I'm one of those people that reads the manuals for everything first - DIY furniture, vacuum cleaners, saucepans etc.

I can't say I like the modern trend for thinner manuals or unreadable ones, but I recognise I'm in the minority. I have kicked the habit for buying additional 'strategy guides' though. Last useful one I saw was for Civ:Call To Power.

I've bought some games where the manual was far better value than the actual game!