There are planes for positive and negative energy, earth, fire, wind and water; somewhere out there there's probably a plane for just about everything. The Elemental Dimension of Magic, proving that there is occasionally truth in advertising, provides information relating to a plane (or possibly demiplane) composed of the essence of magic.

The layout is standard, and features an interesting set of symbols at the corners of each page. Two full page black and white illustrations are featured in the book. While both images are fine, I would have preferred to see more smaller images to help deal with the amounts of mishandled white space that plague this product.

We start out with an overview of the plane, and some of its features. Encompassed by a powerful barrier, gaining entry to the plane is a difficult task. Even should one manage to gain entry, there are still strange mystical currents and powerful storms that swirl between the areas of refuge. Very little specific information is provided in this section.

Information on three races is provided: the humanoid Jeshatan, Void Elves, and the Knah'tan. The Jeshatan are the sole human-like inhabitants of the plane of magic, and are the abusive and cruel overlord of the Void Elves - slaves who serve as manual labor and life force batteries for their masters, and who desire nothing beyond their yearly sojourn to the pleasure palaces the Jeshatan provide for them. The Knah'tan are a rather angry folk who seek to wipe out magic, and turn the entire plane into one stable area. So far they haven't gotten a lot done in that respect. DMs considering allowing these races into a game should measure them carefully against other available options. Both the Jeshatan and the Knah'tan receive high bonuses to multiple attributes with no corresponding penalties.

Two monsters are presented next. The Arcane Dragon, and an elemental of magic. Possessing a force breath weapon, powerful defenses against magic and a potent array of spells of its own, the arcane dragon is not a foe to be taken lightly. No less deadly, magic elementals have the ability to attack with a primal surge of magic; which often pops the heads of nearby arcane spell casters. Also provided is the Arcane template; used to transform base creatures into their planar counterparts. As with the inclusion of the races, DMs should carefully consider if these creatures will upset the balance of the game before setting them against the PCs.

A final section is devoted to information for the GM. It contains a few more details, and the game mechanics concerning the features described in the first section. There is also an interesting discussion of the use of the Spellcraft skill to directly manipulate the fabric of the plane to produce spell-like effects.

The Elemental Dimension of Magic presents some interesting ideas and potential opportunities. It could be particularly useful as an element introduced to quests involving powerful magic and magic items. Perhaps a wizard wishes a captured sample of pure magic to study, or someone wishes the PCs to observe raw magic in order to try and better understand the nature of Spellfire.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Interesting concept with a lot of potential.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Poor layout, combined with repeated grammatical errors. There are also potential balance issues with the rules as presented. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Disappointing<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Tired of that smarmy mage next store flashing off his fancy attribute and skill boosting items, while you're stuck doing things the old fashioned way? Maybe you just can't get out to adventure as much as you'd like, and you're sick of the rogue down the lane showing off the latest trick she's learned. Bookworms everywhere can rest easy: The Encyclopedia of Skill Lore is just what you need.

The book features a simple, easy to read layout; highlighted by colorful, cartoon-like images.

The Encyclopedia itself is presented first. Made up of 23 non-magical volumes this makes the encyclopedia ideal for campaigns and settings with little to no magic, or simply handy to provide lower-level characters with a bit of a boost. Used properly, each volume provides one or more skills with a competence bonus ranging from +2 - +6.

Following the Encyclopedia, several other unique books are described. The volumes range from a tome discussing the craft of war and nature of valor, to a treatise on divine miracles. Each work provides its own set of bonuses; though in some cases certain conditions must be met for the reader to make full use of the information provided.

The final section of the book is given over to describing book and library related items. There is a mundane item in the form of false books. A mild spelling errors occurs in the description of these items; transforming false books from an overused clich? into a highly clannish clique. An alchemical compound for protecting the pages of books is described, along with three new wondrous items. The most interesting, amusing and perhaps unbalanced of these is a book whose purpose is to show you other's point of view; which has the nasty habit of causing potential alignment shifts from simply perusing it.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: A well put together book, its contents are an interesting change of pace from the average d20 sourcebook.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The content is fairly narrowly focused, but if this sort of thing appeals to you, then there's really nothing here to dislike.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Everyone in your party has identical +1 swords - all of them probably manufactured by child laborers at Bob's Factory For the Mass Production of Magic Items. How bland is that? Not you, though. Your sword is metal taken from a fiendish realm, earned with your own sweat and blood; all so you could put an end to the fell beast that had been plaguing that village. A beast that proved unkillable by any other means.

Kobur's Encyclopedia of Exotic Ores is just the thing if you're looking for new special materials. Laid out in a simple and attractive style, this book has both landscape and portrait oriented versions; however, it is plagued with a host of minor grammatical errors, which does impact its readability. The worst of these errors is on page three - the end of the second paragraph dealing with how to open the book is simply missing.

We are first presented with the story and game information for the Encyclopedia itself. This book makes an attractive treasure for any Craft-oriented character. In addition to its informational value, the tome imparts several useful magical abilities to its owner. The book's built-in defense system is perhaps a bit extreme, but might prove useful for reining in vandalism-inclined player characters.

