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Production quality is Paizo's high standards. All images are in color and the paper is slick. I saw no significant grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. The image of the kobold maliciously eyeing out of its egg on page 30 alone is worth the $17.99 MSRP.
The classic monsters examined are the bugbear, gnoll, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, lizardfolk, minotaur, ogre, orc, and troll. Each receives six pages, which are broken down into an Overview of the creature; Ecology, or lifecycle and environmental impact; Habitat & Society; Campaign Role, or how to use the monster in-game; Treasure commonly found with the monster; any Variants like rock trolls; and the monster's placement in the world of Golarion, the default setting for Paizo's Pathfinder line. The monster's personal names and stat information end its entry. Crunch, besides stat info, includes any special feats like the troll's Gift of Sight where she can use to see the future by reading her own entrails; or exotic weapons like the minotaur's double crossbows. Text boxes are scattered around each entry providing additional tidbits of information.
So what renders the ten monsters different from those found in every other fantasy rpg? As James Jacob, editor-in-chief of Paizo, writes in the supplement's introduction, the authors went back to the roots of each creature's origin, or real world mythology. They scoured the various Monster Manuals for even more scraps to flesh out their creatures. Finally, as a personal observation, they focused on keeping these creatures as monsters with a capital "M". None of them will ever co-exist with any of the major player races in any long-lasting peaceful manner. Unless as slaves. Or in the cooking pot.
Some Classic Monsters Revisited highlights include:
Bugbears are not simple brutes but re-envisioned as that monster under the bed or in the closet. They don't directly attack the PCs (though they're still capable of doing so), but go after their loved ones first.
Revisited emphasizes the hyena aspect of gnoll race. Don't, though, think you're dealing with hyena "furries". Being both lazy and savage makes them difficult to predict. And remember they attack in packs. A lot.
Goblins received the greatest change in Revisited. Think of the gremlins from the same-titled movie but with real sharp swords and a pension to singing while they eviscerate your PC alive.
The less said about the cannibalistic, inbred ogres, the better.
My take? I thoroughly enjoyed Classic Monsters Revisited. The monsters feel both familiar and different, and players who enjoy exploring the psychology of their foes before taking them down are in for a monstrous (pun intended) surprise. ("What do you mean the ogre's not attacking the rest of the party? Wait, why's he parting my PC's legs? He's doing what?!?") DMs who find their 4th edition Monster Manual sparse with fluff will especially appreciate Revisited.
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