I have used about a dozen different Lonely Planet guides over the years and have generally been quite happy with them. So when I was planning a trip to Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso, I did not hesitate to purchase the Lonely Planet West Africa guide, especially since it was the most recent guidebook covering all four countries. What a mistake! I realise that there must be some severe word-count restrictions in a book that covers 17 different countries, but that doesn't provide an excuse for omitting basic details that travellers need. The authors manage to convey just enough information to raise more questions than they answer. Information such as this bus company operates on this route once a week is almost useless without indicating which day of the week or providing a contact phone number. There's no mention of the main gare routiere in Ouagadougou at all, even though one would think that travellers might end up there. Many good transportation options are missing -- you aren't at the mercy of the Tro-Tros everywhere! The maps contain many errors, and the city maps are especially good at cutting off main attractions and hotels. Prices seem to be years out of date, even though the guidebook was published only a year ago. The background information is interesting and complete, but it seems to be at the expense of the rest of the guide. The Rough Guide, although slightly older, does a much better job with the limited space available.