Whether you're a tourist just passing through or an expat settling into Prague for the long haul, you'll need a guidebook at some point to help you get the most out of the city. There seem to be more than ever lately, or at least more new versions of the old standbys.

Here's a quick look at three of the more recent Prague guides to hit stores. They're all roughly the same size and price, but each offers a different take on what a good guidebook should provide.

Unless otherwise noted, all three provide the basic essentials you'd expect from a guide, and also include special sections for visitors with children, and gay and lesbian and disabled travelers.

All three also reflect a trend in the travel guide industry, which has seen many books shift from a promotional, travel-agent tone to the no-holds-barred, insider's take on the city pioneered by Time Out. No longer are guides afraid to warn about the worst of what Prague has to offer: polluted air, rude service, drunken stag parties, shady taxi drivers, overcharging waiters and pickpockets galore.

Rough Guide to Prague

(2006 edition. By Rob Humphreys. 320 pages, $17.99/400 Kč.)

Summary: More like a textbook than a guidebook, a better choice for residents or long-term visitors.

Choice quote: "The kindest thing you can say about Czech food is that it is hearty."

This book is not particularly rough, nor does it feel much like a guide. On the one hand, it's extraordinarily well-researched and thorough, and reading its "City" and "Contexts" chapters will leave you something of an expert on Prague and Czech history. It even contains a glossary of architectural terms and a listing of every Czech head of state from 895 AD to the present.

This book is so thorough, in fact, that it's probably too daunting for anyone spending just a short time in Prague. The 27-page history lesson is more than the average visitor needs, while the restaurant, bar and club listings seem a bit thin. Phone numbers are given for restaurants and clubs, but not for cafés or bars.

Nor does this guidebook actually do much guiding. There's a list of "22 things not to miss," but no itineraries or self-guided walking routes are suggested, making this book a better choice for more independent-minded travelers.

Street maps are decent, if a bit on the small side, but they're hard to find, since they're scattered throughout the text and the map index doesn't list the pages they're on.

Expat residents especially may appreciate small details about Czech life, including national holidays, festivals and avoiding the cops. ("Police ... tend to confine themselves to socially acceptable activities like traffic control and harassing Romanies.")

Fodor's Prague

(2005 edition. By various authors. 275 pages, $17.)

Summary: Somewhat bland, but delivers all the basics the average tourist will need.

Choice quote: "The best of what Prague has to offer is old, traditional and administered by grouches. If something seems too slick or easy, you've wandered into the tourist zone."

This is only the first edition of this guide, and it shows. Overall, it's difficult to navigate and the monotonous page layout makes it worse, with big blocks of text often broken up by only a few bolded words. Museums don't get their own chapter or subject heading; instead they're lumped together with all the other sights, based on which area of the city they're in. What's worse, opening and closing hours for restaurants, bars and shops aren't included — meaning you either have to make a bunch of phone calls or trust your luck.

The "Exploring Prague" chapter is packed full of historical tidbits, but its overly didactic tone ("Once you enter the cathedral, pause to take in the vast but delicate beauty") grows tiresome.

The book's title is somewhat deceiving, because a full one-third of its bulk covers Czech destinations outside the capital. While that's not necessarily bad information to have, it may not be what people are looking for when they buy a guidebook simply titled "Prague."

For a travel literature company as large as Fodor's, the maps are surprisingly bad: on the small side, poorly labeled, monochromatic and scattered throughout the book, making them hard to find for quick reference. The metro map inside the back cover is distorted and displayed sideways, sure to confuse any first-time visitor.

On the positive side, this book's language section is the easiest to use of the bunch, with a pronunciation guide for each Czech word and phrase. It also boasts the most restaurant listings and most detailed shopping guide out of these three, complete with a handy shopping map of Old Town and New Town. For restaurants, bars and shops aren't included — meaning you either have to make a bunch of phone calls or trust your luck.

The "Exploring Prague" chapter is packed full of historical tidbits, but its overly didactic tone ("Once you enter the cathedral, pause to take in the vast but delicate beauty") grows tiresome.

The book's title is somewhat deceiving, because a full one-third of its bulk covers Czech destinations outside the capital. While that's not necessarily bad information to have, it may not be what people are looking for when they buy a guidebook simply titled "Prague."

For a travel literature company as large as Fodor's, the maps are surprisingly bad: on the small side, poorly labeled, monochromatic and scattered throughout the book, making them hard to find for quick reference. The metro map inside the back cover is distorted and displayed sideways, sure to confuse any first-time visitor.

On the positive side, this book's language section is the easiest to use of the bunch, with a pronunciation guide for each Czech word and phrase. It also boasts the most restaurant listings and most detailed shopping guide out of these three, complete with a handy shopping map of Old Town and New Town.

Cadogan Guide to Prague

(2005 ed. By Sadakat Kadri. 281 pages, $17.95.)

Summary: A fun guide, good for an irreverent take on the city.

Choice quote: "Vegans will have as grim a life in Prague as everywhere else."

The Cadogan guide borrows from the cheeky and youthful tone of the better-known Time Out series. It tries to make things easy, with suggested itineraries and activities helpfully broken down into six categories: couples' city, Baroque city, indoor city, outdoor city, red city and literary city. Thematic walking routes are also suggested, taking you around Petřín Hill or on a Kafka or Art Nouveau tour.

Surprisingly, for a book that seems to market itself toward a younger audience, the nightlife and shopping sections are rather thin. There's barely more than two pages of bar listings and a scant single page on clubs. And, horror of horrors — it recommends tourist trap U Fleků as a "pleasant spot for raucous summer drinking."

Six nice color maps are inside the back cover, but unfortunately, the authors apparently decided anything outside tourist central is not worth a visit. Vinohrady, Žižkov, Holešovice and the like get only the briefest of mentions in the "Outside of Center" chapter, and the book fails to include any maps that cover these areas.