Let me begin this review by saying that I agree with most of what Mr. Henderson wrote in his review of this product.

Now, on to my opinions:

First, as to the statement made by Mr. Henderson that you should not necessarily consider this a 9 phase routine: That depends upon your definition of a "phase". If you consider every individual link, unlink and re-link a "phase", then yes, it is 9 phases or better. If you do not define the word "phrase" in that manner, then no.

Mr. Henderson mentioned that you may be better off purchasing the Dan Garrett routine, 'Pindemonium', which is a good and fair statement. However, suppose that you happened upon this particular routine (Dreamweaver) first and bought it because you liked the demo video or the way the ad copy read. How does it fare then?

First, as to the statement made by Mr. Henderson that you should not necessarily consider this a 9 phase routine: That depends upon your definition of a "phase". If you consider every individual link, unlink and re-link a "phase", then yes, it is 9 phases or better. If you do not define the word "phrase" in that manner, then no.

As a person that has never read any of the other methodologies of any other existing linking pin routine, you will get a performable and entertaining routine, provided you work on your handling and presentation, including where the final phase is concerned. NOW, that is not to say that some people will not have a hard time discerning the written instructions, but I am confident in saying that probably 99% of people will be able to put 2 and 2 together to get 4, when combining the oft confusing text with the provided photographs. My four star rating is based upon the supposition that Dreamweaver is the first exploration of the reader into the linking pins plot.

Without knowing if there were any print editions of the Dreamweaver instructions with corrections made, and if so, which edition was reviewed by Mr. Henderson, it is hard to tell if mine is different. The only reference to a date was 2003. In my booklet, the ends of the pin are referred to as the 'circular end' and the 'head of the pin', or simply, 'the head'. Such being the case, it is not entirely difficult, in my humble opinion, to figure out the ends to which those two names or phrases refer.

There is a section at the beginning of the booklet that tells you how to "Set Up When Unprepared to Perform", referring to when you are put on-the-spot by an audience to perform an effect. In that section, the author tells you what you need and where to place everything in your pockets in order to carry it. I cannot say the specific names of two of the items required, but only that four safety pins are required and nothing more.

Suffice it to say that two of the needed items, AND, the fact that you are carrying pins with which to perform a linking pins routine, both dismiss the notion of "un-preparedness" or "impromptu" magic.

Having said that, I think it would have been better to describe how to set up on-the-fly, even though you should be able to figure that out easily enough.

I agree with Mr. Henderson when he said that the closing of the gimmick would have been beneficial, though again, not entirely hard to figure out on your own by playing around with the handling of the pins.

As for the original link contributed to this plot by the author, it depends upon your handling and presentation to make it look clean and magical. It should not be totally obvious to anyone if presented well - I have never had anyone guess as to how it is accomplished.

In the back of the booklet there are a few alternative links and one additional unlink offered for your perusal. I think with the right routining, all of them can be quite magical.

Overall, this is a good starting point for anyone new to the linking pins concept, but by no means is it the best.

Past linking pin routines include work from Han Van Senus (the inventor of the "gimmick" used in this routine) and Michael Weber, the 'Slydini Pins' by Tony Slydini, 'Andrus Linking Pins' by Jerry Andrus and as previously mentioned here, 'Pindemonium' by Dan Garrett. Also new to the market as of this writing is further contribution to the plot by Chris Mayhew in his routine, 'Safety'. Any of these routines are worth their time and investment, whether Dreamweaver is your first exploration of the linking pins plot or not.

I have mixed emotions while writing this review. I don't know the full story, and haven't tracked it down, so let me just offer the facts and my thoughts.

With Dreamweaver you receive a linking pin routine that is, by and large, the Dan Garrett Pindemonium routine. Dan is credited, which is a good thing. However, I do not know if he gave permission.

Now, of all the phases, only one comes directly from the Pindemonium routine, however most of the phases are very derivative from that work, as admitted by the creator. They are the kind of thing that I think many people would have derived with while working on Pindemonium.

Are they good? Well, yes. Are they original? Well, depends on how you define that.

This also raises the question of whether publishing derivative ideas and selling them is the right thing to do. Part of that is determined by the granting of permission, but part of it rests on a determination of whether or not something is being added to the record. I mean, why publish something that's already been done before, even WITH permission?

Admittedly, the final phase incorporates a gimmicked pin, so releasing it as a commercial item makes sense. However, I often thought that the best way of doing this type of release would be to offer a combo package. Sell an original copy of Garrett's Pindemonium along with the gimmicked pin and brief manuscript describing the final phase. Let me tell you why I think this would have been preferable in this case.

One, the instructions are very difficult to follow, as are the illustrations. Little things such as referring to the "round end" of the pin add confusion. Well, both ends are "round." Also, there are omissions in the handling of the opening and closing of the pin which are covered in the Garrett routine. While you do not need to do this often, I think it would help the handling to learn these moves. While the concept of secretly opening the pin is mentioned, it is not "taught" by any stretch of the imagination. Finally, the writing could have been clearer on many counts.

When Just Passin' Thru was released by Russ Niedzwiecki, he included a DVD to aid explanations. I thought his printed text was more than clear. I think Dreamweaver's instructions would have benefited from a similar treatment. After watching the online demo I had an entirely different vision of what the trick was supposed to look like. (See, I didn't try it for the longest time because I was unsure which pin was the gimmicked one and didn't want to ruin it. The routine I imagined was VERY similar to Dan's. After seeing the online demo, I went through the instructions. I see the differences, but even then, the phases are all derivative of the inspiring routine.)

The routine is good and it flows well. I would not consider it a 9 phase routine, so don't let its apparent length put you off.

Ok, I guess we need to discuss that which is original to Dreamweaver, the final link. Again, I have mixed feelings. When I was playing with it I thought, "wow, what a clever and visual ending." However, in sharing it with audiences, I am amazed at how many correctly guess the method as a knee jerk reaction. I thought it may have been my performance, so I asked them what made them say it. "That's what it's got to be," or things to that effect were often offered. Take that for what it is.

The gaff is glaringly obvious - IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. If you don't, it's invisible. I know, because I missed it on first handling the pins myself. (Note: Do NOT carry the gimmick in your wallet, as suggested.)

So, where does that leave us?

I think you would be better served buying the original Pindemonium routine and working out your own handling. I think there is more "meat" in those instructions and one would have a better learning experience. However, if you like the final ending of the Dreamweaver routine, which can be seen online, then you shouldn't hesitate buying the Dreamweaver package for the ability to close with that one phase. To me, it would still be a good investment.

The routine is good, the props are well made, but the instructions could use some help. I'm giving it an overall 3, though the Pindemonium routine is easily a 5. But that routine and thinking has been in print before, so I can't give those stars to Dreamweaver.