Rating:  - Nothing short of EXCELLENT
The guy that does this book is phenomenal. It takes true talent to be able to simplify concepts in Flash to the point where they are finally understandable, especially for non-programmers such as myself. I highly recommend this book (and the learning DVD if you can swing it) to those who want to delve into the advanced stuff inside of Flash.
Rating:  - This Book Is "H.O.T."
Shane Rebenschied's Macromedia Flash MX 2004: Beyond the Basics Hands-On-Training (BTB:HOT) is the second book in a small series on teaching would-be developers how to effectively use Macromedia Flash in their web projects.
BTB:HOT is very well written. The author uses very clear instructions and appropriate graphics(screenshots) to illustrate the points being made. It is a very easy read, especially if you are weary of computer programming style books. The HOT series is written as if the instructor is standing beside you and telling you what you need to do.
This books was definitely written for the layman. This book was not written for someone who is looking to take Flash to the next level of professionalism. The book is very short (almost too short), and really doesn't include very much discussion about the possibilities that can happen with a particular project.
After reading this book and working through the examples, I determined that there really isn't anything new in this book that a seasoned web developer couldn't figure out after reading the first book in the series.
To finish, very good book, but just for novices.
Rating: - Great!
This book is perfect for the transformation from beginning to intermediate. The tutorials are incredibly thorough plus it guides you through making a whole web site with the most practical functions. I highly recommend this book. I wish they would make more!
Rating: - Good tutorial book on Flash
This is the first book on Flash and this is the first time I am learning Flash MX2004 Pro. So far I have gone through almost a half of the book and I am very pleased with how this book is structured and its CD which contains the project files as I am learning this program with this book. For any beginner, I feel this book will help get you started on learning and using Flash MX2004. I purchased this book's sister edition "Beyound the Basics" so that I can go one step further after I complete this book.
Rating: - Good Intermediate Book, But Only Worth 3 Stars if You Can Program
Basically, this is a good book to get you from the initial HOT book on Flash to the more advanced tutorials found on the Macromedia Exchange site. The introduction to LoadVars and LoadMovieClip alone are worth the price of the book.
My only complaint, if you can call it that, would be that if you are coming from a programmer's background, you will skim A LOT of pages. You've got to hand it to the author in how he really takes his time introducing programming to the neophytes, but I found myself actually reading only 1 page out of every 3-6.
If you already know how to program in any language, you could probably find the tutorials online to get by without this book, but the expenditure in time probably wouldn't be worth the price of the book.
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