. And in no time you're masking, doing fades and even actionscripting. It leads you though a logical progression of steps in each exercise and is never to dry or technical. At the end of each chapter there is a case study where you reinforce and refine your skill by creating a fully functioning corporate website. Other books in the series include Foundation Actionscript. For the next level up there is the studio series, also by the same people: Flash 5 studio and Dynamic Studio. After that you can move onto advanced topics such as 3d in Flash and interface design with New Masters of Flash. All in all a great book and set for any aspiring Flash Guru to own.
Rating: 
Summary: Well.....
Review: This book was ok in the fact that it spent the entire book building on one real project. However, I thought the book was a tougher read than the Teach yourself Flash 5 in 24 hrs book. I guess it's really a matter of preference. I found this book to be adaquate, but not anything close to the other book. Teach yourself had a unique way of teaching you that really hammered the techniques home. I guess I didn't feel this one accomplished that.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent intro to Flash!
Review: I've been working through this book for almost a week and I love it! The writing is clear and the concepts are explained very well. The authors include hands-on tutorials for each concept, and their step-by-step instructions walk you through your first try at each new skill.They are also very good about teaching you the keyboard shortcuts for common actions as you go along (and reminding you to use them!) Knowing the shortcuts for adding a keyframe, breaking apart a graphic, converting a graphic to a symbol etc. makes your project work go quickly and really builds your sense of competence. At the end of each chapter you practice what you learned in that chapter by using the new skills to add on to your ongoing "case study" website. This is one of the best tutorials on a program that I have come across and one of the few technical books I have ever read cover to cover. I have many technical books and usually end up using them for reference instead of actually working through them. If you want to gain competence in Flash in a week or two, get "Foundation Flash 5" and work your way through it. It's easy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Flash Resource for real beginners
Review: I'd say I know Dreamweaver fairly well, a little bit of Fireworks, and up until I ordered this book, no Flash. But within the first few lessons I was animating! This book is truly a beginners book and it reiterates important points throughout the exercises to help reinforce key topics. I've had this book for three days and I'm already on page 277 and enjoying it.
Rating:
Summary: Simple to Follow
Review: If you want simple, and I did, then this one's for you. I am a programmer trying to at least get respectable from a graphical point of view. If you're in the same boat or a graphics person just starting out, then this books for you. It makes basic Flash tremendously easy to implement.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for beginners
Review: I just purchased flash 5 and since the last time I'd used any Macromedia products was Dreamweaver 1.0 I knew that I'd need a good book to quickly get me up to speed. I went to the library and got a copy of this book and was impressed with the structure and information contained in it. I went through the entire book in about two weeks and feel that I now have a good basic grasp on flash. However, it is hard to go back in chapters and review specific subjects or actions. The index is worthless and to try and find a specific topic you must scan the entire chapter. Now that I've read the book I am glad I used it as an introduction, but I think that I'll buy something that expands more on the topics and is a better reference manual.
| 
