Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual:
Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition

Wizards RPG Team
$19.64 via Amazon

People who have brought this wrote:

4th edition is bound to be regarded as the love-child of collectible card games and online RPGs. And no book displays this feeling any stronger than its 4th edition Monster's Manual. I've been playing dnd since 2nd edition came out and did a lot of DMing during 3rd edition. In those times you would create a monster in a way very similar to a PC: You would choose your monster's race, give it a class and choose its feats and spells before you were done. The whole system was incredibly powerful to the point of being overwhelming. 4th edition changed all of this. Monsters now are presented "as-is", no tweaking necessary. You can't trace how many levels it has or what feat choices it took. It is basically a non-adaptable stat block. This, of course has its upsides. In 3rd, for example, between feats, spells and abilities, a normal adult dragon would have around 30 different options during combat. In 4th? Even the most powerful has about 7. And most of them are pretty linear. Of course, you can't level it up to scale the encounter to your group's level or even choose to give it different abilities (some monster templates are presented though) but it does make it a lot easier just to put one out of the book and into the battlefield. In the end, it seems monsters and enemy NPCs work in ways very different from normal PCs. They have a lot less options, a lot less depth and no way to scale. However they do look a lot user-friendlier, with a simpler, cleaner stat-block and easier to understand powers.
Bottom line, the question comes down to the Player's Handbook. If DM and players like this novel approach to dnd then the Monster's Manual follows suit and delivers a good, solid work for the busy DM. If the whole cRPG / CCG look doesn't strike your fancy, I seriously think this book won't convert you.

The second of three core rulebooks for the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game.

The Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game has defined the medieval fantasy genre and the tabletop RPG industry for more than 30 years. In the D&D game, players create characters that band together to explore dungeons, slay monsters, and find treasure. The 4th Edition D&D rules offer the best possible play experience by presenting exciting character options, an elegant and robust rules system, and handy storytelling tools for the Dungeon Master.

The Monster Manual presents more than 300 official Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game monsters for all levels of play, from aboleth to zombie. Each monster is illustrated and comes with complete game statistics and tips for the Dungeon Master on how best to use the monster in D&D encounters.