A Router Simulator needs to have more than 6 devices if you want to really practice anything. This is a good basic simulator for the INTRO material but does not do much of anything to prepare you for the ICND or CCNP material.

No question, this lab sim is good and provides a nice topology to work with.

BUT, for the coin you have to spend, you may find a better way to go. Check out IPExpert.com. They provide a free CCNA workbook with about 20 labs in it. Then check out www.gettLabs.com. They provide a FREE rack to work through the IPExpert labs. For no money, you can work with REAL equipment. Read the gettLabs Support forums before you start. There is a lot of helpful infomation for CCNA people using their equipment.

I liked Sybex, but it is just too hard to justify the cost.

I try to be open minded about products, but I think the only reason this product has been popular uis because there was no competition out there. Now that cisco press has released their new CCNA book with NetSim in it, I can't see any value to this far inferior product.

The Sybex Gold lab edition takes most router commands at any piont in the labs, and just like real routers they accept short abriviations of commands, unlike Cisco's v-labs that require the exact command in full syntax for each short activity. The writen lab activities cover about 1/4 of the most important information from the first four semesters of the Cisco Netwoking academy,
's lab program, it very convientaly puts togeather important second semester information with fourth semester information and it does a good job. This lab is not built the same way as the official Cisco lab set up, and you can't change the change the serial lines...

The Sybex Gold lab edition takes most router commands at any piont in the labs, and just like real routers they accept short abriviations of commands, unlike Cisco's v-labs that require the exact command in full syntax for each short activity. The writen lab activities cover about 1/4 of the most important information from the first four semesters of the Cisco Netwoking academy,
's lab program, it very convientaly puts togeather important second semester information with fourth semester information and it does a good job. This lab is not built the same way as the official Cisco lab set up, and you can't change the change the serial lines...