I got a bad review of my book on Amazon.com. I wanted to post a comment to address his points, but Amazon told me that I must have purchased an item to post -- which I have (many times)! So I thought I would post my comment here (below).

I'm the author of Beginning Game Development with Python and Pygame. Let me take a moment to comment on your scathing review.

1) As the title of the book indicates, the book is intended for beginners. As such there is an introduction to Python in the first two chapters. A total of 30 pages out of approximately 300. I don't think this is unreasonable.

2) Some of the smaller listings aren't in the downloadable files because they weren't intended to run independently. A few small stand-alone listings in the early chapters don't have filenames by them. My fault entirely, but then the downloadable code is organized in to a folder for each chapter - making it simple to find a listing you are looking for. The downloadable files don't include the GameObjects library (or PyOpenGL). This is intentional -- it is better to get the up-to-date versions. However, full instructions on how to download and install these libraries are given in the README.txt file and the book.

3) I use the GameObjects vector class because it is simple to use and efficient. But I do talk about how to go about creating your own vector class, which is far more important than the choice of library. I don't use the Pygame sprite class, because it is more important that the reader knows how to manage sprites manually, before using the short-cut.

4) You must walk before you can run, young padawan. Pygame isn't a game creation kit, it is an API. You can't write a game if you don't know how to do the simple stuff. If I write about how to create tic-tac-toe, then all you can do is create tic-tac-toe games.

5) 3D games are important. I don't think you can find a clearer more accessible introduction to 3D anywhere, for any language.

There are topics that I would have have covered, if I had more time and space (although my book still covers more subjects than typical games books twice the size). Games development is a huge field. I chose to cover the essentials and topics that are poorly covered elsewhere. You are entitled to your one-star review Craig, but I would ask others to check out the free chapter on my blog before making a decision.

Will McGugan