Rating: 
Summary: Typos, Missing Steps and bad writing plague this title
Review: After getting through the first 50 pages of the book it is very apparent that nobody proof-read this book before sending it to the presses. There are typos throughout the book. Run on sentences that were also a cause of confusion. Then to really put the nail in the coffin, there are missing steps in many of the excerises leaving the reader guessing how something was done. Horrible book ! Don't waste your money or your time on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Typos, Missing Steps and bad writing plague this title
Review: After getting through the first 50 pages of the book it is very apparent that nobody proof-read this book before sending it to the presses. There are typos throughout the book. Run on sentences that were also a cause of confusion. Then to really put the nail in the coffin, there are missing steps in many of the excerises leaving the reader guessing how something was done. Horrible book ! Don't waste your money or your time on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Calm Down!
Review: I disagree with the 5 star review, and I disagree with the one-star ones. This book is just what it bills -- a jump-start tutorial for users who have Flash 5 but don't know how to use the dang thing. It's a complex program, and very frustrating for people like me who picked up HTML, Dreamweaver and Photoshop so quickly. But the complexity of Flash 5 isn't the author's fault. With a program as deep as this one, there's no way you're going to be able to know everything after 2 days of exercises. (Actually, I was kind of amused that the same reviewer who complained about the book's "dead ends" also criticized all the "three-star reviews" -- funny because there were no 3-star reviews, it reflected the mean of the 1- and 5-star reviews that preceded his. Yeah, I bet if you don't get the concept of averaging two numbers, Flash 5 probably seems impossible!) In short, in my opinion, this book delivers on the promise of its title. The lessons do a good job of reviewing the basics and are set up well. The author seems to guess pretty well on how long each exercise will take. The writing style is easy to follow. If you're looking for a reference with every nook and cranny of Flash 5 documented, this isn't it. If you're already proficient in Flash 5 and are looking for a manual documenting advanced topics, again, look elsewhere. But, if you want a self-paced handbook on learning the basics of Flash 5, this is as good as anything else on the market...
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely worth my $$$
Review: I LOVE this book. The title is a little deceiving though, for someone who has never used Flash. You can't learn and remember everything they teach in a 15-hour period. I had to go back and re-do some of the tutorials to fully comprehend the lesson(s). It guides you step-by-step through each project and there are about 30 sessions altogether. If you don't understand a particular project, fear not! This book has a CD that contains all of the tutorials in the book. The CD also has demo versions of (of course, Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Freehand, Paint Shop Pro, and Photoshop). Each of the tutorial lasts 30 minutes. At the end of each chapter, there are questions that quiz you on the concept that you learn. The book is divided into several large sections - Friday Evening, Saturday Morning, Afternoon and Evening, Sunday morning and afternoon. At the end of each day, there is a more comprehensive quiz which test you on everything you learn in the respective day. Answers are provided at the end of the book. If you faithfully go through the entire book, this definitely beats attending some of the classes offered out there. You do it at your own pace. A must have book if you are seriously trying to learn Flash 5.
Rating:
Summary: You should expect no more, you should expect no less
Review: I only agree with one of the reviewers below (the person from Virginia). This text delivers pretty much what it promises, or at least makes a pretty decent attempt. Each lesson is expected to be completed within a certain timeframe, which is usually less than two hours. For those who have some basic Flash 5 knowledge it is possible to follow them and complete them within the expected period without much trouble.
The lessons are pretty simple, the writing is not necessarily the best (but then again, do not expect a book of this kind to be written in a flawless manner) yet it is easy to understand and friendly. It does have some flaws indeed, but the ease with which the lessons are presented, and the layout for the curriculum eclipse the minor errors.
Those who have more of an intermediate experience with Flash should seek help elsewhere (Inside Flash from the New Riders would be possibly the best recommendation); the simplicity of this text will probably bore them.
If you are, however, a newbie (or just lack the knowledge in areas like animation and other effects) this is a pretty decent way to get started. Learn the basics and then move on to the more exciting and complex tasks that this wonderful tool from Macromedia can create and deliver.
Rating:
Summary: You should expect no more, you should expect no less
Review: I only agree with one of the reviewers below (the person from Virginia). This text delivers pretty much what it promises, or at least makes a pretty decent attempt. Each lesson is expected to be completed within a certain timeframe, which is usually less than two hours. For those who have some basic Flash 5 knowledge it is possible to follow them and complete them within the expected period without much trouble.
The lessons are pretty simple, the writing is not necessarily the best (but then again, do not expect a book of this kind to be written in a flawless manner) yet it is easy to understand and friendly. It does have some flaws indeed, but the ease with which the lessons are presented, and the layout for the curriculum eclipse the minor errors.
Those who have more of an intermediate experience with Flash should seek help elsewhere (Inside Flash from the New Riders would be possibly the best recommendation); the simplicity of this text will probably bore them.
If you are, however, a newbie (or just lack the knowledge in areas like animation and other effects) this is a pretty decent way to get started. Learn the basics and then move on to the more exciting and complex tasks that this wonderful tool from Macromedia can create and deliver.
Rating:
Summary: Solid,useful introduction
Review: I picked up this book hoping for a quick introduction to Flash, and that's exactly what I got. Not much depth at ALL. However, my problem with the book is that the tutorials don't seem to have been tested. I am an honors computer student, and I still found myself thinking "Whoa, wait - where did he get that?" Missing steps, unclear instructions, and typos all contribute to my low rating of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful...sorta...okay, not really
Review: I picked up this book hoping for a quick introduction to Flash, and that's exactly what I got. Not much depth at ALL. However, my problem with the book is that the tutorials don't seem to have been tested. I am an honors computer student, and I still found myself thinking "Whoa, wait - where did he get that?" Missing steps, unclear instructions, and typos all contribute to my low rating of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not that bad after all
Review: I picked up this book with the idea of getting just what it says out of it... the information one might get in any CRASH COURSE. Well, Lo And Behold, that is exactly what I got. The basics were explained, and lots of 'not within the scope of this book' caveats were given. I have since picked up a couple more books on advanced Flash techniques, and FS. I would venture to say that the negative reviews this book has been given were due to the facts that ONE - the reviewers did not take the 10 seconds to read the intent of the book - and TWO - because, in all likelihood, the reviewers were too ignorant to comprehend what the book was attempting to teach them.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book If You Read the Cover
Review: I picked up this book with the idea of getting just what it says out of it... the information one might get in any CRASH COURSE. Well, Lo And Behold, that is exactly what I got. The basics were explained, and lots of 'not within the scope of this book' caveats were given. I have since picked up a couple more books on advanced Flash techniques, and FS. I would venture to say that the negative reviews this book has been given were due to the facts that ONE - the reviewers did not take the 10 seconds to read the intent of the book - and TWO - because, in all likelihood, the reviewers were too ignorant to comprehend what the book was attempting to teach them.
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