12 Games of Christmas

A few useful pages, but mostly material I had seen better elsewhere.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Not one I will be returning to. There are better introductions to game development available.

Good in places. I would borrow it before buying if you can.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

Three stars feels about right. Useful, but not essential.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. Borrow it first if you can, or at least check the table of contents carefully before buying.