Customer Reviews

Authorware 5 Attain Authorized (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book is good in how it presents the information it does. However, it falls way short of teaching enough. It is a basic book at best. If you are just starting out in CBT, then this book is for you. If you have done any CBT before, then don't bother. And if you are experienced with Authorware and want more on ODBC, CMI, or KO's....keep looking.

I bought this book as part of a graduate course in Multimedia. We were to learn how to develop a business application using Authorware Attain 5.1 as a final project for the class. The book goes throught the basics of using Authorware Attain 5.1 but often the explanations are not detailed enough. The author assumes too much knowledge of the software's capabilities in some of the exercises. It appears that the software has a lot of potential but you will not find out all the potential from this book. If you want to learn the basics of Authorware, the book will be helpful. If you want anything beyond the basics, it will not help you.

This book starts off with making projects and that's what you'll be doing most of the time. The chapters start off slowly with the absolute basics, and progresses in difficulty later on. Its definitely not a reference book, but more like a tutorial book.

Each chapter presents new features of the program, but not much detail is give regarding the concepts behind those features. However, if you're new to Authorware, then this is definitely a good book to start with, as there aren't many books out there in the market which cover this program anyway.

Some steps are illustrated, and you'll be given instructions in what to do and how to do them to progress further. Unfortunately, its not very comprehensive in its explaination, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure out why some things are done that way.

So, pick it up if you're a beginner and go through it like a tutorial with the program, and it'll commit to memory better. If you want something comprehensive and more in depth, then look elsewhere.

I got this book for my multimedia class and find a great start up for a novice like myself...3 months later, having picked up references and experimenting the software itself, when I go back to look up some less frequently used content, I find myself unable to look throught the book! The book was designed in a flow of learning topiccs such that you are unlikely to refer to a specific function using this book.

Although this book says it is about Authorware 5, it is essentially a reprint of the Authorware 4 Authorized book with all traces of Macintosh removed. The book is reasonably good on the basics, but none of the Authorware 5 only features are covered.

This is a great book for beginners. Kellogg does an excellent job explaining the basics of Authorware. I had no trouble taking what I learned in the book and applying it in my own Authorware projects. What this book doesn't cover are some of the other Authorware issues...like programming Authorware or using Authorware 5's new "Knowledge Objects". However, you will easily learn the basics of Authorware using this book. It's a very good place to start.

For a basic instruction in Authorware 5 Attain, this book will take you through the basics. One great disappointment is that one of the most important new features in Authorware 5 Attain, Knowledge Objects is not covered! This will be a great disappointment for those who need to know how this exciting new feature works.

This is the worst book in the world! If you want to learn Authorware, it is impossible to understand what it says.

One of the most powerful things in this product(knowledge objects) they don't even discuss. Their excuse is to learn directly with Authorware and then they tell you to how to click an option box to prevent it from showing up again!?! Go figure? They should put out a Authorware 2 and do a better job.

once again, Macromedia produces a great product with bad documentation. This "Authorized" version of the manual is not even as good as the help files that come with Authorware. Spend your money somewhere else.