The remainder of the book is given over to describing some of the new materials discussed within the Encyclopedia. In addition to a description of the material and its special properties, details related to the mining and crafting of each entry is provided. From a mystically charged iron that can trap the energy of a wasted spell, to metal that causes distortions in the fabric of time, Kobur's Encyclopedia includes some unique special materials.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: I always enjoy seeing new special materials. Along with equipment it's one of my favorite ways of customizing a character.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Potential balance issues in a few places. Repeated errors that lower the overall quality and presentation of the product.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Since the concept was introduced, prestige classes have become one of the more commonly encountered elements produced for the d20 system. Elite Studies Volume II introduces us to the unique lethean PrC.

Simply laid out, and featuring an attractive border at the top and bottom of each page, this product includes both a landscape and a portrait version.

The idea behind the lethean is memory. As the character advances in levels she gains the ability to not only fade from memory, but can disrupt and even erase the memories of others. As presented, the idea behind this prestige class is very intriguing; though I'm not sure how well it would integrate into most games.

A jarring benefit of the lethean class is the granting of a +1 to caster or manifester level every other class level. Given that neither magic nor psionics are a requirement to enter this class, there seems no reason for this to be among the abilities. The theme and mechanics of the class never quite come together, even the listed requirements for entry don't seem to fit the idea; it would make more sense being retooled as a class for a Rogue/Psion or similar character.

While overall this class presents a breath of fresh air when compared to many other offerings, the mechanics of it could use some adjustment.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Unique idea.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: The mechanics and concept never manage to mesh.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Acceptable<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Disappointed<br>

Sorcery & Swashbuckling. Not being familiar with the universe or rules of StarCluster, it was the promise of these things which led me to The Book of Jalan. Described as a world in the Star Cluster, Jalan has been cut off from the other worlds by a quarantine. This has left it at a roughly Renaissance era level of development; with the largest exception being the existence of magic. You don't need to be familiar with the StarCluster game to play - The Book of Jalan contains all the necessary rules.

The layout of the book is simple and easy to read, with occasional art added in. I'm not sure what medium the artist used for the pictures, but most of them are vividly colored, and on the whole seem to fit the book quite well. This product is also extensively bookmarked, and features a fully hyperlinked table of contents and index to make browsing even easier.

The Book of Jalan opens with the first section of a multi-part story titled Due West. I'm not usually a fan of fiction in my gaming books. I didn't mind in this case. It's kept short, and is presented as a story; rather than trying to tell us what a section is about, or reading like someone recounting last night's gaming session. My biggest complaint is that during one of the early sections the first-person narrator directly addresses the audience. This causes later elements to lose some of their dramatic potential.

From there we segue directly into the magic section - a transition that was jarring to say the least. Having no experience with the game's rules at all, I'm suddenly left trying to puzzle my way through a very in depth magic system. This is our first glimmer of one of the major issues with The Book of Jalan: the organization of the book is terrible. This isn't the last time the reader is confronted with game terms or rules mechanics, and then forced to wait for an explanation. In this case it would be a bit before I even found out how skills work; which is an important part of casting magic. While this may not present a problem for those already familiar with the rules, and I was able to generally figure things out; the organization still leaves far too much room for potential confusion.

That aside, the magic system itself is of the open ended variety, rather than a predefined list of spells. Featuring a number of categories, which allow for a variety creative effects, the system does have fairly complex rules. Its number of options is a potential weakness as well as a strength; potentially slowing the game as players try and decide what elements need to go into producing the desired effect.

Character generation is the next section, and two different methods are offered: random or point buy. Five of the attributes are handled one way, while Intelligence and PSI (the attribute which governs magic) are handled another. Rank, and consequently money, are also determined in the same way as Intelligence and PSI. Initial skill selection and character advancement are handled in the same way - a per year choice based on a school or profession. At the conclusion of each adventure, characters age one year; which earns them an additional skill point, or a metaskill along with the potential for a career promotion. This section concludes with an extensive list of schools and professions.

Following character generation is the chapter on skills. It presents a large listing of individual skills, and explains what each one is for and how they are used. We also learn about metaskills: skills which can be used in conjunction with other skills. There is some math involved in translating your skill level into a percentage chance of success under the game's d00 resolution method; while calculating the percentage chance for a metaskill is a bit more difficult. The default method of performing a task with no points in the skill strikes me as a bit harsh, though a later chapter gives some suggested modifications.

The next two chapters provide descriptions of the various human cultures, as well as the four non-human species available for use as player characters. Humans receive a bonus skill based on their overall cultural grouping, and then receive additional bonus skills based on which specific subgroup of that culture the character hails from. This gives humans a wider variety to pick from regarding their bonus skills; the other character types tend to receive their bonus skills based on species, with lesser emphasis placed on the area they hail from.

The next chapters focus on armor and weapons. Again, these are chapters where the lack of organization is an issue. The reader is plunged into charts and numbers with little to no explanation of what it all means until arriving at the next chapter.

