Most of the creatures have their origins in Japanese folklore, but some are from the cultures of China, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. There is a new character race, the Bamboo Elf, and a few new monsters created by the authors, such as the Jade Dragon, the Komori-Ninja (a ninja batman) amongst others.

Of particular interest among traditional creatures is the famous Chinese Monkey King, almost a God, with most ability scores closer to thirty but a wisdom score of eight. His magic rod hits for 1d1000 points of damage, but Monkey gets to choose the exact amount of damage he deals. What's more, he always wins initiative.

Ryujin, the Dragon Emperor of the sea from Japanese folklore is remarkable with his 44 hit dice and the fact that he casts spells as a 28th level sorcerer.

Of course, not all creatures in this book have such tremendous powers. The majority of the creatures presented in "Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts" have a CR of eight or lower. Most of them have at least a complete page of captivating descriptive text devoted to them along with a good quality black and white illustration. Anyone who has been exposed to Asiatic cinema will recognise some of the creatures here, such as the White-haired Ghost.

The oriental penchant gives a nice break from the fantasy stereotypes. Some rather unique and interesting creature ideas can materialize. Here are a few striking examples. The Kurote lives in cesspools and feeds off the excrement of civilised men. Its intense hunger for feces can lead it to tear apart living humans it meets to eat from its still warm bowels. The Tanuki are a race of humanoid badgers who love to drink sake and strong alcohol but hate to work for money so they often resort to mischief. The Langsuyar are corporeal spirits of women who died in childbirth and take revenge by feeding off the life energy of new born babies. They infiltrate human society easily because these intensely sexual beings show no outward signs of undeath.

The authors have included Flat-Footed and Touch AC in the main statistics blocks of the creatures, which is a nice touch.

A new template, the Sennin, can be added to any corporeal creature of good alignment. The Sennin is a mystic sage that understands the nature of the universe and sees through the illusions of the world. The Sennin has attained enlightenment. A Sennin gets some spell-like abilities, has some elemental immunity, can cure diseases, speak with animals, walks on clouds and mists and has True Seeing at will.

This book will be very useful to anyone playing in an oriental setting. Its content can also be useful in the context of a traditional campaign.