Just FYI: This review is for the 2nd Edition boxed set, not the D&D3; hardcover.There is much to the old axiom of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', and as cliche as it might be, it holds very true to the 2nd Edition Forgotten Realms boxed set. Oversized text and space wasting boarder art notwithstanding, the 2nd Ed boxed set incorporates all of the nonsense of the 'Time of Troubles' trilogy of novels. It also adjusts the Dale Reckoning time line by almost a hundred years for no reason. It gives scant overviews of too large of an area, and almost nothing on the things that really matter, like characters, noble houses, and rivalries between states. It also brings out the worst of the Realms, like munchkin characters such as Drizzt Du'Urden and Elminster. Stick with the grey 1st Edition Boxed Set, it's a much superior version.