As a guide to the Forgotten Realms, this book isn't entirely successful. A wide variety of places are covered, but the descriptions manage to be simultaneously both shallow and confusing. The Realms have been subject to a variety of earthshaking events and wars and mythic struggles, and none of them are covered in enough detail to be very comprehensible to those not already acquainted with the setting. The book seems more like an update to the setting than an introduction.

The second half of the book, with expanded character options, has more utility and is easier for the neophyte to understand. Players looking to add some Forgotten Realms flavor to their characters will find this book useful. Dungeon Masters hoping to set a campaign in the setting will likely have to resort to books from previous editions of the game for additional detail.