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FOUR STARS EDITOR'S CHOICE May, 2001 Paperback - 296 pages Bk&Cd-Rom edition McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing .. Dimensions (in inches): 0.83 x 10.02 x 8.00 Buy it now Support the Designers' Bookshelf and get Amazon's discount Flash 5: Virtual Classroom by Doug Sahlin reviewed by special correspondent: Joshua Westerholm People who have tried to learn the finer points of Macromedia Flash 5 on their own know how easy it is to be caught between the desire to simply tinker with the program and the need to understand its systems and complexities. Favoring one or the other can leave you discouraged or frustrated. __ The strength of Doug Sahlin's Flash 5 Virtual Classroom (Osborne/McGraw-Hill) is its excellent balance of the two: it is creative and project-oriented enough to keep the tinkerer interested in the program's potential, but it is organized and thorough enough to keep the most left-brained programmers satisfied with the depth of their Flash education. __ Virtual Classroom is carefully laid out in chapters from the simple (Chapter One, "Getting to Know Flash Concepts") to the difficult (Chapter Fourteen, "Introduction to ActionScript"). It is easy for an inexperienced user to get accustomed to the vocabulary and principles of the program, while the intelligent structure of the book allows more experienced users to pick up where their knowledge drops off. __ A significant part of the value of the book is its accompanying CD-ROM. Here the principles outlined in the book are illustrated step-by-step in projects narrated and demonstrated by the author himself. Mr. Sahlin is self-effacing in his author's introduction, but he is being too modest: the CD is well-made and the instruction is top-quality. While the humor that opens some of the lessons may prove a bit goofy for some, it is well-balanced with thorough instruction that leads the viewer through task-accomplishing lessons. The first project on the disk is Virtual Typewriter, which allows a user to create a simple animation within ten minutes of starting the CD-ROM. Getting results--and quickly--is enough to encourage even the most unstructured learner to pursue the more minute details of Flash mastery. __ I have only two minor complaints: like all too many web-design software books, Flash 5: Virtual Classroom is black-and-white with occasional use of spot color. There are places where full-color screen shots would be greatly useful (although, to be fair, many of these are compensated for in the CD-Rom). Also, the most advanced users of Flash would probably profit more from a strictly project-oriented book featuring specific Flash 5 tricks and techniques. However, the excellent construction of the book makes Virtual Classroom an outstanding reference for Flash users at any level. Scorecard: Title = Flash 5: Virtual Classroom author = Doug Sahlin level = Beginner: just getting started rank = FOUR stars: very good, recommended My already-dog-eared copy will stay next to my computer for some time. Joshua Joshua Westerholm is a writer, web designer, and incorrigible tinkerer in the Deerfield, IL area. He applies his talents using Photoshop, QuarkXpress, and of course FLASH as Web Developer for REACH Program. copyright 2001, all rights reserved. . GRAB these Other FLASH FAVORITES! . Flash 4 Magic by David J. Emberton J. Scott Hamlin . Learning Flash 4 - The Video Lynda Weinman (Reviewed by Joyce Evans) . Flash 4! Creative Web Animation - 2/15/00 . Flash 4 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide - 2/15/00