The Mongoose Pocket Player's Handbook

While I have no desire to DM the latest incarnation of D & D, I happily play it. Everyone else in my group upgraded to 3.5, but I really couldn't justify doing so. The SRD, while very handy when at my computer, isn't so handy at the table. Pulling out the parts I'd like to have at the table for reference, laying them out, & printing them would be a big job. I still don't think I'd come up with something I liked as well as the Pocket PHB. Whenever we've looked up rules, the Pocket PHB has had the exact wording as the 3.5 PHB. I don't miss the "flavor text" at all. It's everything I need to be a player in a D & D 3.5 game in a more compact & less expensive package than the 3.5 PHB.

While the organization of things takes a little getting used to, the PPH is a great tool for anyone who is an avid D & D player. I would NOT recommend this book for new players, as it lacks almost all descriptive texts which give players an understanding of the rules. It's size is nice, and looking things up is a snap. A lot of the useful tables were put in the front of the book for quick reference, and the index is much more extensive than the standard PH. But I stress that this book is not for new players, it should only be used as a reference for players already comfortable with the rules of the game.