"Characters by Level" presents 30 quick templates for creating a D&D 4e character of any level. In many ways, the product does nothing more than give you the same information as p. 29 of the Player's Handbook, plus some mathematical calculations. If you've been confused by the process of creating a 4e character above 1st level, you might find the $2.00 for this product a good investment. On the other hand, if you can read the chart on p. 29 of the Player's Handbook and calculate 1/2 of your character's target level, keep your $2.00 and buy a Coke.

If you do use this product, though, be careful with your character's ability scores, as the guidance given herein is not quite accurate. At levels above 4th, "Characters by Level" tells you to "distribute X bonus points after assigning starting scores." You need to go back to PH p. 29, though, to make sure you "distribute" these points within the rules. If you're creating a 4th through 7th level character, for example, "Characters by Level" tells you to assign staring ability scores and then "distribute 2 bonus points." The real rule, however, is "add +1 to each of two ability scores"; you can't "distribute" both bonus points to the same ability score. Things are a little more complicated if you're making an 8th through 10th level character, but "Characters by Level" doesn't seem to recognize this. To create an 8th through 10th level character, "Characters by Level" tells you to "distribute" 4 bonus points to your starting ability scores, but doesn't tell you that you can't add more than +2 to any one ability score during this process. If you're not careful, you could end up creating an "illegal" character.

In brief, the product gives you a set of useful shortcuts, but do-it-yourself-ers don't need it.