*Monster Manual 2* has 224 pages, 262 creatures, and 9 templates.
Its CR values: mean ~8.5, mode 5, median 8, low 1/4, high 28.
CR values of *MM1 3E* for comparison: mean ~5.4, mode 3, median 5, low 1/10, high 26.
It retials for $29.95, which is an average of $0.13 per page.
Overall, this text rounds out the D&D ecosystem fairly well, and its CR values are closer to the *Fiend Folio* than to *MM1*. The introduction features advancement rules and ability explanations that are superior to those found in *MM1 3E*. Unlike the *Fiend Folio*, there is no obvious focus in this collection; however, it is definitely not a book for games that attempt to develop humanoid cultures and conflicts--indeed, there are no "humanoid" types in the text at all, besides one template (there are, of course, a dozen "monstrous humanoid" types, and several outsiders that are essentially extraplanar monstrous humanoids).
Other developments include a good smattering of terrain-based creatures--more desert and swamp inhabitants (fans of the old Dark Sun setting will be pleased to see the return of the "braxat," the "dune stalker," the "sun giant," the "nightmare beast," the "thri-kreen," and the "rampager.") Also, a higher percentage of Colossal creatures and of Aquatic ones than in *MM1*.
The templates are generally good--standouts include the "Death Knight," the "Half-Golem," and the "Tauric" creature (a centaur-thing made of various humanoid and animal bits--very nice). The "Spellstitched" template is decent, though it conjures images of fireball-tossing skeletors from *Diablo*.
Noteworthy creatures--
1) Constructs--lot of good ones here: the "automatons," the "chain golem," the "clockwork horrors," the "juggurnaut," the "nimblewright," the "rogue eidolon," and the "runic guardian" are all first-rate. The "raggamoffyns" are an especially nice touch. and the golems proper are superb.
2) Undead--the best undead in the game are in this text: the "banshee," the "bone naga," the "corpse gatherer," the "crimson death," the "deathbringer," the "effigy," the "famine spirit," the "gravecrawler," the "jahi," the "ragewind," and the "spawn of kyuss"--that's the whole list, and they're all first rate--some tough CR, too.
3) Dragons--4 items here, all very very cool: the "gem dragons," the "fell drakes," the "linnorms," and the uber-badass "hellfire wyrm." These entries are probably worth the cover price by themselves.
4) Outsiders--plenty to go around:
--the "bladelings," to fill out Acheron's poltics a bit more
--2 more Celestials, both of the "guardinal" type, low CR
--8 more Demons (4 Tanar'ri), some with low CR
--3 more Devils (all Ba'atezu)
--3 more yugoloths (higher CR generally than those in *MotP* or *FF*)
--tons of "elemental" types (yeah, technically not "outsiders," but, hell, they are, really)
--and others, such as: 2 basic planetouched types ("zenythri" and "chaond"), much needed; the "rukarazyll," a bizarre aberration-thing; a few ethereal-things; and the "vaporighu," a brute from Gehenna.
5) some decent oozes (the "flesh jelly" rules), fey, plants (myconids! but the "orcwort" is good too), and so on.
6) a bizarre ape-fetish here. We have the "blood ape" (CR 6), the "cloaked ape" (CR 2), the "gambol" (CR 5), the "julajimus" (CR 12), and the "legendary ape" (CR 7). Why all the friggin' monkey-things? Don't we already have the "ape" proper, the "dire ape," and the "girallon" in *MM1*?
Ultimately, this is an all-around useful text, provided one wants to develop a game that is less humanoid-laden.
