Published by Brady Games

After the release of the fantastic game there was no doubt that there would be a guidebook to help players get the best out of the game and the people at Brady Games have duly obliged. 

And without a doubt it is one of their best guide books so far. 

For the whole 270 odd pages it delves you further into the world of Rapture than any other publication or even the game has done before. 

Starting off with a brief one page introduction to the game it then has a section which introduces you to the residents of Rapture and the game itself. These include Andrew Ryan, the creator of the city and Sofia Lamb the new villain for the new game. Each bio is brief but constructive and also includes a beautifully rendered picture of the character in question. 

The next section is a very handy hints and tips guide to wandering around the city as a Big Daddy. This includes a description of ADAM and also telling you about things such as the Vending Machines that you will come across and Security panels etc. 

After this comes the section that a lot of fans of the game will enjoy which is a description of the weapons found within the game. Again this is very comprehensive and includes pictures of the weapons in question. It also informs you about how many you can carry at once and the magazine capacity of each weapon. 

Next is a section devoted to informing you about the gene-altering effects of Plasmids and tonics and reminds you that although you are in the outfit of a Big Daddy, within you are still a man and these will give you various different abilities throughout the game. 

Of course the majority of the book is a comprehensive walk-through. Nothing divides gamers more than a walkthrough. Some find them as no more than cheats and something that should be avoided at all costs while others, such as me, don’t see them as that at all. They are merely an aid to get further in the game and a help when you are stuck. After all unlike Cheats – even if you read it in the walkthrough you still have to actually do it yourself in the game. 

This walkthrough is one of the best I have ever seen. As you would expect it includes maps of the areas that you will find yourself in, but this all includes fantastic screenshots from the game and also items such as the audio diaries that you come across in the game itself. It also explains how you can come across the different endings that are possible within the game. 

After all this we then go into a section devoted to the Multiplayer element of the game.  Of course this didn’t feature in the original game and is a welcome addition for most fans of the series. Again it introduces the characters you will find in this section of the game, how to set up a multiplayer game itself, the weapons that are available and the various different elements that make this a different test than the single player mode. 

The last two sections are devoted to multiplayer maps and also a full list of the trophies (PS3) and achievements (360) that you can unlock within the game. 

Overall this is a fantastic book, well written and beautifully designed. It has been designed, as the Brady Games catchphrase says to allow you to “take the game further” and it certainly achieves that. The diagrams of the maps and all the artistry found within the book are all excellent and the text is concise yet detailed. Words are used wisely and at no point does it dissolve into unnecessary waffle. 

If you love the game and want to get the most out of the game you really ought to own this book and at £12-99 (UK) or $19.99 (US) it is well worth the money. 

Excellent.