A chapter on rules comes next. Most of the information is combat related; attack and damage rolls, constitution and healing etc. Additional rules cover the effects of higher skill levels, degrees of success, alternate methods of making unskilled attempts and a note about general knowledge levels and languages.

There is an excellent GM-oriented chapter about non-player characters. It not only gives a brief description of what an NPC is, but provides an excellent series of tables for putting together these characters on the fly. Containing listings not only for determining such things as skills and attributes, there are also tables to provide NPCs with behaviour hooks and missions; perfect for when you need that little extra something, but are a bit short on ideas. Also included are preconstructed statistics, and templates suitable for use as PCs or NPCs.

Despite its claim to lack depth, the chapter giving us an overview of the history and peoples of Karai is quite informative. A great deal of work and attention to detail seem to have gone into developing the world and it shows.

A brief chapter on the gods of the world shows this same attention to detail. Not only are we introduced to the gods and what their area of influence is, but information about the forming of the Purani church, the origin of gods and the nature of worship is also provided.

The bestiary introduces us to some of the various beasties just waiting for their chance to turn PCs into snacks. In addition to the mechanical information, this chapter features an overview of the six stages of lycanthropy as one of its highlights. A companion chapter features information for putting together creatures to round out the world, or more likely with which to bedevil your PCs.

Opened and closed with some very attractive maps comes information on the city of Barkash. Like most such profiles, it covers the general composition, notable districts, politics and people of the city. My favorite portion of this chapter was a listing of the names of taverns and inns, along with their reputation for danger or excellence. While I would have preferred to see more detailed profiles of the establishments, even a brief profile for each place mentioned by name would significantly increase the book's page count.

Appendix A features various optional and advanced rules, many of them making combat more detailed. Appendix B mentions different types of currency, an overview of the Green River Valley and a chart which related real-world cultures to their counterparts on Karai.

Rounding this out is an attractive character sheet, along with various worksheets to help keep track of all your information and the already mentioned hyperlinked index.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: The magic system. Well-developed and interesting setting.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Poor organization. The magic system.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

As a slightly crusty (and on occasion odd-smelling) gaming veteran, I haven't been content with psionics since 1st edition AD&D. So I dove into Mindcraft expecting the worst while hoping for the best.

I always like to get the bad stuff out of the way first. Most of my complaints with this particular product are style related. The first of these is the advertised page count: the listed 64 pages includes the front and back covers, ads for other Alea Publishing products and the OGL notification.

As advertised it comes with two versions; one with all the bells and whistles, and one stripped down to be less abusive to your printer. While it's not that I dislike this, I would have personally preferred a landscape version for a more comfortable on-screen read.

Despite my small complaints, the overall visual presentation of the product is excellent. The backgrounds and page borders are attractive, but I never felt they were intrusive or distracted from the content. Mindcraft is bookmarked, enabling you to easily jump from section to section.

Moving on to the game content itself, we are presented with two core classes: the Mind Walker and Mental Warrior, which are similar to the Psion and Psychic Warrior classes. There are also two prestige classes, the Master of the Craft and Mental Inquisitor, rules for epic progression of the two core classes and rules for using reputation. Mindcraft also introduces four new skills; three of which are used in conjunction with the power system, 13 mental feats and three epic feats.

The power system presents several changes from the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Powers are assigned to slots which can not be changed later. Rather than a number of uses per day, a nonlethal damage based fatigue system has been used; overuse of powers can leave a character drained or unconscious.

The individual powers are assigned to one of eight categories. While most of the abilities do not have a level requirement, the more efficacious abilities will have one or more prerequisite powers. This new system has its good and bad points. While it allows you to customize your power selection, the inability to switch out old powers can leave you stuck with something you don't like down the road. The Energy Control powers may disappoint some players; while many of them have quite powerful or interesting effects, you are limited to pursuing only one of the elemental trees.

The remainder of the book details several new items, a selection of monsters and finishes with a brief overview of a psionic organization.

While it certainly isn't for everyone, Mindcraft presents an interesting take on psionics. Anyone dissatisfied with the regular system, or simply looking for a change of pace should consider taking a look.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Good presentation and layout. Well bookmarked. Interesting variation on the psionics system.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: More accurate page count needed, would have liked a landscape formatted version. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Quirky and charming, Designate: Robots is a lighthearted tale of robots attempting to overthrow humanity.

The physical layout is easy to read, and the landscape-oriented pages help cut down on scrolling. An attractive binary number themed page border, and cartoon-like pictures add to the overall atmosphere.

The game mechanics are simple to learn and use, featuring random character creation and a roll under task system. Each adventure has five random tasks the robots must accomplish in order to break their programming, so they can set their plans for world domination into motion. The players will never know just what those goals might be, leading to much potential hilarity.

Designate: Robots makes for a great pickup game when you need a break from slaying dragons, or when you just feel like telling the world to bite your shiny metal butt.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Overthrowing humanity, random adventure generation, reinforced buttocks.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Lack of information regarding Alternate Nuclear Super Lawnmower Transformation Mega Mode.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>