Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great for complete beginners
Comment: I have been using this book to learn what I can about ActionScript. At my job I work closely with several programmers who work very much with ActionScript (as well as PHP, HTML, and JavaScript). I wanted to understand better everything that was going on, and I wanted to learn how to do simple fixes with ActionScript myself, so I bought this book. I have been 100% pleased.
I have very little programming experience. (I learned HTML in 8th grade so I could build my own web-page.) This book does an EXCELLENT job of explaining, from the ground up, class and object oriented programming (which is handy not just for ActionScript, but for many other languages as well). My one caveat is that having an extensive background in computers is good, as well as having someone who DOES know ActionScript who can answer your questions. While everything is in the book, it is covered at a fast pace, and you could possibly get confused if you're started literally from scratch. But then again, that's basically what I did, and I love it.
This is a great book for beginners to programming in general, but would also make a GREAT book for anyone who is just new to ActionScript. Definitely 5 stars. I would recommend to anyone.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great transition book!
Comment: The book is very helpful if you have action script background. My transition from 2.0 to 3.0 was made easy due to this book. The text is very simple to read, though a lot, it shows an example then explains how the code works. You have to go through the first couple of chapters to get the gist of as 3, but after that you can jump to any chapter...otherwise you will be very lost since you have to set certain things in order for the coding to work.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "Colin Moock", or "Colin Betray Us"?
Comment: I am a Flash instructor and developer (many years working in AS 1.0 and 2.0) and received this book from the publisher to consider as an advanced Flash class textbook.
There is no way I would inflict it upon even the most advanced Flash user.
Reviewers Twain and Lazaris both hit the nail on the head in their detailed reviews below. Even for a pretty advanced Flash developer like myself, who just wants to get current with AS 3.0, this is a nearly impossible read. You don't have to be a programmer to understand Flash, but you do have to be one to understand Moock. He clearly knows ActionScript backwards and forwards, but he has never been able to teach it well.
If you have to re-read a book three times, or wait a year and revisit it after you've learned the topic elsewhere, it is NOT a 5-star book. 5-star books make immediate sense out of complex topics. This book merits 2-3 stars at most; if you haven't already learned to program in another language, this book won't be very helpful to you.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great AS3 Code Book!
Comment: Among all the AS3 books out there, this is a great book! If... You are an EXPERIENCED programmer with a few years or more of industry programming background. I would not present this book to a non-programmer or someone with very little programming experience, otherwise you will 'die on the vine' with all the technical jargon in this book. I see some people misinterpret the title ILLUSTRATED. It does illustrated the constructs of code building, not in terms of pics or graphics. I am new to ActionScript and Flash, but not to programming. I own a soft copy of this book, but have purchased a hard copy. This book thoroughly explains the topic to its 'nuts and bolts' level for programmers that is easy to follow and understand. If you truly wish to learn ActionScript 3.0 from the bottom up and you are an experienced programmer, this is the book to do it with. This book will make an excellent reference when needed on occasion, too.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, if you know your way already.
Comment: This review is more of a 'heads-up' for any beginners considering this book. There are many reviews here telling about the book's contents, so I am going to talk about the level of the book instead.
I think it is important to state that this book is in NO WAY aimed or intended for beginners. None of the books in this series are, for that matter. Being fair, and I think this information is important for people even though a bit off topic: O'Reilly RARELY makes beginner level books. What they do make is insanely useful technical books which will tell you more than you probably ever wanted to know about a subject. But they are done, IMHO, very well. Still, when looking at books to buy I think it is important to keep this in mind, particularly if you are a beginner in any topic. Especially because most programming books are rather spendy.
When I bought Moock's first book, I had been using AS for a couple years (starting from Flash 4) and was still a beginner. However, I could manage my way through the very limited scripting options. When Flash 5 opened up the AS language to a full-blown environment, I was excited to get his book. Once it arrived, I was completely overwhelmed and immediately put it away. For about a year. During that time, I found other materials and boned up on my AS, THEN revisited the book. I found it much more useful.
When AS 2 came out, I thought the same thing. Ah-ha! I already know AS, so his book will get me up to speed. Wrong. The stuff which was pretty much lifted from the previous AS 1 book made sense, but I could not grasp what he was saying about the updates and new features in AS 2. Again, I put the book away for a year, found other resources to familiarize myself with, and revisited the book. I was surprised at the wealth of information I learned, but I learned it AFTER reading numerous other sources.
Leading to this book, I completely expect the same. I am buying it because I KNOW it will be a tome well worth the price based on my looking through it at local book sellers. No one, at least that I have read, has the depth of understanding of AS Moock does. He, IMHO, really understands the what and how. And he will tell you EVERYTHING about it. He does not, sadly, possess the 'layman language' to make this a beginner book. It barely makes sense to those well immersed in the topic. BUT, once you get to the level that you can absorb what he is saying, you catapult your Flash skills and usage.
For beginners, definitely start elsewhere. Books by Phillip Kerman or Joey Lott are marvelous entry level books. Both authors have a superior knowledge of Flash AS, but the also possess the ability to talk about it conversationally. A huge help in anyone's learning of a new subject. Flash AS is a huge uphill battle, but one which rewards richly for those who travel the path. I would just hate to have someone not try because they do not understand a book reportedly aimed at developers with 'no prior programming knowledge.'
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