you do realize that 4 clocks means "Good. The game/movie has numerous problems, but is fun/enjoyable enough to suffer through the bad parts" right?
THat's EXACTLY what I said about it.
My approach is to review the book as a BOOK. People who don't mind the D&D stuff are supposed to think "Well, that doesn't bother me, so I won't mind it." My job is to tell you what the features are, and why I think some features detract and others add. That's what I did.
Incidentally, if it werent' an established system, I wouldn't award clocks at all. It's a terribly artificial rating system and doesn't do even a summary of the review any justice. If I say something you don't think is so bad, then you immediately look at the clocks to see if it's not justified. No one knows what the clocks mean, even people who do some of the reviews, but using the definitions for the clocks is the only way I can justify giving them at all.
If I lived a year or two away from civilization I imagine I would have some trouble adapting. I do not, however, believe that I would COMPLETELY lose control of myself WHILE TELLING A sTORY TO CHILDREN and put them all in mortal peril. Drizzt, however, does. And he's never completely alone. He has his panther, who, while she can't talk, is certainly of sentience level intelligence, and he has regular contact with the Myconid colony. Sorry, no, it wasn't believable.
However, I do also mention that his description of the nature of the underdark is far from distinct and not something you can put yourself into unless you know what it's like from another source. This too, is a problem.
Finally, he has silly names. Maybe that sounds minor, but when they keep coming up, it's distracting and damages the feel for the book.
I say ALL of this at various points in the review.
I stand by my rating, and disregard your charge of being harsh on it for being a D&D book
